US Bank Holidays 2012

When is the next holiday? A question asked often enough by anyone who wants an extended weekend or just a break in the middle of a long week. When you are starting a new year and once you have gotten over that New Year's party hangover, you want to know how many holidays you can look forward to in the new year; whether it is for an extended vacation or for those much-needed days of R&R.

2012 US Bank Holidays

Before the start of a new year, the United States central government releases a list of holidays for the upcoming year. These holidays are known as federal holidays which every employee of the central government gets off. Since the United States of America follows a federal system of governance, state governments have the right to declare holidays as well. This results in some discrepancy in the list of bank holidays in the US for different states. In the calendar given in this article, we list out the public holidays in the United States for the year 2012.

If you go through the list of holidays you will notice that there are many days of commemoration that are not celebrated on a specific date but on a designated Monday. This is in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that designates specific Mondays of the year for the observance of certain holidays.

*Click on the dates marked against a red background to get details about the holiday that it signifies.

	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Monday										1
Tuesday					1					2
Wednesday		1			2			1		3
Thursday		2	1		3			2		4	1
Friday		3	2		4	1		3		5	2
Saturday		4	3		5	2		4	1	6	3	1
Sunday	1	5	4	1	6	3	1	5	2	7	4	2
Monday	2	6	5	2	7	4	2	6	3	8	5	3
Tuesday	3	7	6	3	8	5	3	7	4	9	6	4
Wednesday	4	8	7	4	9	6	4	8	5	10	7	5
Thursday	5	9	8	5	10	7	5	9	6	11	8	6
Friday	6	10	9	6	11	8	6	10	7	12	9	7
Saturday	7	11	10	7	12	9	7	11	9	13	10	8
Sunday	8	12	11	8	13	10	8	12	10	14	11	9
Monday	9	13	12	9	14	11	9	13	11	15	12	10
Tuesday	10	14	13	10	15	12	10	14	12	16	13	11
Wednesday	11	15	14	11	16	13	11	15	13	17	14	12
Thursday	12	16	15	12	17	14	12	16	14	18	15	13
Friday	13	17	16	13	18	15	13	17	15	19	16	14
Saturday	14	18	17	14	19	16	14	18	16	20	17	15
Sunday	15	19	18	15	20	17	15	19	17	21	18	16
Monday	16	20	19	16	21	18	16	20	18	22	19	17
Tuesday	17	21	20	17	22	19	17	21	19	23	20	18
Wednesday	18	22	21	18	23	20	18	22	20	24	21	19
Thursday	19	23	22	19	24	21	19	23	21	25	22	20
Friday	20	24	23	20	25	22	20	24	22	26	23	21
Saturday	21	25	24	21	26	23	21	25	23	27	24	22
Sunday	22	26	25	22	27	24	22	26	24	28	25	23
Monday	23	27	26	23	28	25	23	27	25	29	26	24
Tuesday	24	28	27	24	29	26	24	28	26	30	27	25
Wednesday	25	29	28	25	30	27	25	29	27	31	28	26
Thursday	26		29	26	31	28	26	30	28		29	27
Friday	27		30	27		29	27	31	29		30	28
Saturday	28		31	28		30	28		30			29
Sunday	29			29			29					30
Monday	30			30			30					31
Tuesday	31						31

2nd January	New Year's Day	Since the first day of the new year falls on a Sunday, the day after is the official holiday as declared by the federal government.
16th January	Martin Luther King Day	While Martin Luther King's birthday was on 15th of January, his birthday is celebrated on the third Monday of January in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
20th February	President's Day	Also known as Washington's Birthday, it is celebrated in memory of the birth of George Washington. It is always celebrated on the third Monday of February.
28th May	Memorial Day	On the last Monday of every May, the United States of America celebrates Memorial day in honor of all those soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
4th July	Independence Day	Marks the day on which the United States announced its independence from British rule by signing the Declaration of Independence. It is also often referred to as the Fourth of July.
3rd September	Labor Day	This holiday is observed on the first Monday in September to mark the contribution of the labor force of the nation to its economic and social growth.
8th October	Columbus Day	The second Monday of October is celebrated as Columbus day to mark the day on which Christopher Columbus first set foot on the American continent. Some states celebrate the holiday as Indigenous People's Day.
12th November	Veteran's Day	Formerly known as Armistice Day, it is an annual holiday that honors war veterans. Because Veteran's day falls on a Sunday this year, the following day has been declared an off.
22nd November	Thanksgiving	Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November, this day has been an annual tradition since 1863. It was first celebrated by the Pilgrims to offer thanks for safe arrival to the New World.
25th December	Christmas	Celebrated every year to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a civil holiday in many nations all over the world.

The list of bank holidays in the United States given in this article are restricted to the ones that are recognized by the central government. In addition to these holidays, every state has the right to declare holidays depending on the occasion and the importance of the same. While you refer to a list of US bank holidays for 2012, remember to crosscheck if the day is a declared holiday in your state of residence. The information given in this article will hopefully help you plan your vacations without any hassle. Have a great year ahead. Happy New Year!