2nd Sunday in May - MOTHER’S DAY
Children give flowers, cards. All mothers are celebrated.
June :
3rd Sunday, June - FATHER’S DAY
July :
4th July - INDEPENDENCE DAY
Independence Day is regarded as the birthday of the United States as a free and independent nation. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag (which also occurs on Memorial
Day and other holidays) is widespread. The holiday recalls the signing of the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Most important one - fireworks,
playing basketball, barbecue
August :
September :
1st Monday, Sept - LABOR DAY
The day that honored working people, symbolic end of summer, children go to school after it.
Its purpose is to honor the nation's working people. In many cities the day is marked by parades of working people representing the labor unions.
October :
2nd Monday, Oct - COLUMBUS DAY
This day commemorates Italian navigator Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World on October 12, 1492. The major celebration of the day takes place in New York City, which holds a huge parade each year.
November :
11th Nov - VETERANS DAY
Established to honor soldiers from I WW ,nowadays from all wars . President goes to Arlington National Cemetery.
Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday was established to honor Americans
who had served in World War I. It falls on November 11, the day when that war
ended in 1918, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the United States
has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades or other special ceremonies,
and the president customarily places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at
Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
4th Thursday, Nov - THANKSGIVING DAY
The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in
Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without
interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for
help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.
The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.
To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods
served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.
December :
25th Dec - CHRISTMAS
They don’t have Christmas Eve, and no Boxing Day.
Christmas is a most important religious holy day for Christians, who attend special church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
A federal holiday - on this day most businesses and offices remain closed and the greatest possible number of workers, including government employees, have the day off. Many places even close early on the day before.
Gift-giving is so common at Christmas time. Gifts are given to children, members
of the family and close friends. They are given to people who have done favors to
others or who work for them. Some people bake cookies or make candies or other
special food treats for friends and neighbors. Many businesses give their workers
a Christmas "bonus" - gifts of extra money - to show appreciation for their work.
Christmas is also a time when most Americans show great generosity to other
less fortunate than they. They send money to hospitals or orphanages or contribute to funds that help the poor.
Most Americans send greeting cards to their friends and family at Christmas time. The decorating of homes for Christmas is very common.
Other local holidays :
MADRI GRAS - “Fat Thursday”, before Ash Wednesday.
The celebration of Mardi Gras - the day before the Christian season of Lent begins in late winter - is a tradition in New Orleans, a major southern city located in the state of Louisiana. The celebration, marked by a huge parade and much feasting, grew out of old French traditions, since Louisiana was once part of France's New World empire. In various places, other ethnic groups sponsor parades or other events of great
interest, adding pageantry and merriment to American life.
ZJAZD 6 [American Geography]
From north to south - 2575 km
From east to west - 4500 km
It is a very diverse country , with places similar to every region in the world - similar in the landscape , or climate
The U.S.A. is a unified country , there are some regional differences but there is no conflict.
We can divide U.S.A. into 6 regions :
1. NEW ENGLAND - 5 states in the North plus Vermont . Maine,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island.
2. MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION - New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware
3. THE SOUTH - Florida, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Arkansans, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma
4. THE MID-WEST - From Ohio to Nebraska , including Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri , and
from Dakota to Kansas.
5. THE SOUTH-WEST - the region between the Mid-Texas and
to southern California including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah,
Nevada, Arizona
6. THE WEST - Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, parts
of Colorado and Utah
1. NEW ENGLAND
- a wrong name because it’s not new , it’s old and it doesn’t look like
England
- the region is treated as a symbol of Puritanism and a constant influx of
foreign residents , the region where democratic traditions started quite
early
- this is the region not as much focused on the agriculture , the soil isn’t
good for agricultural production
- turned into fishing, ship building and trade
- the industrial revolution played an important role and many factories
were opened there
- a region which is very popular with tourists
- it has four seasons
- education - the region is known for its’ intellectual figures : Yale,
Harvard, Brown University, Dartmouth College
- certain atmosphere which helps to develop philosophical trends and
writers - transcendentalists - R.W. Emerson, H.D. Thoreau, N.
Hawthorne , individualism , eccentricity
- Boston Brahmins - the people who claim to be direct descendants of
people from the Mayflower Ship. They speak a very special accent
- cities : Boston, Salem
- this region provided America with the spirit of invention
2. MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION
- provided America with the muscles
- Dutch settlements, Quakers, English, German
- the great location of the natural ports and harbors and a closeness of
Atlantic Ocean is very important in development of the region
- trade and industry
- industry around Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania , iron and ore
deposits were discovered there, coal deposits
- two most important rivers - Hudson River (NY) - in 19th century an Erie
Canal was built , and the Delaware River
- Niagara Falls- between two lakes , thrill-seekers are attracted by it, it
also attracts honey-moaners
- New York consists of 5 boroughs : Manhattan, Brooklyn (Green point) ,
Queens, the Bronx (the only part that is on land) , Staten Island
- Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love - Pennsylvania , created by
William Penn
- Pittsburgh - symbol of steel industry, one of the first steel cities
(bridges, railways, skyscrapers)
- New Jersey - one of the smaller states, well known as a Garden State
because of the production of vegetables. Very high density of the
population, the highest one. The city of NEWARK - a high criminal rate
, the worst city in USA. The whole New Jersey is known for organized
crimes. This state was deeply divided during the Civil War. Not a very
peaceful state.
- Maryland - English Catholics. Well known for tobacco, fish, shellfish.
Important city Baltimore .
- Washington D.C. is there - District of Columbia. President moved to
Washington no 1800. Specially chosen for the capitol. A person who
designed it was Pierre L’Enfant - inspired by the French architecture.
The city didn’t developed as fast as the other cities because they had
less money for development (not paying taxes for the federal
proprieties)
- Rhode Island - the smallest state
- Delaware - small state , quite wealthy. Legal reasons for that, it has
very good corporation laws, friendlier than other states. It ratified the
constitution first . DuPont - chemical giant. Delaware Bay. This state is known for white water rafting.
3. THE SOUTH
- the region which developed much slower than the rest of the country ,
because it relied on the agriculture
- the most important crops : tobacco, rice, cotton, indigo, peanuts
- Florida : oranges, bananas . Tourist industry - theme parks around
Orlando. Florida Keys - a string of islands connected with the highway. Everglades, beaches etc.