What is a national holiday?

A national holiday is a day officially recognized by the federal government on which most non-essential federal offices, federally chartered banks, the U.S. Postal Service, the federal courts, and many private workplaces and schools are closed in observance of an event, person, or principle of national importance.

In the United States, federal public holidays are established by Congress and listed in 5 U.S.C. section 6103(a), which currently designates eleven holidays for federal employees: New Year's Day (January 1), Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (third Monday in January), Washington's Birthday (third Monday in February, popularly Presidents Day), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19, added by Public Law 117-17 signed June 17, 2021), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (first Monday in September), Columbus Day (second Monday in October), Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November), and Christmas Day (December 25). When a fixed-date federal holiday falls on a Saturday, federal observance shifts to the preceding Friday; when it falls on a Sunday, observance shifts to the following Monday.

Federal holidays apply directly only to federal employees and the District of Columbia under federal law, although the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Reserve, and federally chartered banks follow them, which makes the holidays effectively national in practice. The fifty states each set their own state holidays, which usually but not always match the federal list; some states add observances such as Confederate Memorial Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Patriots' Day, Mardi Gras, or various indigenous and religious holidays.

National observances such as Flag Day (June 14), Mother's Day (second Sunday in May), Father's Day (third Sunday in June), Patriot Day (September 11), and Constitution Day (September 17) are recognized in federal law but are not federal public holidays and do not close federal offices. Federal holidays are paid days off for most federal employees and most private full-time employees, although private employers are not legally required to observe them in most states. The federal government sometimes designates additional one-time observances by presidential proclamation, such as the National Day of Mourning following the death of a former president, on which federal offices may close for the day.