American Holiday Items

   

(American) Holidays are usually great festive days. They are all meant as days where all the family gathers and enjoys a good time together without any fights or arguments and become much closer. A great way to try and quell those barriers that families sometimes setup during the years as the members of it do small things that slowly annoy others and eventually everyone is fighting one with each other – This is the best time to forget of all that and enjoy the close family company. All it takes is a little bit of effort now, because the date on the calendar has already been set for you.

When we hear the world “Holiday” it gives us a happy feeling because it means a lot to many different individuals. For an office worker, it means getting away from a pile of paper works and noisy telephone calls; For a student, it means getting away from test, assignments and recitations; For a teacher, it means being free from noisy students and stressful lesson plan-making; To a family, it means going away for a short trip or dining outside; For lovers, it is a day of spending quality time together; To a group of friends, it means going to the mall for shopping or going to parks for fun activities. Whatever meaning that each of us has for a “Holiday”, it is sure to be a day where we can all rest from our usual daily activities and commemorate the events on that day.

In America, there are several important holidays that are celebrated each year. Each Holiday is a celebration or an observance of an important event. Below are the following common Holidays that are included in the American calendar.

Valentine’s Day is a Holiday celebrated on the 14th of February. Valentine’s Day is dedicated for lovers, friends and families to express their love and care for each other by giving out cards, flowers, and gifts. It is a day where the color red dominates the surroundings--- red hearts, red roses and colorful confectioneries are seen everywhere. The atmosphere of love, care and happiness are shared with a smile, kisses and hugs.

Easter is the most important religious feast for Christians and it is celebrated on an Easter Sunday. The date of the Easter holiday is not fixed on a civil calendar because it is the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Popular activities done on the Easter Holiday are egg hunts and Easter bunnies are common symbols for this day.

Independence Day (4th of July)is a federal holiday celebrated on the 4th of July each year. Independence Day is one of the days that means the most to all Americans since it was the signing point in time where they separated from the British. Many Americans probably forgot what it really means to have the chance to celebrate this day, but even without that, it is a holiday that brings families close enough. Some of them do remember the meaning of the day and give good praises for the chance that them and their families can be where they are and together, which makes the union feel all the more important. Many Americans, even those who are working abroad, try to return home to be with their families in this season because they know how much of an important date it is. Singing of the National Anthem is held on parks as the day starts followed by many activities such as fireworks, picnics, feast, concerts, parades, etc. It is the day commemorating the freedom of Americans from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Halloween is a Holiday celebrated on the 31st of October each year. Hallween day is associated with the colors black and orange. Halloween parties are celebrated on the night of October 31 and Jack O’ Lanterns and scary decorations fill the streets. Common activities include: ghost tours, wearing costumes, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, hearing and sharing ghost and scary stories, treat-or-treating and watching horror films.

Thanksgiving is another important holiday since it leads American families to share between them food, love and care which seems otherwise a dying set of traits in a world that’s so filled with greed and coldness. This is a day that all American families care to enjoy since it’s not about giving gifts, but sharing what they have which includes their own affection which many times should be considered as something far better than a gift, but, these days it’s regarded as something mundane and useless by far too many. This day reminds people that there is still a deep need to care for each other. Elderly people tend far more easily to remember this, thankfully, so their grand children can in some way be taught these good morals by them to hopefully become more warm persons in the future who do not ignore others in their time of need, even if from a simple hug.

Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated every 25th of December to commemorate the Birth of Jesus Christ in Nazareth. Church celebrations, colorful Christmas decorations fill the houses, streets and establishment. Christmas songs and children’s laughter fill the air. Activities include gift-giving, midnight feast, Christmas carols, nativity plays, etc. it is not only celebrated by the Christian populations. Many non-Christians also celebrate this holiday as a secular or cultural holiday and they join in gift-giving activities.