The closest approach to a list of national holidays is the 10 federal holidays, which represent vacation days given to employees of the federal government and which are often also given as paid holidays by state and private employers: New Year’s Day, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This federal holiday list scarcely defines what Americans see as events worth celebrating since it omits three of the holidays that Americans celebrate most enthusiastically: Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween.
(source:Culture and Customs of the United States, B.F. Shearer)
New Year's Day
date: 1 January
Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.
A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John—black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year." The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls. One tradition common in the Southern USA is that each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to assure that the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance.
New Year's resolution are also very common. Probably Americans have similar wishes as ordinary person around the world. Like to...
or to...
or maybe to...
Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
date: Third Monday in January
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. He is referenced as a human rights icon today.He was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
After King's death, United States Representative John Conyers introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. It is also a national holiday in American Samoa, Guam, US Virgin Islands.
People march in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. (AP Photo/The Francisco Bee, Christian Parey. (Photo published in Culture and Customs of the United States by Shear
Groundhog Day
date: February 2
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They celebrate the holiday with a social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment.
Washington's Birthday or President's Day
date: the third Monday of February
According to the federal government, the holiday observed on the third Monday in February is officially Washington's Birthday. But many Americans believe that this holiday is now called "Presidents' Day," in honor of both Presidents Washington and Lincoln, whose birthdays are Feb. 22 and Feb. 12, respectively. It turns out that whether you honor one or the other or both of these presidents may depend on where you live.
Parade in Alexandria - Washington's Hometown
Washington's Birthday officially honors the life and work of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The day commemorates past presidents of the USA. Some states pay particular attention to Abraham Lincoln, as his birthday was also in mid-February. In the weeks or days leading up to the holiday, schools often organize events and lessons for students about the presidents of the United States and George Washington in particular. It is a popular day for stores to start their sales.
Many businesses are open as usual and many stores hold sales on Washington's Birthday. Many delivery services, except for the Post Office, have a regular service and many, but not all, public transit systems operate on regular schedules. Some schools close for the whole week for a mid-winter recess. According to some government sources, Indiana observes the Washington's birthday holiday in December.
Memorial Day
date: the last Monday of May.
Formerly known as Decoration Day. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries.
It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
Start of the First Indianapolis 500, 1911
Independence Day
date: 4th of July
Commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Patriotic displays and family events are organized throughout the United States. The celebrations have deep roots in the American tradition of political freedom.
Symbols - The most common Independence Day symbol is the American flag. Its design is displayed in all possible ways on July 4 and can be seen in front of homes and buildings. Other symbols associated with Independence Day are the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island in New York and the fireworks viewed all over the United States.
The most common way of celebrating Fourth of July are of course fireworks - this tradition is noticeable all over the country. Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs such as the national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner", "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", "This Land Is Your Land", "Stars and Stripes Forever", and, regionally, "Yankee Doodle" in northeastern states and "Dixie" in southern states.
Columbus Day
date: the second Monday of October
Columbus Day remembers Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas on October 12, 1492. This holiday is controversial because the European settlement in the Americas led to the demise of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples.
Officially, the people of the USA are invited to celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of their country with church services and other activities. In some towns and cities, special church services, parades and large events are held. Most celebrations are concentrated around the Italian-American community. The celebrations in New York and San Francisco are particularly noteworthy. In Hawaii Columbus Day is also known as Landing Day or Discoverer's Day.
Columbus Day parade
Not all parts of the United States celebrate Columbus Day. It is not a public holiday in California, Nevada and Hawaii. Moreover, Native Americans’ Day is celebrated in South Dakota, while Indigenous People’s Day is celebrated in Berkeley, California.
Halloween
date:October 31
Halloween originated as a pagan festival in parts of Northern Europe, particularly around what is now the United Kingdom. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is a time when magic is most potent and spirits can make contact with the physical world. In Christian times, it became a celebration of the evening before All Saints’ Day. Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland brought the holiday to the United States.
Trick - or - treating
Trick-or-treating or "Guising", is a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money) with the question "Trick or treat?". The "trick" is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.
Some families carve lanterns with 'scary' faces out of pumpkins or other vegetables or decorate their homes and gardens in Halloween style. These were traditionally intended to ward off evil spirits. If you are at home on Halloween, it is a good idea to have a bowl of small presents or sweets to offer to anyone who knocks on your door. This will help you to please the little spirits in your neighborhood!
