KEEPING POSTED ABOUT HOLIDAYS

The end of spring finds most schools throughout the southland area of the United States closed for summer vacation. Some schools and universities will reopen for summer classes to enable students to make up classes or complete their course in shorter time.

For years Memorial Day weekend has been the start of summer vacations for most families. Since the expense of taking family vacations has increased, short holidays have become popular, not only with individuals but with families.

The 20th century has changed the way the committee that charts the calendars schedule holidays. Special days that are of historical significance are no longer observed on the anniversary date unless the day falls so that it enables a three-day holiday. This idea developed during President Johnson's administration.

The president and Congress authorize legal holidays for government employees. States usually follow the same plan. There are 3,100,889 federal employees in the 20 government agencies, starting with the executive branch and ending with the Postal Service. The holidays are arranged so the employees will be able to enjoy a three-day vacation.

The only holidays that remain as they have been for many years are Christmas, Easter (set by the stage of the moon), July 4, and Nov. 11, the original Armistice Day of 1918 now called Veterans Day. This day the veterans will not allow being moved.

Government employees are entitled to so many days of vacation, and legal holidays are not included in vacation days; they are extra.

Holidays set according to days that fall at certain times in the month are always on different dates. An example was the past Memorial Day, which is the fourth Monday in May. The date fell on May 25 this year, but often it is later in the month. The same is true of Labor Day, the first Monday in September. In many states this is the week schools open.

There are now so many holidays it seems something is observed every month. The 1992 calendar has many of the holidays falling within the three-day period. July 4 is on Saturday; Labor Day is Monday, Sept. 7; Columbus Day is Monday, Oct. 12; Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26; and Christmas is Friday, Dec. 25.

New holidays are still added to the list; an example, the birthday of Martin Luther King.

The usual list of holidays and the date the observances began are: Arbor Day, 1872; Christmas, 1613; Confederate Memorial Day, 1865; Emancipation Day, 1863; Flag Day, June 14, 1877 and 1893; Guy Fawkes Day, 1665; Jackson Day, 1815; Labor Day, 1894; Lee's Birthday (in southern states) 1889; Lincoln's Birthday, 1866, (now observed with Presidents Day the third Monday in February); May Day, 1628; Memorial Day, 1873; St. Patrick's Day, 1660; Seward's Day, (Alaska) 1867; Sunday, 1656; Texas Independence Day, 1836; Thanksgiving, 1607, 1644 and 1663; Valentine's Day (custom) 1754; Fourth of July (also July 2), 1776; Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 20, 1986 (observed first 1992 in a three-day holiday, King's birthday Jan. 15.

The Monday (three day holiday law) began in 1971. It was approved as Public Law 90-363 in 1968 and established Washington's Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day, to be so observed. Veterans Day remained Nov. 11 (established, 1918), the original Armistice Day.

With so many holidays, soon work days will be designated as special days and holidays will be normal days.