Monday, 01/01/2024 New Year's Day 1st day in January

New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st. It is the first day of the first month of the Gregorian calendar year. This day is a public holiday in the United States and in many other countries. It has been observed since the British Calendar Act of 1751.

Traditionally it is a time for personal stocktaking, for making resolutions for the coming year, and sometimes for recovering from the festivities of New Year's Eve. Financial accounting begins anew for business and individuals whose fiscal year is the calendar year.

New Year's Day has been called "Everyman's Birthday," and in some countries a year is added to everyone's age on January 1st rather than on the anniversary of each person's birth.

Monday, 01/14/2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 3rd Monday in January

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated in Hawaii on the third Monday In January. It is a day for honoring his ideas and achievements. Dr. King was a black civil rights leader and clergyman in the southern United States in the 1950s and 1960s. He led the fight against the injustices done to black people, against the written and unwritten laws of segregation in the South and the North.

Dr. King saw the ways American blacks were suffering. Many of them were not allowed to vote. Blacks had to drink from separate drinking fountains and go to separate schools. And the only seats on buses they could use were the ones in the back. King's way of fighting was non-violent. In many ways, King followed the philosophy of India's Mohandas Gandhi who employed nonviolence to protest his country's unjust laws. He organized sit-ins and led large numbers of blacks and concerned whites to peacefully boycott stores, bus lines, and other businesses that treated blacks unfairly.

King helped to organize and lead the historic March on Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. Thousands of blacks and whites marched to demonstrate their desire for full civil rights. King gave an unforgettable speech entitled "I Have a Dream." He dreamed that someday there would be freedom and justice for all Americans. Slowly, his work helped to change laws and social practices. In 1964, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in the civil rights movement. He was, at 35, the youngest man ever to receive it. It is sad to note that King's life came to a tragic end. On April 4, 1968, he was shot and killed by an assassin outside of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee.

Monday, 02/19/2024 Presidents' Day 3rd Monday in February

President's Day is celebrated in Hawaii and in all the other states of the union on the third Monday in February. It honors two of the greatest American presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Their birthdays used to be celebrated separately (Lincoln on Feb 12 and Washington on Feb 22). Since both birthdays fall in February, a joint holiday to honor both men was proposed.

President's Day is celebrated in Hawaii and in all the other states of the union on the third Monday in February. It honors two of the greatest American presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Their birthdays used to be celebrated separately (Lincoln on Feb 12 and Washington on Feb 22). Since both birthdays fall in February, a joint holiday to honor both men was proposed.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history - the Civil War. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest American president. His leadership of the country and the victories of the Union army managed to keep the nation united at a very perilous time.

Lincoln's achievements - saving the Union and freeing the slaves and his martyrdom just at the war's end assured his continuing fame. No small contribution was made by his eloquence as exemplified in the Gettysburg Address (Nov. 19, 1863), in which he defined the war as a rededication to the egalitarian ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and in his second inaugural address (Mar. 4, 1865), in which he urged "malice toward none" and "charity for all" in the peace to come.

Lincoln was assassinated just a few days before the Civil War ended. He was shot on April 14, 1865, while he and his wife were watching a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

George Washington was commander in chief of the colonial forces in the American Revolution. After the United States won the Revolutionary War against England, Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president of the United States of America. On April 30, 1789, he delivered his inaugural address in New York City. Washington served his country with honor, pride, and dignity. He brought respect to the office of the President, serving as a role model for later presidents.

After leaving office, Washington returned to his family home, Mount Vernon, in Virginia. Just over three years later, on December 14, 1799, George Washington died at home of a cold he had caught two days earlier. He was buried in a tomb at Mount Vernon, his estate in the Virginia countryside near Washington, D.C.

Although Lincoln and Washington had two very different personalities, their dreams and beliefs were similar. They both believed strongly in the union of the country.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history - the Civil War. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest American president. His leadership of the country and the victories of the Union army managed to keep the nation united at a very perilous time.

Lincoln's achievements - saving the Union and freeing the slaves and his martyrdom just at the war's end assured his continuing fame. No small contribution was made by his eloquence as exemplified in the Gettysburg Address (Nov. 19, 1863), in which he defined the war as a rededication to the egalitarian ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and in his second inaugural address (Mar. 4, 1865), in which he urged "malice toward none" and "charity for all" in the peace to come.

