Happy President’s Day!

 
gselvester
 
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gselvester
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19 February 2007 09:54
 

A very happy President’s Day to you all. Personally, I think our obsession with having a "long weekend" is ridiculous and we should continue to celebrate Washington’s Birthday on the actual day (I’ve always been partial to a holiday popping up to break up the week rather than a long weekend but that’s me). I suppose if the sovereign of England can have an "official birthday" as well as a real one then it’s OK for the Father of our country as well.

http://www.heraldrysociety.us/presidents/images/Wash-mid.jpg

 
Daniel C. Boyer
 
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Daniel C. Boyer
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19 February 2007 10:38
 

gselvester wrote:

I suppose if the sovereign of England can have an "official birthday" as well as a real one then it’s OK for the Father of our country as well.


I always wondered what the purpose of this/motive behind it was.

 
Linusboarder
 
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Linusboarder
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19 February 2007 10:48
 

I think the reason for the "observed" holiday being on a Monday is 2-fold. The first is because "Presidents Day" usually falls inbetween both Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday (since it’s a celebration of both of them).

I think the second reason is because Monday’s allow for good long vacations. you could conceivibly take one vacation day and have a 4 day vacation whic is enough time to fly/drive somewhere and make a nice small vacation out of it without missing too much work time.

 
Daniel C. Boyer
 
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Daniel C. Boyer
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19 February 2007 11:05
 

Linusboarder wrote:

I think the reason for the "observed" holiday being on a Monday is 2-fold. The first is because "Presidents Day" usually falls inbetween both Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday (since it’s a celebration of both of them).

I think the second reason is because Monday’s allow for good long vacations. you could conceivibly take one vacation day and have a 4 day vacation whic is enough time to fly/drive somewhere and make a nice small vacation out of it without missing too much work time.


No, I don’t mean President’s Day.  I mean the soverign’s birthday having an official birthday that isn’t the real birthday.

 
Linusboarder
 
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Linusboarder
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19 February 2007 12:50
 

Daniel C. Boyer wrote:

No, I don’t mean President’s Day.  I mean the soverign’s birthday having an official birthday that isn’t the real birthday.


I was actually responding to Father Guy. His post appears to indicate we are celebrating only Washington’s B-day when we are celebrating both his and Lincoln’s. I was also explaining my like of the three-day weekend instead of split up work week….

 

Then again I can see his point. He works every Sunday

 
gselvester
 
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gselvester
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19 February 2007 14:44
 

Daniel C. Boyer wrote:

I always wondered what the purpose of this/motive behind it was.


That’s because the Trooping of the Color is what takes place on the sovereign’s "official" birthday. By having an official birthday this ceremony can always take place at the same time every year regardless of when the sovereign was actually born. Otherwise, the Trooping of the Color would move to different parts of the year from sovereign to sovereign.

 

England isn’t the only country where the sovereign has an official birthday regardless of their actual birthday. The Netherlands also does this. There may be others as well.

 
gselvester
 
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gselvester
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19 February 2007 14:51
 

Linusboarder wrote:

I think the reason for the "observed" holiday being on a Monday is 2-fold. The first is because "Presidents Day" usually falls inbetween both Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday (since it’s a celebration of both of them).


Not really. I found this concerning this holiday: (emphases added)

 

The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington’s birthday in 1796 (the last full year of his presidency).  Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on February 22, 1732.  According to the old style calendar in use back then, however, he was born on February 11.  At least in 1796, many Americans celebrated his birthday on the 22nd while others marked the occasion on the 11th instead.

 

By the early 19th century, Washington’s Birthday had taken firm root in the American experience as a bona fide national holiday.  Its traditions included Birthnight Balls in various regions, speeches and receptions given by prominent public figures, and a lot of revelry in taverns throughout the land.  Then along came Abraham Lincoln, another revered president and fellow February baby (born on the 12th of the month).  The first formal observance of his birthday took place in 1865, the year after his assassination, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address.  While Lincoln’s Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington’s, it did become a legal holiday in several states.

 

In 1968, legislation (HR 15951) was enacted that affected several federal holidays.  One of these was Washington’s Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd.  This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.

 

Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington’s Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President’s Day."

 
Linusboarder
 
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Linusboarder
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19 February 2007 14:56
 

Ahh I see I am corrected, even though I think (from my school days) that CO is one of the states that celebrates it as both.

 
David Boven
 
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19 February 2007 15:13
 

gselvester wrote:

The first formal observance of his birthday took place in 1865, the year after his assassination, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address.  While Lincoln’s Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington’s, it did become a legal holiday in several states.


Thank goodness that I live in the land of Lincoln. All the schools in our district had last week Monday and this Monday off. smile

 
emrys
 
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emrys
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19 February 2007 15:30
 

gselvester wrote:

England isn’t the only country where the sovereign has an official birthday regardless of their actual birthday. The Netherlands also does this. There may be others as well.


Actually technically this is not the case there is no official birthday in the Netherlands it is always the actual birthday of the sovereign, but when the present Queen succeded to the throne she declared that the birthday of her mother would stay the national day (quite logical as her birthday is january 31 (to cold on that day wink)), but when she abdicates the official day will be the birthday of the next King (unless he also changes this).

 
Madalch
 
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Madalch
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19 February 2007 16:57
 

gselvester wrote:

England isn’t the only country where the sovereign has an official birthday regardless of their actual birthday.


The official birthday of the Queen in Canada is May 24th, which is not her actual birthday, nor is it her official birthday in any other country.

 
Daniel C. Boyer
 
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Daniel C. Boyer
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19 February 2007 17:10
 

gselvester wrote:

That’s because the Trooping of the Color is what takes place on the sovereign’s "official" birthday. By having an official birthday this ceremony can always take place at the same time every year regardless of when the sovereign was actually born. Otherwise, the Trooping of the Color would move to different parts of the year from sovereign to sovereign.

England isn’t the only country where the sovereign has an official birthday regardless of their actual birthday. The Netherlands also does this. There may be others as well.


Thank you.  This explanation makes a lot of sense.