AMERICAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS

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1. New Year (31 December – 1 January) (2634)

The beginning of the New Year has been welcomed on different dates throughout history. Ways of celebrating differ, as well, according to customs and religions of the world. People celebrate the New Year on different dates and different ways. Some ways are strange and unusual. Whatever the custom, most of people feel the same sentiment. With a new year we can expect a new life. We wish each other good luck, promise ourselves to do better in the following year and wish the Happy New Year to everyone.

New Year's Eve

In the US the legal holiday is January 1^st, but Americans begin celebrating it on December 31. Sometimes people have masquerade balls, where guests dress up in costumes and cover their faces with masks. According to an old tradition, guests unmask at midnight. At New Year's Eve there are parties across the US on December 31, many guests watch television as a part of the festivities. Thousands of Americans gather in Times Square in the heart of New York City. This is probably the noisiest and the most crowded New Year's Eve celebrations in the world! At midnight when bell is ring, people hug and kiss, and shout "HAPPY HEW YEAR!" Everyone drinks a toast to the New Year and sings "Auld Lang Syne".

New Year's Day

On January 1st, Americans visit friends, relatives and neighbours. There is plenty to eat and drink when you just drop in to wish your loved ones and friends the best for the year ahead. Many families and friends watch television together enjoying the Tournament of Roses parade preceding the Rose Bowl football game in Pasadena California. The parade is usually more than 5 miles long with thousands of participants in the marching bands and on the floats. The queen of tournament rides on a special float which is always the most elaborate one of the parades, being made from more than 250000 flowers. Spectators and participants alike enjoy the pageantry associated with the occasion; they are delighted with splendid sight.

In later years colleges began to compete in football games on New Year's Day and these gradually replaced other athletic competitions. The parade of floats grew longer from year to year and flower decorations grew more elaborate. Today the parade is usually is more than five miles long with thousands of participants in the marching bands and on the floats. City officials ride in the cars pulling the floats. The queen of the tournament rides on a special float which is always the most elaborate one of the parade. The cities with the most unusual and attractive floral displays are awarded with prizes. After the Parade, the Rose Bowl football game is played.

The Mummer's Parade in Philadelphia is a ten-hour spectacle. Clowns, musicians, dancers and floats – all are led by King Momus dressed in gleaming satin. All these events make the first of January one of the most entertaining and relaxing holiday.

In most cultures people promise to better themselves in the following year. Americans have inherited the tradition and even write down their New Year's resolutions; e.g.: "Mike Nicolson will stop smoking for good". But whatever the resolution, most of them are broken or forgotten by February.

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2. Martin Luther King’s Birthday (the 3^rd Mon, January) (1836)

On January 15^th, people in the United States celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a great civil rights leader who fought against racial discrimination. He said that people should be judged by their character, not the colour of their skin. He believed in integration. He received national attention when he protested the injustice of segregated buses in Alabama.

Martin Luther King is remembered in church memorial services, marches, and public ceremonies. People also listen to his speeches, watch TV documentaries, and sing spirituals and the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." In schools, students read about this leader, study his writings and celebrate his memory with special programs. Politicians and performers also participate in celebrations to honour Martin Luther King.

The third Monday in January is a legal holiday to honour Martin Luther King.