Presidents’ Day is one of the most patriotic holidays in the United States. The reason is simple: American people get together and honor the lives of former presidents, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. What makes this holiday different is the many disagreements citizens have about it, starting by the name itself of this holiday. In fact, this federal holiday is known as Washington’s Birthday, Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday, President’s Day and Presidents’ Day.

Before we jump on that, it is also interesting to know some traditional towns, monuments and the whole phenomenon this day offers to the American people.

Traditional places, Monuments and a nation-wide shopping phenomenon

Starting by some traditional places, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum holds an Annual Birthnight Ball in Alexandria, Virginia. That’s right, this event involves a toast, dinner, a historical program and George Washington’s favorite 18^th century dances. This tavern is part of the remaining 18^th Century taverns still in use in the United States.

 In addition to this place, both Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are special places to enjoy a remembrance ceremony that involve wreath laying, dramatic readings and panoramic views to other monuments as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the White House and the Capitol building.

On the other hand, because this is a holiday that many school districts, private companies and all federal employees abide for stores everywhere offer a significant discount in many of their products. This is not a Black Friday Phenomenon of course, but people expect to find attractive sales that day.

Why are there so many names?

It turns out that even though the official name of this holiday is Washington’s Birthday, many State governors and citizens decided to name it differently. Since this is the second holiday that commemorates the birth of a relevant character (the other one is in January and commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.), and is also the only one that involves a former President of the United States many people believe that other former presidents such as Abraham Lincoln should be included.

Therefore, the many names of this holiday include Washington’s Birthday, Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday, President’s Day or Presidents’ Day. Some states, like Alabama, include another former president as Thomas Jefferson, and others more commemorate all those presidents that came from that specific state, as in the case of the State of Massachusetts.

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