Thanksgiving
date: the fourth Thursday in November
First Thanksgiving
When these first Pilgrims landed in America, they founded a colony called Plymouth. However, half of them did not survive the severe winter. The others did not die but only because the native Indians called Wampanoag agreed to help them and taught them how to plant corn. In October 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate the good harvest and to thank God for his blessings. The main dish was roast turkey. The Pilgrims called that day Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast. The firstThanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
Simpson's Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.
The pet's role in the American household is difficult to explain as an outside observer. I'll allow my boyfriend, Doctor Misiorowski to use his experience as an insider to explain how modern Americans view their furry friends.
Doctor Misiorowski:
" Pets play a quite a large role in the lives of Americans. Since the publication of numerous studies outlining the health benefits of owning pets, Americans have adopted the idea of “man’s best friend” fitting right into the hierarchy of the standard nuclear family. Since the late fifties, the prospect of a perfect family unit included not only a white picket-fence, but the usual husband and wife, two children, and a dog (or a cat if the head of the household was devout of a soul). The family pet assimilated right into the character of a family member rather than a useful tool that belonged in the garage or tool shed.
Much like Brian from "Family Guy" or Klaus from "American Dad", the family pet is often thought to be a vivid and lively family member; much more so than the creepy uncle that doesn’t speak much. The family often allows their pets to sleep in their beds rather than enforcing that they stay outside like our aforementioned creepy uncle. Pet stores run rampant through American streets as the pet industry ensures that there is always a pet store in closer reach than a hospital or a fire station.
Having worked at a pet store for several months, I have had the privilege of meeting a wide array of pet owners. One thing that I have noticed time and time again is the relationship between the age of the pet owner and the amount of care that is placed upon their pet(s). Age a person ages, the importance of their pet rises exponentially. It is fairly common practice for elderly pet owners to cling on to their pets and spend a fortune on their health as it continues to decline. Pet health services include kidney dialysis, blood transfusions, organ transplants, and stress-reducing medications such as Valium. For certain pet owners, the idea of putting their pet(s) to eternal rest is complete taboo, as in the pet owner’s mind, a pet should be treated just like a human. This of course does not apply to everyone.
My conclusion is that pets are treated much differently in the United States as opposed to here in Poland. A pet may be considered a family friend in both countries; however a pet is considered a family member (which deserves to be on the family photo) only in the United States."
Some facts about Americans and their pets
1. Six in 10 Americans own some type of pet. Forty-four percent of Americans own a dog and 29% own a cat. Among pet owners, 73% own a dog and 49% own a cat.
Pet ownership among the American public breaks down this way: 27% own a dog but not a cat, 12% own a cat but not a dog, 17% own both, 3% own pets other than cats or dogs, and 40% do not own any pets.
2. Aside from dogs and cats, 10% of Americans own a fish and much smaller percentages own birds (5%), reptiles, snakes, or lizards (2%), hamsters and guinea pigs (2%), horses (2%), and rabbits (1%).
3. By a 70% to 20% margin, Americans describe themselves as "dog persons" rather than "cat persons." This includes a 68% to 19% margin among people who own both a cat and dog, and a 68% to 18% preference among those who own neither. Only pet owners with a cat and no dogs routinely call themselves "cat people" (69% to 26%).
The standard stereotype for the eating habits of Americans can be explained in this picture:
or this one...
No, it is not like that actually:)
We can say that American cuisine portrays American society – multiculturalism made the cuisine mixed and regional. You will easily come across Mexican, Italian and Chinese restaurants all across America and situated next to one another. Each region can propose a unique and savoury meal you will not forget.
Iconic American Dishes
Which dishes did the survey’s participants identify as quintessentially American? While regional nuances qualified some of the answers (North Carolina–style barbecue, Cincinnati chili, southern fried chicken, New England clam chowder, or Chicago-style pizza), most answers did not include geographic markers. They appeared simply as apple pie, corn on the cob, hamburger, crab cakes, or lobster.
