Special days recognized by presidential proclamation [edit]
BOLD indicates public holiday - most government agencies and major businesses closed.
January 16: Religious Freedom Day
January 21: National Day of Hope and Resolve [2]
3rd Monday in January: Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday[3]
3rd Sunday in January: National Sanctity of Human Life Day
various March/April: Education and Sharing Day (based on Hebrew Calendar)
March 25: Greek Independence Day
March 31: Cesar Chavez Day [4]
2nd Thursday in April: National D.A.R.E. Day
April 9: National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day
April 14: Pan American Day and week
May 1: Loyalty Day
May 1: Law Day, U.S.A.
1st Thursday in May: National Day of Prayer
2nd Friday in May: Military Spouses Day
2nd Sunday in May: Mother's Day
3rd Friday in May: National Defense Transportation Day and National Transportation Week
May 22: National Maritime Day
May 25: National Missing Children's Day[5]
last Monday in May: Memorial Day[6]
1st Monday in June: National Child's Day
June 14: Flag Day and National Flag Week
June 16: National Kelsey Day
3rd Sunday in June: Father's Day
July 27: National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day[7]
last Sunday in July: Parent's Day
August 16: National Airborne Day
August 26: Women's Equality Day
weekend before September 11: National Days of Prayer and Remembrance
September 11: Patriot Day
3rd Friday in September National POW/MIA Recognition Day
September 17: Citizenship Day and Constitution Week
4th Monday in September: Family Day
last Sunday in September: Gold Star Mother's Day
1st Monday in October: Child Health Day
October 6: German-American Day
2nd Monday in October: Columbus Day[8]
October 9: Leif Erikson Day
October 11: General Pulaski Memorial Day
October 15: White Cane Safety Day
October 24: United Nations Day
November 9: World Freedom Day
November 11: Veterans Day[9]
November 15: America Recycles Day
4th Thursday in November: Thanksgiving Day[10]
Friday after Thanksgiving: Native American Heritage Day[11]
December 1: World AIDS Day
December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities[12]
December 7: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
December 10: Human Rights Day and Human Rights Week
December 15: Bill of Rights Day
December 17: Wright Brothers Day
Special weeks recognized by presidential proclamation [edit]
March 4-10, 2012: National Consumer Protection Week
1st week of March: Save Your Vision Week
3rd week of March: National Poison Prevention Week
last week of April: National Volunteer Week
varies in April: Crime Victims' Rights Week
last week of April: National Park Week
first full week of May: National Correctional Officers' Week proclaimed by Reagan in May 1984. [1]
May 6-12: National Nurses Week proclaimed by Nixon in Feb 1974.
third week of May: World Trade Week
third week of May: National Hurricane Preparedness Week
week prior to Memorial Day: National Safe Boating Week
various in June: National Dairy Goat Awareness Week [2]
July 20-25, 2012: 2012 Aurora shooting [3]
third week of July: Captive Nations Week
varies in September: Minority Enterprise Development Week
3rd week of September: National Farm Safety and Health Week
varies in September: National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week
week of October 9: Fire Prevention Week
week of 2nd Sunday in October: National School Lunch Week
week of 3rd Sunday in October: National Forest Products Week
3rd week in October: National Character Counts Week
week prior to Thanksgiving: National Farm-City Week
week of Thanksgiving: National Family Week
Special months recognized by presidential proclamation [edit]
January: Mentoring Month [4]
January: Stalking Awareness Month [5]
January: Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month [6]
February: American Heart Month
February: Black History Month
March: American Red Cross Month
March: Women's History Month
March: Irish-American Heritage Month
April: Cancer Control Month
April: National Donate Life Month
April: Prevent Child Abuse Month
April: National Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April: National Financial Literacy Month
May: Older Americans Month
May: Jewish American Heritage Month[13]
May: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month[14]
May: Mental Health Awareness Month
May: National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
May: National Foster Care Month
June: Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
June: Caribbean-American Heritage Month [7] [8] [9]
June: Great Outdoors Month
June: National Oceans Month
June: Black Music Month
September: National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
September: National Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
September: National Wilderness Month
September: National Preparedness Month
September: National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month [10]
September 15–October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month[15]
October: Italian American Heritage and Culture Month [11]
October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October: National Arts & Humanities Month
October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October: National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October: National Energy Awareness Month
November: Military Family Month
November: National Hospice Month
November: National Adoption Month
November: National Family Caregivers Month
November: National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
November: National Diabetes Month
November: National American Indian Heritage Month
December: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
December: National Critical Infrastructure Protection Month
Defunct observances [edit]
The following observances have been mandated or authorized by Congress or the President, but are no longer proclaimed or observed on a regular basis.
March 21 (1982-1988): Afghanistan Day
June 14 (1982–1992): Baltic Freedom Day
June 25, 1987: National Catfish Day
