Public holidays, as it is known in the
United States of America, are largely controlled by private sector employers who employ approximately 62% of the total U.S. population who are given paid time off. A typical
work week is generally 40 hours a week with a Saturday-Sunday
weekend. Public holidays with paid time off is generally defined to occur on a day that is within the employee's work week. When a holiday occurs on Saturday or Sunday, that holiday is shifted to either Friday or Monday. Most employers follow a holiday schedule similar to the
federal holidays of the United States, with exceptions or additions. The federal holiday schedule mainly benefits employees of government and government regulated businesses. However, this sector only comprises 15% of the working population. At the discretion of the employer, other non-federal holidays such as
Christmas Eve and the
Day after Thanksgiving are common additions to the list of paid holidays while
Columbus Day and
Veterans Day are common omissions. Besides paid holidays are festival and food holidays that also have wide acceptance based on sales of goods and services that are typically associated with that holiday.
Halloween and
Valentine's Day are such examples of widely celebrated uncompensated holidays. With the exception of
blue law holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, most other holidays observed are not mandated by any government, whether it be at the federal, state, or local levels.