Culture

Culture

The South's famous Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana

Because of its size and because its citizens are descended from diverse immigrants, there is no single universal American culture. Visitors to the South will find a far different culture from those traveling to California or New York City.

[edit] Holidays

The US has a number of holidays - official and/or cultural - of which the traveller should be aware. Note that holidays observed on Mondays are usually treated as weekend-long events. (A weekend consists of a Saturday and a Sunday.) Federal holidays—i.e., holidays observed by the US federal government—are indicated in bold italics.

Also, if a federal holiday with a fixed calendar date (such as Independence Day) falls on a weekend, the holiday is moved to create a three-day weekend—to Friday if the holiday date is a Saturday, or to Monday if the holiday date is a Sunday.

• New Year's Day (January 1) - most businesses closed; brunches and football parties.
• Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January) - many government offices and banks closed; speeches.
• Chinese New Year (January - variable date) - chinese cultural celebration
• St. Valentine's Day (February 14) - private celebration of romance and love.
• Presidents Day (third Monday in February) - (officially Washington's Birthday) - government offices and banks closed; many stores have sales.
• St. Patrick's Day (March 17) - Irish-themed parades and parties.
• Easter (a Sunday in March or April) - Christian religious observances.
• Passover (one week around Easter) - Jewish religious observances.
• Memorial Day (last Monday in May) - most non-retail/tourism businesses closed; some patriotic observances; trips to beaches and parks; beginning of summer tourism season.
• Independence Day / Fourth of July (July 4) - most businesses closed; patriotic parades, cookouts and trips to beaches and parks, fireworks at dusk.
• Labor Day (first Monday in September) - most businesses closed; cookouts and trips to beaches and parks; traditional ending of summer tourism season.
• Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (autumn) - Jewish religious observances.
• Columbus Day (second Monday in October) - many government offices and banks closed; sales.
• Halloween (October 31) - trick-or-treating, parades, and costume parties.
• Veterans Day (November 11) - government offices and banks closed; some patriotic observances.
• Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) - government offices and most businesses closed; family dinners, on Friday major Christmas shopping begins.
• Christmas (December 25) - most businesses and restaurants closed the evening before and all day; exchanging gifts, Christian religious observances.
• New Year's Eve (December 31) - many restaurants and bars open late; lots of parties, especially in big cities.