What you need to know about the origins of Black History Month
Black History Month begins each year on the first day of February. Considered one of the nation’s oldest organized history celebrations, the month has been recognized by U.S. presidents for decades through proclamations and celebrations. (Feb. 5)
Happy Presidents Day, regardless of if you have a treasured day off or another day at the office.
Presidents Day is a federal holiday, offering those who work for the government a three-day weekend.
After the holiday, there are no more federal holidays until Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. If you’re wondering more about what Presidents Day is about and what is closed today, we got you covered.
Here’s what’s closed on Presidents Day 2024:
Planning on mailing out an important letter or visiting your local public official? Might want to change your plans. Here’s what is closed today on Presidents Day:
- Mail delivery
- Post offices
- Banks
- Government offices and services
- Waste management in certain counties (see guide here)
- Certain Florida school districts
Is Presidents Day a holiday? When was Presidents Day first observed?
“Presidents Day” is actually a nickname for the federally observed holiday held on the third Monday in February to honor the first U.S. president’s birthday and is technically named “Washington’s Birthday.”
Following the death of George Washington in 1799, his Feb. 22 birthday became a day of remembrance.
Washington’s Birthday became a legal holiday Jan. 31, 1879, when Congress added Feb. 22 to the list of holidays to be observed by federal employees in the District of Columbia.
The date changed to the third Monday in February with the passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and officially took effect in 1971.
Do Floridians get the day off on Presidents Day?
Since Presidents Day is a federal holiday, anyone who works for the federal government or District of Columbia has the day off.
Congress has never declared the day a national holiday. Each state decides its own legal holidays. According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida hasn’t added Presidents Day to the list of the state’s legal holidays.
So unlike most holidays, you can still hit your local Publix, Walgreens or Target during the day. Which also means you can hit some Presidents Day sales today.
Where are the Presidents Day sales?
Contributing reporting: Lianna Norman and Cheryl McCloud, USA Today Florida Network