Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Celebrations
Compiled by O. Zabolotnyi
INDEPENDENCE DAY is, undoubtedly, the major national holiday in the USA. It is
celebrated on July 4. By the mid-1700s it became difficult for thirteen British
colonies in the New World to be ruled by a monarch 3,000 miles across the ocean.
The British Empire imposed high taxes upon the colonies undermining their
development.
Left: Traditional Independence Day
parade
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interests. In 1894 the US Congress made the first Monday of September a legal
national holiday.
Labor Day is traditionally celebrated with parades and union activists’ speeches.
Barbecues and picnics are also popular activities to follow the official part. This
holiday marks the end of the summer season for every American.
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for the entire country. George Washington, the
first president of the USA, suggested November
26 as Thanksgiving Day. It was Abraham Lincoln
who established the holiday on the last Thursday
of November after the end of the Civil War.
A traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of
roast turkey stuffed with herb-flavored bread,
cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, and a
pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary regionally:
ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, maple
syrup etc.
CHRISTMAS dinner also includes stuffed turkey and gathers families at the table to
enjoy the celebration of one of the most wonderful holidays of the year. However,
some families prefer ham or roast
goose for that occasion.
Right: ‘Christmas Tree -1’ is placed in
Washington D.C. right in front of the
White House, the residence of the
president of the United States.
Page 4.
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY is celebrated on March 17 not only
by Irish people. There is even a motto saying: ‘Everybody is
Irish on March 17!’ Celebrations are generally themed around
all things Irish and, by association, the color green. Both
Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of
the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food
and/or green foods, drinking Irish beverages and attending
parades.
Right: Chicago,
Illinois, March 17, 2008. The river has been dyed
green.