Holiday Celebrations
Americans love to celebrate. What is your favorite holiday?
Goal:
Goal:
We celebrate our great country by hanging the American flag and singing the Star Spangled Banner. We can do those things every day. We also celebrate many holidays in the United States. The holidays that everyone celebrates are called national holidays. Some of our national holidays include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day.
People celebrate holidays in many different ways. Watch to see how Michael celebrates each holiday with his family.
Every year on the third Monday of January, Michael and his family attend a neighborhood parade to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Michael makes posters and his mom and dad bake cakes and cookies to feed the neighborhood.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great leader who fought for equal rights and is most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was born on January 15, 1929. We celebrate his birthday as a national holiday.
In February, we celebrate Presidents’ Day. On Presidents’ Day we honor former presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Michael and his family make crafts and hang them outside on the windows to celebrate Presidents’ Day.
Michael and his family fly to Washington, DC every Memorial Day to honor Michael’s uncle who fought in the Vietnam War. In Washington DC there is a wall called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where he and his sister find their uncle’s name and take paper and color over the engraving of his name. Memorial Day is a day where we celebrate veterans who have died during battle.
Michael celebrates Independence Day like many Americans by watching the fireworks on July fourth. He and his family also have a cookout where his friends and family gather together for outdoor games, food, and entertainment. His favorite game is playing Uno with his cousins. Michael thinks he’s the best at it! On this day we celebrate the freedoms we have as Americans.
On Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September, Michael and his family have a big dinner with Michael’s favorite dish, his mom’s famous baked macaroni and cheese. Labor Day is celebrated to honor those who work, or labor, in America.
Thanksgiving Day is one of Michael’s favorite holidays. On Thanksgiving morning, Michael wakes up at 3:00 AM with his mom and they begin preparing all of the food for his entire family. Thanksgiving is hosted at Michael’s home every year. On the dinner table, there’s a fresh turkey, honey baked ham, stuffing, candied yams, collard greens, and his mom makes about six different desserts. Michael is always excited when she begins making the desserts because he gets to lick the spoon!
Thanksgiving is a holiday in America to celebrate and give thanks for all of the great things that we have.
Do you celebrate the holidays like Michael? How do you celebrate the American holidays?
Question
How do you celebrate these holidays with your family?