Numerous holidays were celebrated in the United States of America during the Colonial period. A listing of those holidays would include some that have continued to the present time along with some that fell by the wayside over the years. Many of the days set aside for celebration were initially established as religious holydays. There's no denying that the United States of America was founded by (mostly) Christian individuals, and therefore many of the holidays that were celebrated in the Colonies during the Colonial Period were Christian religious ones. Others were descended from pagan (i.e. non-Christian) and folk or peasant celebrations devoted to honoring the changes that come with the changing seasons.
This listing includes national and regional holidays which would have been celebrated during the Colonial and Revolutionary War Periods. It is not intended to be a complete listing of all the holidays celebrated today. Therefore it does not include recently created holidays such as Martin Luther King's Birthday or Lee Jackson Day which is celebrated only in the state of Virginia. Holidays which are primarily religious observances for particular faiths, which were not celebrated in the Colonial period, have not been included in this listing. These would include the Jewish holidays of Purim and Tu B'Shevat, the Orthodox Catholic holiday of Orthodox Christmas and New Year, and the Muslim holiday of Prophet's Birthday.
New Years Eve (31 December) Twelfth Day (06 January) St. Agnes' Day (21 January) St. Paul's Day (25 January) Candlemas (02 February) St. Blaze's Day (03 February) Valentine's Day (14 February) St. David's Day (01 March) Collop Monday (variable) Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras (variable) Ash Wednesday (variable) Mothering Day / Mid~Lent Sunday (variable) St. Patrick's Day (17 March) All Fools' Day / April Fools' Day (01 April) Passover (variable) Maunday Thursday / Shere Thursday (variable) Good Friday (variable) Easter (variable) Low Sunday (variable) Hoke Tide (variable) St. George's Day (23 April) St. Mark's Eve (25 April) Rogation Week (variable) Ascension Thursday (variable) Beltane / May Day (01 May) St. Urban's Day (25 May) Royal Oak Day (29 May) Whit Sunday and Whitsuntide (variable) St. Vitus' Day (15 June) Bunker Hill Day (17 June) Corpus Christi Day (variable) Midsummer Eve (variable) St. Peter's Day (29 June) Independence Day (04 July) St. Swithin's Day (15 July) St. Margaret's Day (20 July) St. Bridget's Day (23 July) St. James' Day (25 July) Lughnasadh / Lammas / Gule of August (01 August) Holy-Rood Day (14 September) Rosh Hashanah (variable) Yom Kippur (variable) Michaelmas (29 September) St. Faith's Day (06 October) Columbus Day (12 October) Hallowe'en / All Hallows Eve / Samhain (31 October) Guy Fawkes Day / Pope Day (05 November) Martinmas (11 November) St. Clement's Day (23 November) St. Catharine's Day (25 November) Thanksgiving (variable) St. Andrew's Day (30 November) St. Nicholas' Day (06 December) Hanukkah / Chanukah (variable) Christmas (25 December) Holy Innocent's Day / Childermas (28 December) The King's Birthday (variable)
