George Washington birthday_This holiday is designated as "Washington's Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law. U.S. Federal Law

George Washington, commonly honored as the Father of our Country, was also a landowner, soldier, patriot, farmer (tobacco, experimenter of 60 crops fisherman), and, at one time, the largest distiller of whiskey in the nation.
Because of his contributions to the founding of our country, George Washington’s birthday on February 22 was first honored as a federal holiday in the District of Columbia by an act of Congress in 1879 and was expanded to all federal offices in 1885. The celebration was officially changed on January 1, 1971 by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act thereby marking the third Monday in February as the day of celebration.


However, by the mid-1980s, we started to see local and national advertisers begin to use the term “Presidents’ Day” to honor both George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12). It is still used in today’s lexicon; however, George Washington’s Birthday is the proper, legal term for the holiday that we celebrate on this day, February 20, 2012.

The largest and oldest celebration of George Washington’s Birthday is right down IH 35 south of Austin in Laredo, Texas. The celebration lasts the entire month of February and attracts some 400,000 people each year.

Locally, Chapter 1919, Military Order of the Purple Heart will be celebrating George Washington’s Birthday with a dinner party on Friday, February 24th at 6 pm. Details can be found on their website.


Continue reading on: examiner