FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE AND FIRST TO HAVE HIS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED WITH ALL OTHER PRESIDENTS
Washington, D.C (JFK+50) Today we celebrate Presidents' Day in the United States. Many of us, employees of the Federal government in particular, get the day off from work. Some of us think we are celebrating all 43 of our Chief Executives while others think were are celebrating the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both born in February.
The confusion can be traced back to the passage of the Holidays Bill of 1968 which proposed moving the observance of Washington's birthday (February 22nd) to the third Monday in February. The proposed legislation also called for renaming Washington's Birthday "Presidents'Day."
According to www.snopes.com/, however, while the law passed moving the celebration of the 1st President's birthday to the third Monday in February, changing the name of the holiday to President's Day did NOT.
"The holiday is designated as 'Washington's Birthday' in section 6103 (a) of Title 5 of the United States Code...the law which specifies holidays for Federal employees."
This is supported by Peter Grier, who writes in the Christian Science Monitor...
"There is no federal Presidents' Day. It's a myth. The United States as a whole does not have such a holiday."
While the law officially designates this as a Federal holiday, "other institutions...may use other names" but "it is our policy to always refer to holidays by names designated on the law."
So while Federal employees celebrate Washington's Birthday and get the day off, the rest of us celebrate "Presidents' Day" whether we get the day off or not. The good news is that ALL of us are entitled to saving money at Presidents' Day Sales.
SOURCES
"Presidents Day,"
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/presidents/presidentsday.asp
"There is no US Presidents' Day. Why does the charade continue?," by Peter Grier, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Buzz/2015/0216/There-is-no-US-Presidents-Day.-Why-does-the-charade-continue
Washington, D.C (JFK+50) Today we celebrate Presidents' Day in the United States. Many of us, employees of the Federal government in particular, get the day off from work. Some of us think we are celebrating all 43 of our Chief Executives while others think were are celebrating the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both born in February.
The confusion can be traced back to the passage of the Holidays Bill of 1968 which proposed moving the observance of Washington's birthday (February 22nd) to the third Monday in February. The proposed legislation also called for renaming Washington's Birthday "Presidents'Day."
According to www.snopes.com/, however, while the law passed moving the celebration of the 1st President's birthday to the third Monday in February, changing the name of the holiday to President's Day did NOT.
"The holiday is designated as 'Washington's Birthday' in section 6103 (a) of Title 5 of the United States Code...the law which specifies holidays for Federal employees."
This is supported by Peter Grier, who writes in the Christian Science Monitor...
"There is no federal Presidents' Day. It's a myth. The United States as a whole does not have such a holiday."
While the law officially designates this as a Federal holiday, "other institutions...may use other names" but "it is our policy to always refer to holidays by names designated on the law."
So while Federal employees celebrate Washington's Birthday and get the day off, the rest of us celebrate "Presidents' Day" whether we get the day off or not. The good news is that ALL of us are entitled to saving money at Presidents' Day Sales.
SOURCES
"Presidents Day,"
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/presidents/presidentsday.asp
"There is no US Presidents' Day. Why does the charade continue?," by Peter Grier, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Buzz/2015/0216/There-is-no-US-Presidents-Day.-Why-does-the-charade-continue
George Washington
The Constable-Hamilton Portrait
by Gilbert Stuart (1797)
Crystal Bridges Museum of Art