Lincoln was assassinated just a few days before the Civil War ended. He was shot on April 14, 1865, while he and his wife were watching a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

George Washington was commander in chief of the colonial forces in the American Revolution. After the United States won the Revolutionary War against England, Washington was unanimously chosen the first president of the United States of America. On April 30, 1789, he delivered his inaugural address in New York City. Washington served his country with honor, pride, and dignity. He brought respect to the office of the President, serving as a role model for later presidents.

After leaving office, Washington returned to his family home, Mount Vernon, in Virginia. Just over three years later, on December 14, 1799, George Washington died at home of a cold he had caught two days earlier. He was buried in a tomb at Mount Vernon, his estate in the Virginia countryside near Washington, D.C.

Although Lincoln and Washington had two very different personalities, their dreams and beliefs were similar. They both believed strongly in the union of the country.

Monday, 05/27/2024 Memorial Day Last Monday in May

This holiday is observed on the last Monday of the month of May. It is said to be the saddest of all days for it is observed in memory of the hundreds of thousands of American men and women who died in defense of this great country. It is on this day that flowers are cast on the oceans to honor those who died at sea. In a similar gesture, American flags are placed on the graves of those who are buried in cemeteries in America and in foreign lands.

The President usually places a wreath in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is similarly done by other government and military officials in numerous other cemeteries throughout the country and in other countries where Americans are buried. All across America there are parades, speeches, and ceremonies to remember and pay tribute to military personnel who have given up their lives for their country. Flags fly at half-mast on government buildings and on US Navy and commercial ships throughout the world as a fitting tribute to the dead.

At Gettysburg Memorial Park, in Pennsylvania, there is a service of remembrance to mark a major battle that occurred there during the Civil War. There are many who travel from all parts of the country to visit cemeteries and the recently erected Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., which contains the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died during the Vietnam War. At the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor where more than a thousand US Navy personnel have been entombed with the USS Arizona, a memorial service is held every year. Flower leis are cast into the sea where the ship lies permanently a few fathoms just beneath the surface. The memorial service is usually capped off with a twenty-one gun salute, the firing of three volleys, and a military bugler playing "taps." Many veterans, families of veterans, and their friends attend this solemn ceremony. You will always find most of them standing by and watching ... and usually with a tear in their eyes.

A similar memorial service is likewise held at the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu where thousands of American men and women are buried. These are the people who served in the armed forces of the United States and who died in defense of America and in its quest for freedom and democracy. It includes those who died during the last World War, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and in the recent conflicts in other places around the world. The local Boy Scouts here have taken it upon themselves to place small American flags on each gravesite. It is a sight to behold seeing all the tiny flags waving as the wind goes through the gentle slopes of the cemetery grounds. There are also relatives who visit the cemetery to pray at gravesites and decorate the graves of their departed loved ones. Many of the graves are decorated with an assortment of beautiful Hawaiian flowers and leis. A gesture that resembles the Greek and Roman tradition of honoring the dead with flowers or branches on certain days.

No one is sure exactly how Memorial Day started. It was believed, however, that the Southerners were the first ones to observe Memorial Day. The story goes that just about two years after the Civil War, there were women in Columbus, Mississippi who decorated the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers with magnolia blossoms. Later, violets and roses were also used. This was taken as a fine and welcome gesture in those heartsore days the custom spread and ultimately became an American tradition. In 1873, New York became the first state to make it a legal holiday. The United States Congress made it an official holiday for federal government employees in 1887.

At first, it was called Decoration Day, but the name Memorial Day gradually became accepted. In the South, many states also observe Confederate Memorial Day to honor the soldiers who fought in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Whatever the flower, wherever the grave, this placing of flowers upon the graves of American men and women who gave up their lives in defense of America has always seemed the natural thing to do on Memorial Day.

Tuesday, 6/11/2021 King Kamehameha I Day

King Kamehameha Day is the only ali'i (royalty) holiday established during the monarchy and observed continually since its establishment by royal proclamation in 1871. The day is celebrated to honor King Kamehameha who unified the Hawaiian Islands and who stands as an exponent of Hawaiian self-determination. The first observance of this holiday was held on June 11, 1872. Kamehameha V designated June 11 as a public holiday to honor the memory of his great-grandfather who was the first ruler of the United Hawaiian Islands.

