it commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th

1776 think of it as America's birthday

when most people think about July 4th they think about fireworks but do you

know why Americans display fireworks on the 4th will show you the answer at the

end of this video Americans kick up their heels on this

holiday in many ways but people mostly go to picnics and barbecues it's also a

day to be patriotic so you'll often see the American flag and people dressed in

red white and blue parades are another common sight on the fourth of July

especially during the daytime why do they take place during the day because

as soon as it gets dark Americans gathered to watch magnificent fireworks

in the night sky some families set off small fireworks in their driveways and

some gather in parks or by the sea to see the larger more professional

firework displays the most outstanding firework displays take place in New York

City and Washington DC both of these displays are televised

nationally and the president even attends the display in Washington DC

on the 4th of July you'll hear the u.s. national anthem the star-spangled banner

the words were written by Francis Scott Key who was inspired to write the lyrics

after witnessing the Battle of Fort McHenry in the war of 1812

and now here's the answer to the quiz why do Americans shoot fireworks on the

4th the custom of shooting off fireworks on Independence Day can be traced back

to a quote by our second president John Adams he said that he believes that July

4th should be celebrated by pomp and parade with shows games sports guns

bells bonfires and illuminations hi everyone I'm Alicia Columbus Day

celebrates the day that Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas

the holiday is celebrated on October 12th and in some cities there are very

large parades and many other events it's particularly popular in US cities with

large Italian populations that would celebrated nationwide

a famous American charity organization is named after Christopher Columbus and

takes part in celebrations during Columbus Day can you guess which one

will show you the answer at the end of this video in Italian American

communities particularly in the larger cities in the u.s. Columbus Day is very

much tied to a celebration of their heritage in addition to the celebration

of Columbus's arrival in the Americas cultural and religious images and

symbols specific to Italian Americans are abundant in Columbus Day parades if

there's one thing that defines Columbus Day celebrations in the u.s. it's the

parade New York City is particularly well known for its large Columbus Day

parade San Francisco has the longest-running Columbus Day celebration

in the United States dating back to 1868 Columbus Day in the u.s. is not

celebrated in every state in fact some US states do not recognize it at all and

many schools remain open on the day there is controversy surrounding this

holiday and it's been changed to a celebration of Native American cultures

in some areas

Columbus didn't realize he'd arrived in the Americas this is why Native

Americans are sometimes referred to as Indians which incidentally some say is

politically incorrect Columbus initially thought he was in the East Indies and

now here's the answer to the quiz do you know a famous American charity

organization that's named after Christopher Columbus and takes part in

celebrations on Columbus Day the Knights of Columbus is a charitable organization

with very strong Italian and Catholic roots they participate in just about

every Columbus Day celebration you'll find them marching among the

participants in any large parade to be sure hi everyone I'm Alisha Thanksgiving

is one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States it also marks the

beginning of the holiday season the weeks leading up to Christmas Hanukkah

Kwanzaa and the winter solstice which are all widely celebrated holidays in

the US for retailers Thanksgiving begins their busiest season Thanksgiving is

celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November Thanksgiving was founded as a

national holiday by one of the most famous presidents of the United States

do you know who it might have been we'll show you the answer at the end of this

video Thanksgiving to a large extent is about

having a feast with friends and family turkey is the traditional main course

with yams squash pumpkin pie cranberries and other rich and filling foods

rounding out the meal some families spend weeks preparing for their

Thanksgiving feast and to stuff oneself is most certainly encouraged the

Thanksgiving meal of today is rooted in the meal that the pilgrims from Europe

shared with the Native Americans on the first Thanksgiving

this was quite a feast turkey duck goose squash corn and a plethora of other

foods were shared between the Europeans and the Native Americans

this original fate was said to go on for three full days football is another

tradition during Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States

watching the football game while preparing the Thanksgiving meal is an

important part of the celebration for many families families that arm sports

fans however may opt to spend the time out

I'd enjoying the crisp autumn air or may find other diversions to enjoy while the

turkey cooks

Thanksgiving is not a uniquely American holiday there are similar celebrations

in Canada for instance the concept behind the holiday showing thankfulness

by having a feast spans many cultures and now here's the answer to the quiz do

you know who founded Thanksgiving is a national holiday Abraham Lincoln

established Thanksgiving during the dark days of the American Civil War even

though the holiday was officially born during this conflict it's more

associated with the initially good relations between the first European

immigrants and the Native Americans hi everyone

I'm Alicia Martin Luther King jr. Day is held on the third Monday in January

every year in the United States this holiday is dedicated to the slain civil

rights leader who advocated nonviolent action as a way to reform discriminatory

laws in the United States Martin Luther King jr. Day was not accepted by all 50

states right away it was signed into law in 1983 do you know when all 50 states

adopted it will show you the answer at the end of this video

Martin Luther King jr. Day is a federally recognized holiday but there

are celebrations in some cities and not in others Martin Luther King jr. Day is

tied to the civil rights struggles of the 20th century and beyond it's very

much associated with the struggles of the african-american community in

particular but it's also celebrated by most people in the US as a unifying

holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Junior's legacy is a complex endeavor

