When is Presidents Day 2023? Why was it created? Here is the real reason behind the federal holiday.
After the busy holiday season and the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, Presidents Day, at least for government workers, often offers a joyous three-day weekend as winter seems to not go away.
After Presidents Day, there are no more federal holidays until May, which marks a extended period without any three-day weekends. Many people are unaware of the reasons behind our decision to pick the day we did or the route we traveled to get there, other than the fact that our name is an evident homage to former presidents.
Presidents Day 2023 is when?
This year, Presidents Day falls on Monday, February 20. Every year, on the third Monday in February, Presidents Day is observed.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed of the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1968, which is partially to blame for the annual variation in Presidents Day’s date. In order to avoid shutdowns during the middle of the week and add long weekends to the government calendar, the Uniform Holiday Bill required that three holidays, Presidents Day being one of them, fall on Mondays.
Presidents Day: What is it?
Presidents Day, which honors the country’s first President, is also known as Washington’s Birthday. However, George Washington’s birthday is on February 22, not February 20. Or perhaps February 11th.
On February 11, 1731, George Washington was born during the use of the Julian calendar by Britain and its colonies. This calendar was a byproduct of the Roman republic and fell out of favor in 1582. Till 1752, the British continued to use it. Long before it was made an official holiday in 1879, the nation observed Washington’s birthday as a symbol of respect.
It was observed on the third Monday of February following Johnson’s Uniform Holiday Bill. Around this time, the nation also started observing the holiday in honor of the February 12th birthday of Abraham Lincoln in addition to George Washington.
The law was sponsored by Republican Rep. Robert McClory, which infuriated others who opposed moving up the day we commemorate Washington’s birthday.
McClory stated, “We are not changing George Washington’s birthday. “By celebrating George Washington’s Birthday on a Monday, we would make it more important to many more people.”
In order to include both Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays in the event, he also suggested changing the name to Presidents Day. McClory was a representative from Illinois, the state where Lincoln lived most of his life.
This was also condemned by many. According to Tennessee lawmaker Dan Heflin Kuykendall, if we do this, our students will not know or care about George Washington’s birthdate ten years from now. They will be aware that they will have a three-day weekend in the middle of February for whatever reason.
The proposal was not successful. Washington’s Birthday is still the official name of the federal holiday, even though Presidents Day is more commonly used.
Presidents Day is a holiday for whom?
People who work for one of such organizations typically have the day off on federal holidays because they are observed by the federal government. If a federal holiday falls on a weekend, it may also be observed on Monday or Friday.
Federally recognized holidays as of right now are:
Day of the New Year: January 1;
The third Monday in January is Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the Third Monday in February is Washington’s Birthday or Presidents Day
Monday in May is Memorial Day.
National Independence Day of Juneteenth: June 19
Holiday of Independence: July 4
Labor Day: September’s first Monday
Second Monday in October: Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day
Thanksgiving Day: November 11
Thanksgiving Day: November’s fourth Thursday
Day of Christmas: December 25
These vacations, however, are only a given for people who work for the federal government. Federal holiday time off is a benefit that both the employer and the employee have agreed to under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Consequently, your company is not required to offer you a paid holiday on federal holidays, although many employers recognize many of them.
Remember to enjoy all those extended weekends to the fullest!!
