Which calander do you follow?

According to the Hindu calendar, today is Rakhi (aka Rakshabandan), which in the past my family has fiercely celebrated thanks to my mothers belief in Hinduism. However, as I walk around on the streets of San Francisco, I am completely unaware of it's occurence. It gets me thinking... in the land of America, what are our holidays? How do we incorperate tradition, without religion? How do we allow so many people to practice what they believe without fighting over whose right and whose wrong? And are we able to manage this successfuly... really?

I decided to Google and I came across the following...

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Search term: American Secular holiday calander
Result: http://www.usa.gov/citizens/holidays.shtml

American Holidays

Official information and services from the U.S. government

Americans celebrate a variety of federal holidays and other national observances throughout the year. American holidays can be secular, religious, international, or uniquely American.

With the wide variety of federal holidays, and the many levels of American government, it can be confusing to determine what public and private facilities are open on or around a given federal holiday. You can usually find such information in the daily newspaper or by calling the office you wish to visit.

The following are American federal holidays and other common national observances. Federal holidays are indicated as such.

New Year's Day is January 1.

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January.

Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14.

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday observed the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.

Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Earth Day is observed on April 22.

National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970.

Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May.

Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.

Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June.

Independence Day is July 4.

Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11.

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7.

Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child.

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Growing up in a middle-upper class suburb in Oregon we were a small Hindu family surrounded by a large number of Christians. The school calendar followed the religious calendar. 3 weeks off in December was "Christmas vacation" and 1 week off in Spring was "Easter break" As a family with relatives all over the world, we somehow made it work.

I'm not sure what we celebrate anymore, but I certainly hope we get back to some family traditions. It's one of those important things in life.

Thanks to family and friends all over the world and working and living abroad I am now well aware of the following calanders... Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, French, Swedish, Danish, East Coast, West Coast, Public School, Private School & Indian. And believe me, each place does it different.