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Updated February 14th, 2021 at 19:00 IST

President's Day 2021: Know all about the history of this federal holiday in America

President's Day 2021 will be celebrated this year on February 15 to mark the contribution of the great leaders America has witnessed over the years. Read more.

Reported by: Greeshma Nayak
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President's Day 2021 will fall on February 15 this year and is celebrated every year on the third Monday in the month of February. It is observed as a federal holiday in the United States of America and is also known as Washington's Birthday, in honour of America's first president George Washington. All the presidents in American history are remembered and honoured on this day for their exemplary work in making America a great country. Read on to know more about George Washington Birthday and the history of this day. 

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President's Day History 

According to a report by National Today, the origin of Presidents’ Day lies in the 1880s, when the birthday of Washington was first celebrated as a federal holiday.  It was not until 1879, under President Rutherford B. Hayes, that Washington’s Birthday became a legal holiday, to be observed on his birthday, February 22. Today, George Washington’s Birthday is one of the only eleven permanent holidays established by Congress. In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. The change was designed to schedule certain holidays so that workers had a number of long weekends throughout the year. It was proposed that Washington’s Birthday be renamed Presidents’ Day to honour the birthdays of both Washington, who was born on February 22, and Lincoln, whose birthday falls on February 12, although Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. 

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President's Day Significance 

One of the great traditions that have continued for decades has been the reading of George Washington’s Farewell Address. This was created as a way to bring light to the nation that was suffering due to the effects of the ongoing Civil War. On this day most U.S. government offices and buildings, banks, the stock market, and the U.S. Postal Service are closed. Many stores use the long holiday weekend to run special sales. In New Mexico, Presidents' Day, at least as a state-government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday following Thanksgiving, although the legal public holiday remains the third Monday in February.

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Image Credits: Shutterstock 

 

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Published February 14th, 2021 at 19:00 IST

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