Celebrate: Always on Mondays…
In America there are some public holidays like ours, for example New Years on January 1st or Christmas on December 25th (but not on December 26th). Many of the public holidays that are not worked on are on Mondays. It was determined that way in 1971.
The third Monday in January is Martin Luther King Day, the third Monday in February Washington’s Birthday (George Washington’s birthday), also known as Presidents’ Day. Labor Day is the first Monday in September and Columbus Day is the second Monday in October. Independence Day, however, is always celebrated on July 4th. It is the national holiday of the USA, because on July 4th, 1776 they declared themselves independent. There are parades and fireworks.
Thanksgiving
The most important family celebration in America is Thanksgiving. It is a kind of harvest festival, Thanksgiving means thanksgiving. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. All generations of a family come together, even if they live widely. There is a lot of traffic on airports and roads at this time. To get more information on United States and North America, check paradisdachat.
Traditionally, to eat a turkey served (Turkey). It has to cook in the oven for hours. There is also a large selection of side dishes such as sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and Waldorf salad. For dessert there are sweet pies.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, Black Friday. Then there are big discounts in the shops and everyone goes shopping.
Halloween
You probably know Halloween too, because we have been celebrating it for a few years now. On October 31st, the boys and girls wander through the streets in scary disguises, ringing the neighbors’ bells and shouting ” Trick or Treat ” (trick or treat !). They’ll get candy – or play a prank if they don’t get anything. It is also customary to put carved pumpkins in front of the houses.
Christmas – Christmas
Christmas is celebrated a little differently in America than here. After Thanksgiving, the Christmas decorations begin. Many Americans love to lavishly equip their houses and to attach countless chains of lights and set up brightly colored figures. Christmas markets like the ones we have in every city are not known in America. Christmas cookies (Christmas cookies) but one may very in America.
A Santa Claus who puts something in a boot on December 6th is not known in America. But the figure that goes back to Saint Nicholas is identical to Santa Claus in the USA. He then brings the Christmas presents and is called Father Christmas or mostly Santa Claus, in short: Santa.
As with us, it is also tradition to put up a Christmas tree. Often this is done at the beginning of December! Many families cut down the tree themselves, others just put up a plastic tree.
Many families attend church services in the evening on December 24th. The presents are not available on December 24th, but on December 25th, Christmas Day (just like in Great Britain)! Santa Claus travels through the air with his sleigh pulled by eight reindeer and comes into the houses through the chimney. Traditionally, stockings are hung by the fireplace in which Santa Claus puts small gifts.
In some families, the children put a glass of milk and cookies for Santa Claus in the living room on the evening of December 24th. On the 25th you have to get up early because: “Santa was here! Wake up!”, so: “Santa Claus was there, wake up!”. Glass and plate are now empty, there are lots of presents for that!
The Christmas dinner is on December 25th in the evening. As with Thanksgiving, it is a turkey in many families, and ham or roast beef in others. December 26th, however, is not a public holiday.
For Christmas you wish “Merry Christmas!” The word Xmas for Christmas is often seen on Christmas cards. This is not just an abbreviation, but comes from the fact that the X in the Greek spelling is the first letter of Christ.
Poor and homeless
Children’s lives in the United States are not always the same. Life is different in one of the big cities like New York than in the country, where the nearest neighbor is possibly half an hour away by car. And of course there is also a big difference whether you are born into a poor or a rich family.
Child poverty is more prevalent in America than in other developed countries. 15 percent of Americans live in poverty. This affects 16.4 million children. They often do not have enough to eat, cannot buy new clothes, and cannot afford school books.
20 percent of all households are entitled to receive food stamps. That’s 47 million people. The number has been increasing for years. The Food stamps can then buy food.
Poverty is particularly high among the black or Hispanic American population. Children whose parents are unemployed are also affected by poverty. Often the incomes are so low that not even a salary is enough to live on. That’s why a lot of Americans work two or three jobs at the same time.
But not only poverty is a problem: For years, the number of children in the USA who are homeless and live on the streets has been increasing. It should be 2.5 million children. Sometimes these children live all alone, but sometimes with their whole family on the street. They lost their apartment. If possible, they spend the night in a homeless shelter.
