Author Steven J. Rajtar discovered, in writing United States Holidays and Observances, that nearly every day is a holiday somewhere in the USA. For researchers, examining local holidays and observances often provides cultural and historical information about a region. This book, however, will be most useful for looking up basic information.
This compact volume contains monthly listings from January through December for federal or state holidays and observances that are designated by statute. Holidays from US territories and United Nations dedicated observances are also included. Observances with variable dates are first, followed by observances with fixed dates within each monthly listing. Variable holidays include days such as Martin Luther King, Jr Day, held on the third Monday in January in all fifty states, by state and federal statute. Independence Day is an example of a fixed federal holiday held every year on July 4. A case of a regional holiday, alluding to local history, would be an observance such as Emancipation Day in Texas, recognized only by that state on 19 June. Each entry includes the significance or history of the holiday. At the conclusion of the calendar year listings, there is a short list of unscheduled observances. The indexes are fairly complete. The first is “Holidays and observances listed by jurisdiction,” followed by a subject index, and then a name index, most useful for looking up holidays dedicated to important historical figures.
While this book is an interesting reference work that contains titbits of information regarding US holidays, it is the reviewer’s opinion that school and public libraries, rather than academic, will benefit the most from its addition to the collection. More thorough is Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary (Omnigraphics), which examines holidays from a cultural and historical perspective.