When looking at the complete series of answers written in by each respondent, including his or her definition of American cuisine, it becomes clear that these simple dishes carry a lot of meanings. Maryland might be implied in the crab cake answer. Maine is so tightly linked to lobster or the lobster roll that adding an origin to the dish would be superfluous. Many dishes, such as jambalaya, shrimp and grits, or pecan pie, have their roots in the American South. It is arguable that the participants wrote their answers for a knowledgeable audience, one that does not need specification. Of course, everyone would know that jambalaya is from Louisiana. We would not think of calling the dish Louisiana jambalaya. After all, French fries are not called frites françaises in Paris. Through our shared identity comes a shared understanding of these hidden meanings.
Similarly, the five dishes most often cited as quintessentially American did not include specific geographic characteristics. Rather, these dishes tended to embody comfort and home, or the low-key setting of a diner: “Diner food—cheeseburgers, shakes, apple pies. Comfort food—mac ’n’ cheese, meatloaf,” was an attempt of one respondent to define the most iconic American dishes. Sweets provide comfort, undoubtedly, which can explain the prevalence of apple pie in the answers, aside from its traditional association with the U.S. (Apple pie is, of course, a dish that originates in England.) On the panel in Charlotte, Laura Shapiro described our love affair with dessert as the “defining feature of American cooking.” She stated: “We are the ones who turned salad into a dessert. We invented ginger ale salad. We’ll do anything for dessert.”
(source: The State of American Cuisine James Beard Foundation)
Representative American Foods
Traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce
Creole Jambalaya with Shrimp, Ham, and Andouille Sausage
Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon.
A Caesar salad containing croutons, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire, and pepper.
American Food Habits
Generally speaking, American food is considered rather bland by those accustomed to hot or spicy cuisines. Salads are very popular and are served all year round. Many people in this country have become calorieconscious and are trying to keep down their weight. This is evident in menus offering low calorie or "weight watchers" meals. Grocery stores now offer a huge array of low-fat, "light," or no-fat foods, from ice cream to soup to snack foods. "Diet'' drinks (meaning without calories) such as ginger ale or cola are also popular. If you do not want low calorie items, read the labels carefully to avoid disappointing choices.
Waiters in restaurants tend to assume that everyone drinks coffee, especially at breakfast and after dinner, but you do not have to do so! Some people drink coffee or tea with their meal; others drink wine or just water.
When dining out, you can ask for tea, milk, soda, beer, wine, or water if you prefer these to coffee. Restaurants cannot serve beer, wine, or liquor unless they are licensed to do so. Normally, when eating in a home, it is considered polite to take whatever is being served and not to ask for something different unless the host gives you a choice or unless you want water.
The main course in American meals is usually meat, fowl, or fish, but rarely is more than one of these served at the same meal (except that seafood can be used as an appetizer shrimp cocktail, pickled herring, oysters, for example). Most Americans eat quickly during the day that is, breakfast and lunch unless it is a social, business, or family occasion. The evening meal, however, is usually leisurely and a family time. Racing through daytime meals is part of the fast pace described earlier. Lunch breaks at work are limited to a half hour or an hour. There is also another reason others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so they too can be served and get back to work on time. Each one hurries to make room for the next person. There is a real difference in leisure and timing here between a meal that is "social," meaning shared and enjoyed, and one that is "just a meal."
The high divorce rate has led to an equally high rate of remarriage. Divorce is difficult for all children, and the stress a child can experience when a parent remarries can be even more so. Stepparents, stepsiblings, half-brothers and sisters, shared custody, and the complications surrounding these relationships all have become a way of life for many Americans. Men are more likely than women to remarry, and thus many children find themselves shuttling back and forth between life with father, stepmother, and half- brothers and -sisters one week, and life with a single working mom the next week.
Managing these extended relationships is proving to be one of the most vexing social problems for millions of Americans, especially for the children. As you and your children make new friends, these “extended” family demands will add to the complexity of the social life you yourself experience. When scheduling things like carpools to work, daycare, or taking the kids to and from soccer practice, you will soon find that schedules from blended families are complicated indeed. For example, instead of being able to plan on someone every Thursday, you may find that he or she is available on lternate Thursdays only. And as you get to know the parents of your children’s friends, you will likely find that you have to do every-thing twice for some of them — once for the father and his wife, and again for the mother and her new husband!
