In the United States, a holiday is a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observation or activity. In the United States, a holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed such as Labor Day.

What does the rest of the world call what Americans call a "holiday"?

Sploid: "Do you like donuts? We don't, but that means more for you, fatty! The Krispy Kreme will give away free donuts tomorrow, on Friday the 3rd of June."

According to a company press release:

National Donut Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts for thousands of soldiers. National Doughnut Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June.

"National Doughnut Day is a perfect time for us to give a little something back to our loyal customers throughout the country," said Stan Parker, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Krispy Kreme. "It's also a great opportunity to build awareness and acknowledge the continued good work of the Salvation Army."

List of National Days

• Afghanistan - 19 August
• Albania - 28 November
• Alderney - 9 May
• Algeria - 1 November
• American Samoa - 17 April
• Andorra - 8 September
• Angola - 11 November
• Anguilla - 30 May
• Antigua and Barbuda - 1 November
• Argentina - 25 May
• Armenia - 28 May
• Aruba - 18 March
• Assyria - 1 April
• Australia - 26 January
• Austria - 26 October
• Azerbaijan - 28 May
• Bahrain - 16 December
• Bahamas - 10 July
• Bangladesh - 26 March
• Barbados - 30 November
• Belarus - 3 July
• Belgium - 21 July
• Belize - 10 September and - 21 September
• Benin - 1 August
• Bermuda - 24 May
• Bhutan - 17 December
• Bolivia - 6 August
• Bosnia-Hercegovina - 1 March
• Botswana - 30 September
• Brazil - 7 September
• British Virgin Islands - 1 July
• Brunei - 23 February
• Bulgaria - 3 March
• Burkina Faso - 4 August
• Burma (Myanmar) - 4 January
• Burundi - 1 July
• Cambodia - 9 November
• Cameroon - 20 May
• Canada - 1 July
• Cape Verde September - 12
• Catalonia September - 11
• Cayman Islands - 1st Monday in July
• Central African Republic - 1 December
• Chad - 11 August
• Chile - 18 September
• People's Republic of China - 1 October
• Colombia - 20 July
• Comoros - 6 July
• Cook Islands - 4 August
• Costa Rica - 15 September
• Côte d'Ivoire - 7 August
• Croatia - 30 May
• Cuba - 1 January
• Cyprus - 1 October
• Czech Republic - 28 October
• Democratic Republic of Congo - 30 June
• Denmark - 5 June
• Djibouti - 27 June
• Dominica - 3 November
• Dominican Republic - 27 February
• East Timor - 20 May
• Ecuador - 10 August
• Egypt - 23 July
• El Salvador - 15 September
• England - 23 April
• Equatorial Guinea - 12 October
• Eritrea - 24 May
• Estonia - 24 February
• Ethiopia - 28 May
• Falkland Islands - 14 June
• Faroe Islands - 16 April
• Fiji - 10 October
• Finland - 6 December
• France - 14 July
• French Guyana - 14 July
• French Polynesia - 14 July
• Republic of Macedonia - 8 September
• Gabon - 17 August
• Gambia - 18 February
• Georgia - 26 May
• Germany - 3 October
• Ghana - 6 March
• Gibraltar - 2nd Monday in March
• Greece - 25 March
• Greenland - 21 June
• Grenada - 7 February
• Guadeloupe - 14 July
• Guam - 21 July
• Guatemala - 15 September
• Guernsey and Dependencies - 9 May
• Guinea - 3 April
• Guinea-Bissau - 24 September
• Guyana - 23 February
• Haiti - 1 January
• Herm - 9 May
• Honduras - 15 September
• Hong Kong - 1 July and - 1 October
• Hungary - 15 March - 20 August - 23 October
• Iceland - 17 June
• India - 26 January - 15 August
• Indonesia - 17 August
• Iran - 1 April
• Iraq - 17 July
