Presidents Day (no punctuation according to the Associated Press Stylebook) falls on Monday, February 17, 2020. This is a confusing holiday, known by different names and even celebrating different events in different states. In fact, a federal holiday by this name doesn’t even exist – it’s really Washington’s Birthday by federal law.
The day started as a recognition of the birthday of George Washington, the first President of the U.S. But even that is confusing. Washington’s birth date in 1731 was February 11, under the Julian calendar recognized by the British Empire at the time.
The Julian calendar goes way back to Julius Caesar in ancient Rome. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII came up with a new calendar, realigning days and months. It’s all complicated with astronomical solstices and equinoxes and leap days that we won’t go into here. The important thing to know is that a date on the Julian calendar is typically 13 days earlier than the Gregorian one.
With time, most countries switched over to the Gregorian calendar, including Great Britain, in 1752. Wednesday, September 2 was followed by Thursday, September 14. For a while, dates in both calendars were given, making things confusing historically.
Going back to 1731, it was determined that Washington’s birthday would have been February 22 under the Gregorian calendar, and that is the date we go by now. In 1879, the U.S. Congress enacted a federal holiday on February 22 to honor Washington. This stood until the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971, which standardized some holidays to create three-day week-ends. Washington’s Birthday was moved to the third Monday in February, which means it will always fall between February 15 and 21, and never on his actual birthday no matter what calendar you use.
Now, to complicate matters further, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12. It was always this date as he was born in 1809 after the Gregorian calendar was adopted. In Illinois, the “Land of Lincoln,” this is an important date – he is our main man, presidentially speaking. His birthday was never a federal holiday but some states, including Illinois, recognized it.
It was proposed at various times to establish some kind of official Presidents Day to recognize all men who have served in that office but such a federal day has never been established. The term Presidents Day started to be used in the mid-1980s, due to advertisers. It’s a popular day for sales.
It is entirely a state or popular edict as to how to term and celebrate the day. As it falls between Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, about half the states use the day to celebrate both Presidents. But not all states do this – in Alabama, the day celebrates Washington and Thomas Jefferson, whose birthday is April 13. In Massachusetts, they recognize Washington’s Birthday in February, then have Presidents Day on May 29, the birthday of John F. Kennedy.
In Illinois, we recognize February 12 as a state holiday for Lincoln and the third Monday is officially Washington’s Birthday, and it is a federal holiday – federal offices and many schools are closed, there is no mail delivery, etc.
But popularly, the day is known as Presidents Day, and we celebrate both Washington and Lincoln.
Tomorrow, we will review some of the Ridge’s connections to Lincoln.