What Is Presidents' Day?

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Monday, February 16, 2015

Dean Malissa (R), playing the role of U.S. President George Washington, is welcomed by David Kozisek (2nd R), who plays the role of Washington's personal secretary Tobias Lear, Natalie Fairchild (L), who plays his step-granddaughter Nelly Custis and Mary Wiseman, who plays his wife Martha Washington, during a celebration to mark President's Day at Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Alexandria, Virginia, February 18, 2013. | (Photo: Reuters/Mike Theiler)

Many government offices and services, and also some businesses, will be closed Monday as the nation celebrates Presidents' Day, originally known as "Washington's Birthday," in honor of the first U.S. President George Washington.

An annual federal holiday, Presidents' Day is always observed on the third Monday of February, and is a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance.

Established in 1885 in recognition of President Washington, who was born on Feb. 22, the federal government still officially calls it Washington's Birthday. However, it's often celebrated by remembering all the presidents, including the incumbent chief executive, and not just Washington or Lincoln.

Many state governments have officially renamed it as Presidents' Day, "Washington and Lincoln Day," or other such designations.

Apart from Washington, presidents William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan were also born in February.

From 1879 to 1967, it was observed on Feb. 22, but it shifted to the third Monday of February as Presidents' Day after Congress proposed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which sought to move the celebration of several federal holidays to a series of predetermined Mondays. The proposal was supposedly aimed at creating three-day weekends for the nation's workers.

"The story of Presidents' Day date begins in 1800. Following President George Washington's death in 1799, his Feb. 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance," according to History.com. "At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration."

Many retailers and restaurants across the country offer special sales and discounts to mark the occasion.

The United States Postal Service says post offices will be closed. The New York Stock Exchange will also be closed.

Bank Of America, Capital One, Keybank, Citi Bank, Sovereign Bank, HSBC, Suntrust, Huntington, US Bank, and PNC will also be closed, according to Heavy.com.

Several states require that public schools teach their students about the achievements of the presidents prior to Presidents' Day.