Kamehameha ("The Lonely One") was born between 1736 and 1758 in Kohala on the island of Hawaii. His father was Keoua Kupuapaikalani, chief of Kohala and a grandson of Keawe who once ruled over a powerful kingdom on the island of Hawaii. Kekuiapoiwa, Kamehameha's mother, was the daughter of a chief from Kona. The King was a courageous man of unbridled ambition. He became chief of his western Big Island district in 1781 and waged war against the other chiefs. He accomplished his mission of conquering all the islands, except Kauai which joined the kingdom voluntarily.

Kamehameha became the first ruler of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1795. During his reign, he encouraged his people to pursue agriculture to restore the ravaged land and promoted the introduction of new animals and plant life into the islands. Kamehameha united the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom through war and diplomacy. However, there are some who believe that he was a ruthless opportunist who used Western weapons to kill his own people and seize power.

In 1878, the Hawaiian legislature commissioned Thomas B. Gould, an American sculptor living in Italy, to produce a statue of Hawaii's greatest king. The heroic-looking bronze statue bears little resemblance to drawings made of Kamehameha during his lifetime and was modeled after a Caucasian Tahitian named John Timoteo Baker. Gould cast the statue in Paris in 1880 and shipped it to Hawaii, but off Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, the ship caught fire and sank. The statue unveiled in front of the Judiciary building in 1883 for King Kalakaua's coronation was a copy. The original statue was raised later in a salvage operation and brought to Hawaii. It now stands in front of the Kohala courthouse in Hawaii, near Kamehameha's birthplace. The statue unveiled in front of the Judiciary building in 1883 for King Kalakaua's coronation was a copy. The original statue was raised later in a salvage operation and brought to Hawaii. It now stands in front of the Kohala courthouse in Hawaii, near Kamehameha's birthplace.

Thursday, 07/04/2021  Independence Day 4th day in July

The United States celebrates each year on July 4th the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776. It was on this day that the American colonies declared themselves independent from England and the rule of King George III. The first celebration of independence was in 1777, while the war was being fought and independence was still not a certainty.

The celebration held in Philadelphia was one of speeches, bell ringing, bonfires, and fireworks - very much like modern celebrations on the Fourth of July. What was important about the original celebration was not the event nor the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the idea behind the event: liberty and justice for all.

Friday, 08/16/2024 Statehood Day 3rd Friday in August

The third Friday in August is observed as a state holiday each year, recognizing the anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. Hawaii's efforts to obtain statehood involved a long political struggle which had to overcome many obstacles and prejudices. In 1919, Prince Kuhio, Hawaii's delegate to Congress at that time, introduced Hawaii's first statehood bill in the 65th Congress. But it, and another bill submitted the following year, died in the House Committee on Territories. In December of 1931, Delegate Victor Houston introduced another statehood bill in Congress. However, it did not get very far.

The statehood bill of Samuel King in 1935 also didn't make it, however, it did prompt a Congressional investigating committee to visit Hawaii in Oct of 1935. The extensive hearing brought out a number of negative reasons why statehood should be postponed. Some of these included the distance of Hawaii from the mainland, the lack of a substantial middle class, the large proportion of citizens of Japanese ancestry, and the alleged control of a strong group ("The Big Five') over the political and economic activities in the islands.

Unsuccessful statehood bills were introduced again in 1947 and in 1950. It was only in 1959, during the first session of the 86th Congress That Hawaiian statehood bills were finally acted upon with dramatic swiftness. After some debate, the Senate bill passed on March 11 by a vote of 76 to 15. The House bill reached the floor on the same day and the House substituted the Senate version for it and passed it on March 12 by a vote of 323 to 89.

A primary election took place in Hawaii on June 27, 1959, and on that day the various statehood propositions were voted on. Following the certification of the election results, President Eisenhower signed a proclamation on August 21, 1959 declaring Hawaii to be the 50th state. Also on that day, William F. Quinn and James K. Kealoha were sworn in as Hawaii's first elected governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

Monday, 09/02/2024 Labor Day 1st Monday in September

This legal holiday is observed to honor Labor on the first Monday in September. It is considered a day of rest and recreation and is generally the end of the vacation season. The congressional bill which proposed a national Labor Day was signed into law by President Cleveland on June 28, 1894.

