Established in 1885 to recognize
President George Washington,
Presidents Day is a holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It is still officially called Washington’s Birthday by the federal government.
The holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. It is traditionally celebrated on February 22, Washington’s actual day of birth. Although several states still have individual holidays that individually honor the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, the holiday is now viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
Corporate businesses were generally closed on this day but having been moved to the third Monday of the month, most businesses remain open with many offering sales and other promotions. Federal and state government services close for the day. University and college class schedules vary depending on the school. Public elementary and secondary schools are generally closed, but some school districts, such as New York City, may close for an entire week as a mid-winter recess.
Washington’s Birthday—Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, etching by Childe Hassam, 1916
Washington’s hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, hosts what is claimed to be the nation’s longest-running and largest George Washington Birthday parade that is included in a month-long tribute.
At the National Monument in Westmoreland County, George Washington’s Birthplace, visitors are treated to birthday celebrations on the holiday and at Mount Vernon, they last through February 22.