Washington's Birthday
Monday, February 20, 2012
Washington's Birthday (a.k.a. Presidents Day) is a U.S. Federal holiday, which is celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of General George Washington, the first President of the United States.
The holiday is also an additional tribute to General Washington who created the first military badge of merit for rand-and-file soldiers for bravery in the battlefield. Revived on Washington's 200th birthday in 1932, the Purple Heart medal (which bears Washington's image) is awarded in the name of the President to soldiers who are who have been wounded or killed in battle. In 2007 the country celebrated both Washington's 275th birthday and the 75th anniversary of the rebirth of the Purple Heart medal. As with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Washington's Birthday offers another opportunity to honor the country's veterans.
General Washington was the first American citizen honored by a federal holiday. Known as "The Father of his Country" and seen as a unifying force for the new republich, he was the Electoral College's unanimous choice to become the first President.
Washington's Birthday was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1880 for government offices in the District of Columbia, and celebrated in on Washington's actual birthday of February 22. Actually, Washington was born on February 11, 1731, based on the Julian calendar then in use in the British Colonies. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in the English Colonies (1752), Washington chose to start observing his birthdate anniversary on the equivalent date of February 22, 1732. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 changed it to the third Monday of February, which, depending on the year, the celebration may fall between February 15 and 21.
Perhaps influenced in part by the closeness of Abraham Lincoln (who was born in February 12), George Washington (February 22), and Thomas Jefferson (April 13) birthdays starting in 1951 there were several attempts to rename it Presidents Day, but these efforts never gained Congressional approval. It was until the mid-1980 with a push from advertisers who identified it as a excellent opportunity to promote sales that the term made its public appearance as retailers, primarily car dealers, began to call it Presidents Day sales.
Washington's Day is celebrated throughout the United States and in several Canadian provices. For instance, Historic Alexandria, Virginia, a town frequently visited by George Washington, hosts a month-long tribute, including the longest running George Washington Birthday parade. The George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Colonial Beach, VA, holds an annual birthday celebration on President's Day and on his actual birthday. Visitors can enjoy special colonial activities held throughout the day.
Mount Vernon (now part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway) also honors George Washington with a birthday celebration weekend and an annual fee-free day (the third Monday of February). Moreover, If your name is George or your birthday is February 22, bring a personal identification and enjoy a day at Mount Vernon for free. Also, since 1862 there has been a tradition in the United States Senate that George Washington's Farewell Address be read on his birthday.
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