He was the first president of the United States and he is still the most famous. George Washington remains one of the most popular of all US presidents. He is everywhere. His portrait is on one dollar bills. His face is carved on Mount Rushmore. His name is used for universities, forts, bridges, mountains, parks and even the capital city. He is considered the ‘father of his country’. It is no surprise, therefore, that his birthday is a federal holiday called ‘Washington’s Birthday’.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT
George Washington was born on February the 22nd, 1732. For years, the holiday was celebrated on that day. However, it was moved to the third Monday of February in 1971. The Uniform Holiday Act was passed in Congress to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day were also moved to a Monday.
MISSED DATES
Nowadays, ‘Washington’s Birthday’ is better known as ‘Presidents’ Day’. Many people like to think it honours all US presidents – and particularly another beloved president: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s birthday was on February the 12th. Strangely enough, the Uniform Holiday Act means that it now always misses the birth dates of Washington, Lincoln and any president in US history!
SUDDENLY OLDER
What is even stranger is that Washington’s actual birthday was on February the 11th, 1731. The United States changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. People who were born before that year had to add eleven days to their birth date. People born between January and March also had to add one year. By the time Washington became president, he listed February the 22th, 1732, as his birthday.
A TIME FOR REFLECTION
This year, it falls on February 19th. Many businesses stay open. Shops hold Presidents’ Day sales and there are parades in some cities. The largest Presidents’ Day Parade is in Alexandria, Virginia, along the historic streets where George Washington himself once walked.
Schools close for a mid-winter break. American schoolchildren get special lessons about the presidents of their country – particularly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln – in the weeks before the holiday.
AMERICAN VALUES
Above all else, Presidents’ Day is seen as a patriotic holiday. It is an opportunity for Americans to reflect on the values of their nation. The highlight every year is the reading of George Washington’s ‘Farewell Address’ in Senate. As Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey said in 1956: “It gives one a renewed sense of pride in our republic.”