The question of whether gay and lesbian couples should be granted the right to marry is, at the time of this writing, hotly debated in the U.S. Some judges have ruled that prohibitions against gay marriage violate legal protections against unequal treatment on the basis of a person’s gender. As a result gay marriages are being performed in the state of Massachusetts. Legislators there and in several other states are attempting to modify their state constitutions to preclude gay marriages.
This creates complications arising from the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution, which some legal scholars believe requires that marriages recognized in one state must be treated as valid in all states. Thus, some politicians are proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Proponents of gay marriage believethat it is a question of fairness, while opponents believe that marriage is a special institution that should be reserved for its traditional members. Regardless of the legal outcome, the reality is that millions of American children are being raised by gay or lesbian parents. These children are often at the center of these controversies. Opponents of gay marriage suggestthat children of gay parents are harmed, while proponents say that the harm stems strictly from the dis-crimination their parents face without legal recognition of their relation-ships as marriages. Few states permit gay couples to jointly adopt children but will permit one partner of a gay couple to do so (in the same way that a single parent can often adopt a child). A gay person may have custody of a child from a previous heterosexual relationship, or in the case of lesbian couples, one partner may bear a child with help from a sperm donor. In all these scenarios, only the legal parent(either biological or adoptive) has custody. For example, when a child is hurt, the hospital may recognize the right of only the legal parent to approve treatment. Similarly, a gay co-parent is unable to intervene at school, meaning that the child and teachermust wait until the legal parent is available. This is especially problematic when the legal parent is working and the co-parent is a full-time mom (or dad). This is more often the case than the other way around, because it is easier to obtain employer-subsidized insurance for one’s legal child than it is for one’s partner’s child. Of course, children of gay couples can also face prejudice from teachers and other adults, as well as from their friends.
Although not yet technically considered a disease in its own right, obesity is nonetheless an epidemic in the United States. According to the American Obesity Association, the rate of obesity in the United States roughly doubled between 1970 and 2000, to over a third of all adults. Even more alarming is the rate of childhood obesity, although these increases are partly due to a 1998 change in the way obesity is calculated. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in 20031 Americans ate an average of twenty-five pounds of candy each! Our love affairwith the automobile, along with road construction that is decidedly bicycle/pedestrian-hostile, has made it difficult (and in some cases impossible) in many areas to walk from one place to another. Combined with the plethora of television programming and the rise of video games, the reality is that we get very little simple exercise. Amazingly, some people will go so far as to drive one or two miles to a gym in order to walk on a treadmill!
In addition, many foods are extraordinarily high in fat content, and our portions are quite large by almost any standard. Although some fast-food places have recently discontinued “super-size” from their menus, the “large” size is quite large enough. The fat content of many menu items is increased without noticeably increasing serving size. It is not just ham-burgers, however, that should be viewed with caution. During that same period, one chain’s small vanilla shake doubled its fat content. Another fast-food chain increased the saturated fat content of its french fries by 60 percent.
Fast-food giants gear their marketing toward children, hoping to develop loyal customers who will prefer the particular taste of their food items. According to Eric Schlosser in his book Fast Food Nation,3 McDonald’s operates more playgrounds than any other private entity and is one of the largest distributors of toys in the United States. It uses a clown (who is depicted in dvertisements as a child’s one true friend) as its spokesman.
Not all overweight people are obese. In order to be considered obese, a person must exceed a body mass index (BMI) of 30, which is a ratio of body fat to height. This ratio, however, fails to distinguish between fat and muscle, differences in bone density, and other factors when determining whether a person is overweight. Nonetheless, the social costs of obesity are high — lost productivity, increased healthcare costs, and shorter life spans can all be attributed to obesity. Each year, Men’s Fitness magazine publishes an index of the fattest cities in the United States. While Detroit came in first in 2004, five of the top eight — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Arlington — are in Texas.
Much like Brian from "Family Guy" or Klaus from "American Dad", the family pet is often thought to be a vivid and lively family member; much more so than the creepy uncle that doesn’t speak much. The family often allows their pets to sleep in their beds rather than enforcing that they stay outside like our aforementioned creepy uncle. Pet stores run rampant through American streets as the pet industry ensures that there is always a pet store in closer reach than a hospital or a fire station.
