Holidays

Although Americans celebrate many of the same holidays as Australians do, they may celebrate them a little differently, or maybe not. Americans also have some comparable holidays as Australians, and also some very different ones. See the following for an overview.

• First let's talk about the word "holidays". In Australia the word is used more to describe vacation times. Americans use the word "holidays" to describe what Australians would call "public holidays". So in short, Australian "Public Holidays" = American "Holidays", and Australian "Holidays" = American "Vacation".
• With the hugely diverse population in America, using the term "Happy Holidays" instead of "Happy Christmas" is common. This can be very difficult for Australians to get used to, but after a while it begins to make sense. For example, it seems silly to wish your Hindu work-mate a "Merry Christmas", or your Chinese neighbour a "Happy Easter". So wishing someone "Happy Holidays", both conveys the sentiment, and prevents you from making an embarassing faux pas.
• Christmas is much the same in America as it is in Australia. Christmas trees are the norm, as is gift-giving, and the Christian meaning of Christmas is the same. However, Americans decorate more extravagently than most Australians do, although many Aussie expats find this very delightful and are all too happy to join in. Christmas trees are bigger and more voluminous in terms of decorations. Go shopping for the ideal Christmas tree for your living room, whether it's a live one or an artificial one. Christmas decoration stores are abundant, so let your creative talents go wild. It's a heap of fun. Americans are also big on decorating the outside of their houses for Christmas. Again, have a ball if this appeals to you, maybe do what many other Aussie expats do, and add an Australian theme to your house. Americans do not celebrate "Boxing Day".
• In contrast, Easter can be a disappointment in America. While in Australia, Easter is a big holiday usually involving four-five day weekends, it barely rates much of a mention in America. Many workplaces don't even recognize Good Friday as a work-holiday, which is very difficult to get used to. However, there's no reason for you to treat Easter any differently than you ever have. Easter eggs are available in supermarkets and the chances that your local community is holding some type of Easter activities are pretty good. Americans are very accepting of differences, so nobody will think you are strange for celebrating Easter in your own way - they might even want to join in!
• The Australian ANZAC day and the American Memorial day are much the same. They are both days set aside to remember those who fought for their country's freedom.
• Americans celebrate Independence day, the day when the Continental Congress signed The Declaration of Independence, thus starting the war with the British. Australia does not have an equivalent day, obviously.
• Australians celebrate Australia day, which is a celebration of the anniversary of Australia's colonization. Americans do not have a similar day.
• The American Thanksgiving holiday is probably the most popular one in the country. It celebrates the bounty of the American pilgrim's first successful harvest and was viewed as a sign of future prosperity for the country. Through the years, Americans use this holiday as a time to give thanks for their blessings. This holiday is typically a time to spend with family, and it's quite common to see Americans traveling all over the country at this time to be with their families. Consequently, this is a time when most American expats feel the most homesick. Even though this is a celebration uniquely American, it's also one that Australian expats can choose to join in if they wish. It's a wonderful time to get closer to any new American family if applicable, and also a time to test your American cooking skills!
• Mother's Day is on the same day of the year in America as it is in Australia, but Father's Day is not. In America, Father's Day is the 3rd Sunday of June, and in Australia it's the first Sunday of September.
• Other American holidays are:
  • Martin Luther King Day
  • President's Day
  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Veteran's Day
• Although not technically a holiday, Americans also make much of "Halloween", which is on October 31st. While this is mainly a children's day for "trick or treating", many adults will also have Halloween parties in which people usually dress up in Halloween type costumes. Halloween is a lot of fun.

Reader Feedback on this Topic

• Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving! Though it's always noted to be the biggest shopping day of the year, that apparently is an urban legend, but we Yanks still say it. However, the sales are the best, and it's officially the first day of Christmas shopping. I try to stay home on that day actually. Much too crowded at the stores. So that may be helpful to Aussies coming here. - Beth
• Another unofficial holiday, is the day BEFORE Halloween. In Michigan , we call it Devil's Night but there are different names for it nationwide. It's when pranksters go out and egg houses, toilet paper the trees, soap windows, etc. Of course, in Detroit, murder capital of the nation, they like to set fires. - Beth
• Thanksgiving celebrates not the bounty of the pilgrim's first harvest. It celebrates the saving of the pilgrims by the native Americans. The pilgrims were extremely ill prepared and this sharing of food and teaching of farming/hunting techniques by the natives saved the few original pilgrims that remained from total starvation. (Out of the original 88 that landed in November 1620, only 44 survived by the following spring). Only after the help, did the pilgrims start to learn how to work the rocky land. Anyway, that's why we "give Thanks" for the food on our tables, our neighbors, and our health. - Christy

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