Have you ever wondered about national holidays and how they began? Being a librarian I usually start with the background which means I go to a reference source like a dictionary or an encyclopedia. So I started with a dictionary to get a definition for a national holiday and found that Merriam-Webster defines it as “a holiday celebrated throughout a nation or a legal holiday established by the central government of a nation rather than by state or local authorities.” That is a slightly different definition that the federal law establishing Federal holidays which comes from Title 5 U.S.C. 6103 which is comprised from several laws (see the end of the web page cited).
Getting paid for holidays depends upon which state you live in and the laws governing the state and the federal government. However, national days are determined by any authority including other nations and frequently overlap. There are national days for animals, foods, beverages, revolutions, peoples, cultures, flags, saints, monarchs, birthdays, flowers, plants, sports, teams, etc. I came across an interesting web page about the original of the National Day Calendar which is supported by a Wikipedia page therefore it must be true! 😊
So today, December 20, 2022 is National Sangria Day, Go Caroling Day, Dr. Samuel Mudd Day, and International Human Solidarity Day according to the National Day Calendar. So enjoy your day, have a lovely restful winter break and I will see you next year!