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People in every culture celebrate
holidays. Although the word "holiday" literally
means "holy day," most American holidays are not
religious, but commemorative in nature and origin. Because
the nation is blessed with rich ethnic heritage it is
possible to trace some of the American holidays to diverse
cultural sources and traditions, but all holidays have
taken on a distinctively American flavor. In the United
States, the word "holiday" is synonymous with
"celebration! "
In the strict sense, there are no
federal (national) holidays in the United States. Each of
the 50 states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In
practice, however, most states observe the federal
("legal or public ") holidays, even though the
President and Congress can legally designate holidays only
for federal government employees.
The following ten holidays per year are
proclaimed by the federal government. | 