In 1882, Peter J. McGuire, a founder of the labor union called the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, proposed the setting aside of one day in the year to be designated as 'Labor Day.' He suggested that this day be established as a general holiday for the laboring classes. The Central Labor Union of New York City adopted McGuire's suggestion and, on September 5, 1882, sponsored the first Labor Day parade and festival.

Many of the marchers carried signs urging improvement in working conditions in their industries. Others asked for an eight-hour day. The celebration was a big success, and dramatized the importance of labor. Labor Day has become a day to pause and rest, a day to renew our conviction that the work of each of us, whatever it may be, is a contribution to the greatness of our nation.

Columbus Day, October 11 (Monday) is NOT a State holiday

Monday, 11/11/2024 Veterans' Day 10th day in November

Veteran's Day, which is celebrated on November 11th, was proclaimed by President Eisenhower on June 1, 1954 as a day to honor all the brave men who fought for our country. From 1918 until 1954, this day was observed as Armistice Day in celebration of the armistice, or cease-fire agreement, that ended World War I. But because we have had the destruction and sorrow of war since then, it seemed more suitable to change the holiday to a day in honor of American veterans of all wars.

Today it is the custom to observe two minutes of silence at the hour when the fighting stopped in World War I. There are memorial services for the men who were killed in the wars in which the United States has fought. A very solemn ceremony takes place at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where the president and others lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. This tomb first came to be in 1921, when an unidentified soldier was chosen to represent all of those who had died in World War I. Two other unknown soldiers, from World War II and the Korean War, are buried at the head of that tomb.

Thursday, 11/28/2024 Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November

By presidential proclamation, the fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving day. Every state observes this day as a legal public holiday. George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as Thanksgiving Day after Congress asked him to name a day of public thanksgiving and prayer for the time of prosperity, freedom, and hope after the long war.

Thanksgiving Day had been celebrated by the colonists since the first days of the settlements. They celebrated a day of thanksgiving for their safe arrival and proclaimed that their arrival day, December 4, should be observed each year. The pilgrims who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in November 1620 celebrated a Thanksgiving day after the first harvest to give thanks for having lived through the dangers of the past year. Now, Thanksgiving Day is most often celebrated as a family, rather than a public holiday.

Wedday, 12/25/2024, Christmas 25th day in December

December 25th is Christmas Day or the feast day of the Nativity. The name is derived from the Old English "Cristes Maess" or Cristes-messe, meaning the Mass of Christ. It is a Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the most popular of Christian observances and dates back to the 4th century. At first, the holiday did not celebrate the birth of Jesus, but the "light" of the gospel. This celebration all combines to make the winter holiday of Christmas a joyous joining of folkways and religion.

Although Jesus' birth date is not known, the Western church selected December 25 for the feast. A meeting of the Christian bishops in 440 A.D. decided to celebrate the feast of the Nativity each year at the time of the Winter Solstice, the most important pagan festival. This was believed to counteract these non-Christian festivals. Most of the customs of the Winter Solstice celebration were however carried over into the Christian celebration - the bonfires, the candles, the burning of large logs, and the use of holly, mistletoe, and other evergreens for decoration. The Christmas tree, exchanging of gifts, Christmas carols, and the crib are usually associated with Christmas.

The Christmas tree is derived not from the pagan yule tree, but from the paradise tree adorned with apples in honor of Adam and Eve. It was found first at Strasbourg in 1605. The exchange of gifts, in harmony with the significance of Christmas, may have been influenced by a similar custom among the pagans. In most parts of Europe, it was the Christ Child who brought the gifts. After the Reformation the day itself was personified, and the figure of Father Christmas was later combined with St. Nicholas, the patron of children, to become Santa Claus.

The term "carol," formerly designating a Christmas hymn of a popular nature, is now used of all Christmas songs. The first Latin Christmas hymns date back to the 5th century. Popular carols originated in Italy under the influence of St. Francis of Assisi. Most of the well-known carols have been composed since the mid-19th century. The use of the crib in church and home derives ultimately from the grotto in Bethlehem and its reproduction in St. Mary Major. The popular custom was introduced by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223.

Wednesday, 1/01/2025 New Year's Day

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