Holidays

"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers. I’ve never been able to really get a grip on why we have this holiday, other than to get a day off and celebrate getting the kids out of the house and back to school. So I went to the web site of the US Department of Labor. Along with the Gompers quote, there’s a list of official holidays. I realized it isn’t just Labor day that I needed to get a grip on. I gave the whole thing a bit of thought and came up with a few observations…and questions.

New Year's Day	Also known as National Recovery Day. Or Football Day.
Martin Luther King’s Birthday	While we’re at it, how about Cochise? Or Gael-Mheiriceánach Fulton Sheen? Or June 5 for Doroteo Arango Arámbula
Washington’s Birthday	Not President’s Day, for federal employees, anyway. (see section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code.)
Memorial Day	My recent thoughts. Did you know there’s also Confederate Memorial Day?
Independence Day	Victory over the evil British Empire.
Labor Day	Celebrating what? Tariffs? Medical benefits?
Columbus Day	Italian working for Spain looks for India and finds Cuba. National Whoops Day. Aborigines not pleased.
Veterans Day	For the live ones.
Thanksgiving Day	The other one the aborigines aren’t real happy about.
Christmas Day	Also חנוכה and Kwanzaa