• Republic of Ireland - 17 March
• Isle of Man - 5 July
• Israel - 14 May
• Italy - 2 June
• Jamaica - 1st Monday in August
• Japan - 23 December
• Jersey - 9 May
• Jordan - 25 May
• Kazakhstan - 25 October
• Kenya - 12 December
• Kiribati - 12 July
• Kuwait - 25 February
• Kyrgyzstan - 30 August
• Laos - 2 December
• Latvia - 18 November
• Lebanon - 22 November
• Lesotho - 4 October
• Liberia - 26 July
• Libya - 1 September
• Liechtenstein - 15 August
• Lithuania - 16 February
• Luxembourg - 23 June
• Macao - 20 December and - 1 October
• Madagascar - 26 June
• Malawi - 6 July
• Malaysia - 31 August
• Maldives - 26 July
• Mali - 22 September
• Malta - 21 September
• Marshall Islands - 1 May
• Martinique - 14 July
• Mauritania - 28 November
• Mauritius - 12 March
• Mayotte - 14 July
• Mexico - 16 September
• Micronesia - 10 May
• Moldova - 27 August
• Monaco - 19 November
• Mongolia - 11 July
• Montenegro - 28 June
• Montserrat - 2nd Saturday in June
• Morocco - 2 March
• Mozambique - 25 June
• Namibia - 21 March
• Nauru - 31 January
• Nepal - 18 February - 28 December
• Netherlands Antilles - 30 April
• Netherlands - 30 April
• New Caledonia - 14 July
• New Zealand - 6 February
• Nicaragua - 15 September
• Niger - 18 December
• Nigeria - 1 October
• Niue - 6 February
• Norfolk Island - 8 June
• North Korea - 8 September
• Northern Mariana Islands - 8 January
• Norway - 17 May
• Oman - 18 November
• Pakistan - 23 March (Republic Day), - 14 August (Independence Day)
• Palau - 9 July
• Panama - 3 November
• Papua New Guinea - 16 September
• Paraguay - 14 May
• Peru - 28 July
• Philippines - 12 June
• Pitcairn Islands - 2nd Saturday in June
• Poland - 3 May
• Portugal - 10 June
• Puerto Rico - 4 July
• Qatar - 3 September
• Quebec - 24 June
• Republic of the Congo - 15 August
• Republic of Yemen - 22 May
• Réunion - 14 July
• Romania - 1 December
• Russia - 12 June
• Rwanda - 1 July
• Samoa - 1 June
• San Marino - 3 September
• São Tomé and Príncipe - 12 July
• Sark - 9 May
• Saudi Arabia - 23 September
• Scotland - 30 November
• Senegal - 4 April
• Serbia - 15 February
• Seychelles - 18 June
• Sierra Leone - 27 April
• Singapore - 9 August
• Slovakia - 29 August - 1 September
• Slovenia - 25 June
• Solomon Islands - 7 July
• Somalia - 21 October
• South Africa - 27 April
• South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands - 14 June
• South Korea - 15 August
• Spain - 12 October
• Sri Lanka - 4 February
• St Helena - 2nd Saturday in June
• St Kitts and Nevis - 19 September
• St Lucia - 22 February
• St Pierre and Miquelon - 14 July
• St Vincent and the Grenadines - 27 October
• Sudan - 1 January
• Suriname - 25 November
• Swaziland - 6 September
• Sweden - 6 June
• Switzerland - 1 August
• Syria - 17 April
• Republic of China (Taiwan) - 10 October
• Tajikistan - 9 September
• Tanzania - 26 April
• Thailand - 5 December
• Togo - 27 April
• Tonga - 4 June
• Trinidad and Tobago - 31 August
• Tunisia - 20 March
• Turkey - 29 October
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - 15 November
• Turkmenistan - 27 October
• Turks and Caicos Islands - 30 August
• Tuvalu - 1 October
• Uganda - 9 October
• Ukraine - 24 August
• United Arab Emirates - 2 December
• United Kingdom - 2nd Saturday in June (can vary)
• United States of America - 4 July
• Uruguay - 25 August
• Uzbekistan - 1 September
• Vanuatu - 30 July
• Vatican City - 22 October
• Venezuela - 5 July
• Vietnam - 2 September
• Virgin Islands (US) - 31 March
• Wales - 1 March
• Yugoslavia - 29 November
• Zambia - 24 October
• Zimbabwe - 18 April

