Observances & Traditions
From religious and patriotic holidays to celebrations of ethnic pride, explore the history of Easter, New Year's Day, Veterans Day and more annual observances, plus traditions and rituals that take place all year long.
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Native American Heritage Month is a federal observance held each November to honor American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The idea dates back to 1895—and has been controversial ever since.
The Veterans Day holiday honors military veterans on November 11.
The winter solstice is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. Humans may have celebrated the winter solstice as far back as the Stone Age.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year in San Francisco
New Year's celebrations in China are thousands of years old, but across the Pacific, the holiday took on a life of its own.
3 Holidays Honoring U.S. Military Personnel
Armed Forces Day
Celebrated annually on the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day thanks those currently serving in the military for their service. It was created in 1949 by then-Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days.
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From its Civil War origins to its modern-day traditions, find out more about America’s most solemn holiday.
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
At the close of the Civil War, people recently freed from slavery in Charleston honored fallen Union soldiers.
Carnations have been the official flower of Mother’s Day for more than 100 years.
Ann Reeves Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe, two early advocates for Mother’s Day, urged communities to gather in peace.
The date of Mother’s Day hasn’t changed since the holiday began in 1914.
Mother’s Day has been held every May in the United States since the early 20th century.
Here’s how the Cinco de Mayo holiday began and how its meaning has evolved since the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
When a small, scrappy Mexican force handed the French army a surprise defeat in 1862, the Confederacy was denied a potential ally.
Discover the origin and history of Cinco de Mayo and the battle that inspired the May 5 holiday.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over France on May 5, 1862.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates an 1862 Mexican battle victory, but it’s not a federal holiday in Mexico.
