Many New Zealanders celebrate the Queen’s Birthday on the first Monday of June each year, as New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of the United Kingdom being the head of state. Many people have the day off on the Queen’s birthday, which is the official opening of the ski season. It’s usually held on a Monday so it is part of a long weekend. The Queen’s Honours list is released around the time of the Queen’s birthday public holiday. This list has hundreds of recipients, who are honoured and recognized for public service, from services to television to services to prisoner welfare.
Flag Day
People across the United States celebrate Flag Day on June 14 each year to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption. On the same day, the United States Army celebrates its birthday. Flag Day falls within National Flag Week, a time when Americans reflect on the foundations of the nation’s freedom. The flag of the United States represents freedom and has been an enduring symbol of the country’s ideals since its early days. During both events, Americans also remember their loyalty to the nation, reaffirm their belief in liberty and justice, and observe the nation’s unity.
Many people in the United States honor this day by displaying the American flag at homes and public buildings. Other popular ways of observing this holiday include: flag-raising ceremonies; Flag Day services; school quizzes and essay competitions about the American flag; musical salutes; street parades; and awards for special recognition.
Fathers Day
Father’s Day is June 15, 2014 in many countries. It is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June, but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Father’s Day was created to complement Mother’s Day, a celebration that honors mothers and motherhood.
Father’s Day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children. After hearing a sermon about Jarvis’ Mother’s Day in 1909, she told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honoring them. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father’s birthday, the pastors did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.