A Friday occuring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in many superstitions around the globe. Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Spain, for example, Tuesday the 13th takes the same role. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen.

...

The origins of the Friday the 13th superstition has been linked to the fact there were 13 people at the last supper of Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday, but it probably originated only in medieval times. It has also been linked to the fact that a lunisolar calendar must have 13 months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic calendar always have 12 months in a year. Another suggestion is that the belief originated in a Norse myth about twelve gods having a feast in Valhalla. The mischievous Loki gate-crashed the party as an uninvited 13th guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Baldur, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Baldur was killed and the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result.Some also say that the arrest of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his senior knights on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Philip IV of France, is the origin of this superstition. That day thousands of Templars were arrested and subsequently tortured. They then 'confessed' and were executed. From that day on, Friday the 13th was considered by followers of the Templars as an evil and unlucky day.

I've never read any research on this topic, but looking at the traffic graphs for these online flower shops, they must make over 90% of their money on the two big flower holidays, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Which is bigger? You'll have to take a guess, and then find the answer on these traffic graphs:

• 1800flowers.com - Graph
• FTD.com - Graph
• ProFlowers - Graph

Wikipedia:

El cinco de mayo ("Fifth of May" in Spanish) is a national holiday in Mexico. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Under the pretext of forcing payment for Mexico's outstanding and crippling debt, Britain, Spain and France sent troops to Mexico. The democratically elected government of President Benito Juárez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in the former Spanish colony, including installing one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico. Although Abraham Lincoln roundly condemned Napoleon's imperialist ambitions in a neighboring country, he was unable to assist Mexico as the United States was embroiled in the American Civil War at the time.

Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on Mexico City to seize the capital before the Mexicans could muster a viable defense. Along their march, the French already encountered stiff resistance before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the invaders.

The battle between the French and Mexican armies occurred on May 5 when Zaragoza's ill-equipped militia of 4,500 men encountered the better armed French force. However, Zaragoza's small and nimble cavalry units were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and overwhelming the Mexican infantry. With the dragoons removed from the main attack, the Mexicans routed the remaining French soldiers with a combination of their tenacity, inhospitable terrain, and a stampede of cattle set off by local peasants. The invasion was stopped and crushed.

Zaragoza won the battle but lost the war. The French Emperor, upon learning of the failed invasion, immediately dispatched another force, this time numbering 30,000 soldiers. By 1864, they succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and occupying Mexico City. Archduke Maximillian became Emperor of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule was short-lived. Mexican rebels opposed to his rule resisted, seeking the aid of the United States. Once the American Civil War was over, the U.S. military began supplying Mexicans with weapons and ammunition, and by 1867, the rebels finally defeated the French and deposed their puppet Emperor. The Mexican people then reelected Juárez as president.

Contrary to popular belief in the United States, Cinco de Mayo does not mark Mexican independence day. That distinction is reserved for Dieciséis de septiembre ("September 16"), which is celebrated on the night of September 15 through to the early morning hours of September 16 with a re-enactment of the Grito de Dolores – the formal call for an end to Spanish rule in 1810 – at all offices belonging to the executive branch of government, from the president down to the municipal governments.

Also on 5 May 1901, Ignacio Bravo telegraphed the news of the end of the Caste War of Yucatan with the Mexican victory against the state of Chan Santa Cruz.

The rise in Cinco de Mayo's popularity in the United States can be attributed to the Chicano student movement of the late 1960s. Inspired by student-activists nationwide, members of the MEChA organization in California sought to find a day of celebration that highlighted their largely Mexican ancestry. El Dieciséis de septiembre seemed like an obvious choice; however, this day proved too early in the school year for college students to effectively organize rallies and celebrations. Thus Cinco de Mayo became the de facto alternative for these student assemblies. Over the years this holiday grew outside university circles and its activist roots, and was absorbed by mainstream culture in the Southwest United States. For many Mexican-American communities Cinco de Mayo is an important way to proudly honor Mexican heritage, overshadowing Mexico's Independence Day in significance. Non-Mexican Americans also participate in the celebrations, much in the same manner that non-Irish Americans observe St. Patrick's Day, with holiday-themed parties marked by the consumption of Mexican food, tequila and Mexican beer.

BikeMonth.com: "May is National Bike Month. Bike-to-Work Week is May 16 - 20, 2005 and Bike-to-Work Day is Friday, May 20, 2005."

via Blue Collar Mountain Biking.

The problem is getting worse. As the price of health care continues to rise, fewer individuals and families can afford to pay for coverage. Fewer small businesses are able to provide coverage for their employees, and those that do are struggling to hold on to the coverage they offer. It is a problem that affects all of us.

That's why Americans are coming together for Cover the Uninsured Week 2005. From May 1- 8, individuals and organizations from every sector of society will join together to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority. The Week will mobilize thousands of business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others.

Read more.

Today, Google is celebrating National Teacher Day.

The holiday is most often associated with the commemoration of the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. The May 1st date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States, to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This resulted in the general strike and the U.S. Haymarket Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday.

May Day is designated International Workers Day. It is indeed a thoroughly international holiday; and the United States is one of the few countries in the world where pressure from local working classes has not led to an official holiday. In the 20th century, the holiday received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union; celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in support of the government.

There is some suggestion that Labor Day in the United States was created specifically to avoid commemoration of May Day. The adoption of May Day by communists and socialists as their primary holiday cements official resistance to Labor Day and similar non-May Day celebrations, which they view as being controlled by the ruling class.