For New Years, people in America usually have a party on the last day of the year and stay up to count down the 10 seconds until midnight. At midnight, it is customary to kiss the person next to you.
For Saint Valentine's Day (commonly called Valentine's Day), couples exchange romantic gifts. Popular choices include chocolate or jewelry. Small children usually participate in this holiday by exchanging small cards and candies during school. Friends sometimes exchange non-romantic gifts as well. Many junior high schools and high schools will have themed events in February, typically a Valentine's Day dance.
The next widely celebrated holiday is Saint Patrick's Day on March 17th. This holiday comes from Ireland and is traditionally celebrated by Americans of Irish heritage (like my family!). However, its popularity has increased to the point that many non-Irish Americans also celebrate this holiday.
Saint Patrick's Day is usually celebrated by wearing green clothing and accessories, playing and singing Irish music, and (for those age 21 and over) drinking. Many cities with large Irish immigrant populations, like Boston and Pittsburgh, have Saint Patrick's Day themed parades. As the bagpipe is a traditional instrument of Ireland, these parades usually feature many bagpipers!
In these pictures, I am celebrating Easter as a child with my mother and younger brother Charlie. We would always receive a chocolate bunny in our baskets, along with many other candies! Another Easter tradition is for children to participate in "Easter Egg hunts" in which plastic eggs filled with chocolate are hidden outside and the kids search for them.
On July 4th, Americans celebrate their independence from the British in a holiday called The 4th of July or Independence Day. This holiday is typically celebrated with family and friends, food, and lots of fireworks.
Halloween is a popular American holiday, and my personal favorite! To celebrate, children dress in costumes and walk from house to house at night asking for candy. This is called "Trick or Treating" because when they arrive at a house, children traditionally shout "trick or treat!," implying that if they are not given candy, then they will place a spell or curse on that house.
Together, families carve scary faces into pumpkins and place candles inside to create Jack-O-Lanterns. Along with cornstalks, these are a traditional decoration for any household celebrating Halloween.
Traditional costumes include many scary beasts and monsters, such as vampires, skeletons, and witches. However, modern costumes now include princesses, superheroes, and even famous athletes. Adults often attend Halloween parties in costumes.
Another fun Halloween is "bobbing" for apples. Apples are placed in a large bucket of water and must be picked out using only your teeth. Sometimes your whole head gets wet!
Although the holiday is on October 31st, Trick or Treating usually takes place on the closest Friday so that children do not have to attend school the following day. Many towns and cities will have Halloween parades on the closest Saturday.
Overlapping Halloween is another holiday celebrated mostly by Mexican Americans. Dia de los Muertos (meaning "the day of the dead") is a holiday celebrating deceased relatives. It is celebrated over three days from October 31st to November 2nd. This holiday is festive rather than somber and the highlight is preparing a huge feast for the dead which is placed at a shrine in the household. Families also visit and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Most famously, a special "skull candy" is prepared for children to eat. Here, I celebrate Dia de los Muertos with my family in a celebration of Mexican culture and traditional foods.
Another important American holiday in the fall is Thanksgiving, which falls on the third Thursday of November. The central celebration for this holiday is a large meal with family and friends. Traditionally, a turkey is served as the main course. Common side courses include cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Over time, football has become part of the Thanksgiving celebration for many American families. The NFL hosts a special game on Thanksgiving called the Turkey Bowl.
Finally, the last big American holiday of the year is Christmas. This is traditionally a religious holiday for Christians in the United States, but it is celebrated by both religious and non-religious Americans.
A religious celebration includes visiting a church for special services in addition to gift giving. Folk tradition focuses on the figure of Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, who goes from house to house delivering gifts to children in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Families and friends exchange gifts during Christmas time, usually in brightly wrapped packages and placed under a decorated Christmas tree. There is also a custom of hanging stockings, or large brightly colored socks, from above a fireplace. These are also filled with gifts, and sometimes oranges!
Many families also celebrate with a large meal on Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas. In some families it is also customary to open one present on Christmas Eve. In my family, our tradition was to receive a gift of new pajamas on Christmas Eve, brought by Santa's elves.
Most major cities and towns also host Christmas day parades. They are fun to go to and are also broadcast on TV. Here is a picture of my father and younger brother Charlie and a Christmas parade. And another picture of our family running through the falling confetti after the parade.
