Easter, which is celebrated by western Christianity on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox (March 21), celebrates the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the family gathering. Many Americans maintain the old traditions of coloring hard boiled eggs and giving children candy baskets, all symbols of fertility.  It is believed the name Easter is derived from the Scandinavian goddess "Ostra" and Teutonic "Ostern" (both representing spring and fertility) who were celebrated on the vernal equinox.  Easter is the end of the 40 days of Lent, a period of penitence in preparation for this highest day.  Eastern Christianity celebrates Easter on dates coinciding with the Jewish Passover festival, celebrating the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt which was the holiday Easter effectively replaced for Jews becoming Christians.

Christmas, December 25, is another Christian holiday this one marking the birth of Jesus Christ. Decorating homes and yards with lights, putting up trees, giving presents, and sending cards have become traditions even for many non-Christians.  Many of today's traditions date back to celebration of the ancient gods of Mesopotamians (the 12 days, gift-giving, float parades all in celebration of their god Marduk), Persians, Babylonians, Greeks (celebrating their god Kronos) , & the Roman worship of one of their gods Saturn in December (where halls were decked with green trees with candles).

The date of the birth of Christ was not exactly known, and the 25th was chosen by the Bishop of Rome possibly to consume existing Roman & Persian religious celebrations on that day & of that season.  This helped spread Christianity over competing religions.  The Yuletide festival originated in ancient Scandinavia honoring the return of the sunlight to the dark winters of that land, including bonfires and the hanging of apples on trees (now ornaments) to celebrate the arrival of spring and summer.

New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this holiday begins the evening before, when people gather to wish each other a happy coming year.

UNIQUELY AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

8 other holidays are uniquely American (although some have counterparts in other nations).  2 of these stand out above the rest as occasions to cherish national origins: Thanksgiving and the 4th of July.

Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a long weekend, during which they often travel to visit family and friends. The holiday started in 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts to practice their dissenting religion without persecution.

After a tough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring American Indians, who taught them how to grow corn and other crops. The next autumn's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast which became a national tradition.  To this day, Thanksgiving dinner usually includes some of the foods served at the first feast: turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the feast begins, families or friends usually pause and pray to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the holiday.

The 4th of July, or Independence Day, honors the nation's birthday -- the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July Four, 1776, by the Continental Congress in in Philadelphia.  The first draft was written by Thomas Jefferson.  The Congress was composed of representatives of the 13 American colonies who had been fighting with England about "taxation without representation" since the battle of Concord in 1775.  It is today a day of picnics and patriotic parades, and a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the US flag (which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays) is common.

Besides Thanksgiving and the 4th of July, there are 6 other uniquely American holidays.

Martin Luther King Day: The Reverend Martin Luther King, Junior, an African American clergyman, is considered a great American because of his vigilant efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent protest. Since his murder in 1968, memorial services have marked his birthday on January fifteenth. In 1986, that day was replaced by the 3rd Monday of January and made a national holiday.

Presidents' Day: Until the mid-1970s, the February twenty-second birthday of George Washington, hero of the American Revolution and 1st president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February twelfth birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the American Civil War, was a holiday in most states. The two days have since been joined, and the holiday has been expanded to embrace all past presidents. It is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in February.

Memorial Day: Celebrated on the 4th Monday of May, this holiday honors the deceased. Although it originated after the US Civil War, it has become a day on which the dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special services held in cemeteries, churches, and other gathering places.

Labor Day: The 1st Monday of September, this holiday honors the nation's working class, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer season, and for many students the beginning of the new school year.

Columbus Day: On October twelfth, 1492, Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in America: the New World. Although most other nations of the Americas observe this holiday on October twelfth, in the United States it takes place on the second Monday in October.

Veterans Day: Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday was established to honor Americans who had served in W.W.I. It is on November eleventh, the day when that war ended in 1918, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the US has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades, and the president customarily places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Washington.

OTHER CELEBRATIONS

While not holidays, two other days of the year inspire colorful celebrations in the United States. On February fourteenth, Valentine's Day, (named after an early Christian martyr), Americans give gifts, usually candy or flowers, to their loved ones.  It is believed to have emerged from the celebration of the Roman God Lupercus on Feb. 15, who was believed to have kept wolves away during the early days of Rome.  It was celebrated that eve by the drawing of names on pieces of paper of boys and girls who would become sweethearts.  It was later merged with Valentine's day on the 14th which celebrated a Roman priest named Valentine who defied the orders of the Emperor not to let Roman soldiers marry.  Valentine was executed Feb. 14, but was later made a Saint as Rome became increasingly Christian.

On October thirty-one, Halloween, American kids dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating": knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors usually respond by giving them candy or money. Adults often dress up in costume for Halloween parties.  It has origins with being the night before the new year of the ancient Celts (Nov. 1).  The Celtic lord of the dead Samhain was believed to steal away the sun god on that day, and called together all the dead that night, the bad spirits taking the form of animals the worst being cats.  Some people dispute that Samhain was a Celtic figure.  This day converged with new holidays coming to England: the Roman invasion brought the festival of Pomona (the Goddess of fruit and gardens), and later Christian conversion of the island brought with it All Hallows or All Saint's day (Nov. 1 - honoring the saints), and later All Souls day (Nov. 2) honoring the dead and celebrated by people wearing costumes.  All of these influences have been merged into one holiday today.

Mother's Day is the second Sunday of May, having its origins in the celebrations of Rhea (the mother of Gods) in ancient Greece.  It later was celebrated in England as Mothering Sunday, later becoming more Christian and honoring Mother Church.  Father's Day, the third Sunday of June, was started by a Mrs. John Dodd of Washington state who wanted to honor the single father (William Smart) who raised her.

Various ethnic groups in the US celebrate days with special meaning to them even though these are not national holidays. The Jews, for example, also observe Chanukah (the 8 day Festival of Lights - honoring the driving out of Israel of the ancient Syrians, and the subsequent rededication of the Jerusalem temple and miraculous 8 day burning of 1 day's worth of oil there).  The Jews also have the first (Rosh Hashanah) and last (Yom Kippur) days of a 10 day high holy period that are not related to a specific historical event.  

For Muslims the Ramadan is the entire 9th month of their calendar and represents the time when the holy Quran (revelations of God) were sent down from heaven.  It is honored by fasting & abstinence during daylight hours and focusing on faith.  The 27th night is the Night of Power (celebrating the night Muhammad received the revelations) & at month's end a 3 day Feast of Fast Breaking (Eid).

Irish Americans celebrate the old country's patron saint, St. Patrick, on March seventeenth; this is a high-spirited day on which many Americans wear green clothing in honor of the "Emerald Isle" and drink beer.  

The celebration of Mardi Gras -- the day before the season of Lent begins in late winter -- is a big occasion in New Orleans, Louisiana, where parades and wild parties take place. As its French name implies (Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday," the last day of hearty feasting and fun before the penitential season of Lent), the tradition goes back to the city's settlement by the French. 

There are many other such ethnic celebrations around the country.  Kwanzaa was made in 1966 as a celebration of black culture, with its roots in the harvest festivals of Africa.  It lasts Dec 26-Jan 1.