for most people what he fought for and how he fought for it are equally

important King advocated for the rights of African Americans and other groups

who were discriminated against via racist laws he also advocated

nonviolence in the images of riot police beating unarmed nonviolent civil rights

protesters in the 1960s are largely credited with swaying public opinion

teaching African American history is a major component of many Martin Luther

King jr. Day celebrations in fact many of these celebrations and events try to

inform people about other civil rights leaders who were instrumental in

reforming exclusionary laws in the US

you

Martin Luther King jr. Day is also celebrated in Hiroshima Japan where it

is nearly as significant as it is in the u.s. the City of Toronto and Canada also

holds festivities in honor of Martin Luther King jr. and now here's the

answer to the quiz do you know when all 50 states adopted Martin Luther King jr.

Day Martin Luther King jr. Day was not officially recognized by every state

until 2000 though President Reagan signed it into law in 1983 many states

resisted the holiday or tried to term it something else such as human rights day

in Utah hi everyone I'm Alicia on the third Monday of February every year the

United States pays tribute to its first president George Washington Washington's

birthday is a federal holiday and federal government workers get the day

off it's not as widely celebrated as some other national holidays however

sometimes the holiday is referred to as Presidents Day there's a rather odd

tradition associated with Washington's Birthday and Presidents Day try to guess

what it is we'll show you the answer at the end of this video

Washington's Birthday is not among the u.s. holidays that are associated with

large-scale celebrations there are celebrations in some cities but compared

to other major holidays in the United States this one is rather reserved in

nature Washington's Birthday is often part of the combined Presidents Day

celebration most of the time Presidents Day emphasizes the two people who are

generally considered to be the greatest presidents of the United States George

Washington and Abraham Lincoln Washington's birthday is culturally

significant to the United States because of General Washington's revered place in

history he was the first American president and beyond that he was handed

a unanimous electoral college victory to win that office he is also the most

celebrated general in the Revolutionary Army that defeated the British the

biggest celebrations of his holiday are held at the George Washington birthplace

nat'l monument in Virginia and at Mount Vernon

George Washington designed the first metal intended for the average soldier

the Purple Heart one of the most respected US service medals in existence

is given to soldiers who were injured in battle and it was designed by Washington

himself and now here's the answer to the quiz believe it or not sales are a

tremendous part of the traditional Washington's Birthday and Presidents Day

celebrations furniture stores and car dealerships are particularly notable for

holding sales on this day hi everyone I'm Alicia groundhog day is a fun

tradition in the United States it's not a national holiday and nobody gets a day

off but everybody waits to see whether the groundhog predicts that spring will

come early or late it takes place on February 2nd

Punxsutawney appeared in a popular movie about Groundhog Day can you guess what

the movie was called will show you the answer at the end of this video

Groundhog Day comes at the time of year when winter has dragged on for quite a

while and when people are ready for spring of course the groundhog really

cannot predict whether spring will come early or late but when he predicts that

spring is on its way soon people are generally much more chipper

Groundhog Day might not be a national holiday but it's certainly an important

and well-known tradition in the United States Punxsutawney Pennsylvania which

is as close to the national capital for the holiday as there is receives

approximately 40,000 people every year who come to celebrate the day Groundhog

Day involves a rather simple tradition when the groundhog looks out of his

burrow his prediction is based upon his choice to either go back into his burrow

or to come out if the weather is cloudy and he doesn't see his shadow the legend

holds that he'll stay out of his burrow signaling that spring is on its way soon

if he sees his shadow and goes back into his burrow it means that there are six

more weeks of winter on the way

Groundhog Day is for kicks and not about being accurate according to most

reputable sources the accuracy of Punxsutawney Phil or any other groundhog

is close enough to and as significant as the accuracy of chance and now here's

the answer to the quiz do you know the movie in which Punxsutawney appeared

that was about Groundhog Day not too surprisingly the film that featured

Punxsutawney Pennsylvania was called Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray

the film's plot centered around Bill Murray's character living the same day

over and over again which happened to be Groundhog Day how was this lesson did

you learn something interesting had you heard of this holiday before please

leave a comment at English class 101.com until next time

you