All Saints' Day - is a Christian holy day observed by many Western churches on November 1 and by Eastern churches on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The day now honors all saints of the church, even those not known by name.

All Souls Day - All Souls' Day is a Roman Catholic day commemorating the faithful departed or those baptized Christians believed to be in purgatory. It is celebrated on November 2 unless this date falls on a Sunday. When this happens, All Souls' Day is celebrated on November 3.

April Fool's Day - traditionally a day to play practical jokes on each other and to fool the unsuspecting. No one knows how this holiday began but it was thought to have originated in France

Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and tree care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year in California on March 7.

Boxing Day - also known as St. Stephen's Day. Its origins are found in a long-ago practice of giving cash or durable goods to those of the lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but beneficences to those less fortunate were bestowed the day after.

Canada Day - Anniversary of Canadian confederation in 1867.

Chanukah - the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. It also commemorates the miracle of the oil that burned for 8 days. December 19(*begins at sunset) - December 26, 2003
25 Kislev - 2 Tevet

Christmas - Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday

Cinco De Mayo - Marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla.

Columbus Day - honoring Columbus and the anniversary of his landing. In recent years, the holiday has been rejected by many people who view it as a celebration of conquest and genocide. In its place, Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated.

Earth Day - A day to be good to our planet

Easter - Christian feast that commemorates Christ's resurrection and is observed with variations of date due to different calendars on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon

Fathers Day - The first Fathers' Day was on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. However, it wasn't until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson officially proclaimed Fathers' Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

Good Friday - the Friday before Easter observed in churches as the anniversary of the crucifixion of Christ and in some states of the U.S. as a legal holiday

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Groundhog Day - is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year." Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.Approximately 90% of the time, Phil sees his shadow.

Halloween - also called All Hallows' Eve holiday, October 31, now observed largely as a secular celebration. As the eve of All Saints' Day, it is a religious holiday among some Christians. Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland.. November 1 was considered the end of the summer period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture.

Independence Day - On July 4, 1776, The U.S.A. proclaimed independence from England

Labor Day - The first Monday in September is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

Martin Luther King Day - On January 20 Americans across the country celebrate the national holiday honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As they have since 1994, thousands of Americans remember Dr. King by serving in their communities-by making the holiday "a day ON, not a day off."

Mothers Day - In the U.S. Mothers' Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. First observance in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907, it was based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907.It wasn't celebrated in the U.S. until 1908. Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, as in the U.S.

Palm Sunday - the Sunday before Easter celebrated in commemoration of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Passover - Jewish holiday beginning on the 14th of Nisan and commemorating the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt

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Patriot Day (September 11) is an observance, not a holiday. It remembers the hijacking of four civilian aircraft on that day in 2001, resulting in the death of all on board, the destruction with huge loss of life of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and damage to the Pentagon outside Washington DC, with further loss of life. It is intended to honor all those individuals who lost their lives as a rusult of these terrorist attacks.

President's Day - President's Day is the third Monday in February! This holiday was created to celebrate the deeds of two legendary American Presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Purim- is the most festive of Jewish holidays, a time of prizes, noisemakers, costumes and treats. The Festival of Purim commemorates a major victory over oppression and is recounted in the Megillah, the scroll of the story of Esther. Purim takes place on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. This year (2003) Purim begins at sundown on Monday the 17th of March

Rosh Hashanah -Yom Kippur - begins at sundown September 26th. The Jewish High Holy Days are observed during the 10 day period between the first day (Rosh Hashanah) and the 10th day (Yom Kippur) of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calender.
Yom Kippur begins at sundown October 05th). Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most important of all Jewish Holidays and the only holidays that are purely religious, as they are not related to any historical or natural event.

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St. Patrick's Day - St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762.

Thanksgiving - In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. In 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

Summer Solstice - summer begins in the northern hemisphere

Valentine's Day - a holiday honoring love and lovers.

Veteran's Day -a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Victoria Day is celebrated on the first Monday preceding May 25th. It is a statutory holiday throughout Canada. It falls on the weekend preceding Memorial Day in the US.Victoria Day is officially the Sovereign's birthday. The Sovereign's birthday was first observed in Ontario (then called Canada West) in 1845 to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901).

Winter Solstice - winter begins in the northern hemisphere

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