--- description: From the history behind Martin Luther King Jr. Day to the real reasons behind New Year's Eve traditions. title: 2018 Holiday History Calendar: What to Know on 25 Holidays image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte74a0e27d94237f1/6988f5dadb29878f2025e28e/calendar.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Holidays](/tag/holidays/) ## Holidays Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The History Behind 25 Holidays Coming Up in 2018 by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 1, 2018 5:00 PM CUT  A man's hand tearing January 1 page off of daily wall calendar, circa 1930s A man's hand tearing January 1 page off of daily wall calendar, circa 1930sH. Armstrong Roberts—Retrofile/Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 1, 2018 5:00 PM CUT _To get 2018 started on a festive note, here’s TIME’s guide to the history behind some of the major dates on the 2018 American holiday calendar:_ ## **January** _Martin Luther King Day:_ For Jan. 15, learn why the holiday didn’t become law [until 1983](http://time.com/3661538/mlk-day-reagan-history/ "undefined"), though the civil rights leader died in 1968. ## **February** _Valentine’s Day:_ On Feb. 14, impress your date with your knowledge of how [the heart symbol](http://time.com/4662675/valentines-day-heart-shape-origins/ "undefined") became associated with love. _Ash Wednesday:_ And for the other Feb. 14 holiday, see where the[ ashes](http://time.com/4210001/ash-wednesday-ash-forehead/ "undefined") come from and what they represent. _Presidents Day:_ Mark the Feb. 19 holiday but remember that its real name is [“Washington’s Birthday.”](http://time.com/4664000/presidents-day-2017/ "undefined") ## **March** _St. Patrick’s Day:_ On Mar. 17, remember how the color [green](http://time.com/4699771/green-irish-st-patricks-day-color/ "undefined") became associated with Ireland. _Passover_: Beginning the evening of Mar. 30, you might want to know the [roots of the holiday’s food and traditions](http://time.com/4729836/passover-2017-history-foods/ "undefined"), and how celebrants in different regions of the world conduct their seders. ## **April** _Easter_: For April 1, here’s how Easter [eggs](http://time.com/4732984/easter-eggs-history-origins/ "undefined") and the Easter [rabbit](http://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/ "undefined") became associated with the Christian holy day. _April Fools’ Day_: But watch out, because April 1 is also this day for pranks — an idea with [mysterious origins.](http://time.com/4276140/april-fools-day-history/ "undefined") ## **May** _Mother’s Day:_ While celebrating mothers on May 13, remember how a mother who lost nine of her 13 children [inspired the push for a holiday devoted to moms.](http://time.com/4771354/mothers-day-history-origins/ "undefined") _Memorial Day_: The May 28 date has a somber origin story, but here’s how the holiday got its [party-hardy reputation.](http://time.com/4770697/memorial-day/ "undefined") ## **June** _Father’s Day:_ For June 17, here’s why dads didn’t get their own holiday [until more than half a century after Mother’s Day](http://time.com/4811771/fathers-day-origins-history/ "undefined") was proclaimed. ## **July** _Canada Day:_ The July 1 holiday is [not to be confused with Canadian Independence Day.](http://time.com/4828595/canada-day-150-years/ "undefined") _Independence Day:_ Ironically, on July 4 you might want to know that the _real_ Independence day is [July 2nd](http://time.com/4838700/americas-real-independence-day/ "undefined") — and why Americans celebrate it on the Fourth instead. ## **August** _Women’s Equality Day:_ On Aug. 26, [meet Bella Abzug](http://time.com/4459168/womens-equality-day-bella-abzug/ "undefined"), the Congressperson who introduced the bill that designated the day as such. ## **September** _Labor Day:_ For Sept. 3, read up on how a bloody[ railroad strike](http://time.com/4020710/first-labor-day/ "undefined") led to the first [Labor Day ](http://time.com/4922395/labor-day-holiday-history/ "undefined")celebration. Plus, [why it’s OK to wear white](http://time.com/3223070/why-its-okay-to-wear-white-after-labor-day/ "undefined") after Labor Day. _Rosh Hashanah:_ Beginning of the evening of Sept. 9, welcome the Jewish New Year with [the surprising story](http://time.com/4026472/rosh-hashanah-world-war-ii-denmark/ "undefined") of how a Danish rabbi saved the lives of about 7,000 local Jews on Rosh Hashanah in 1943. _Yom Kippur:_ And starting the evening of Sept. 18, remember how Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher [Sandy Koufax](http://time.com/4036885/sandy-koufax-yom-kippur/ "undefined") refused to play on the Jewish holy day. ## **October** _Columbus Day_: The Oct. 8 holiday is rife with history, from how the idea that [Columbus discovered America](http://time.com/4523330/columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day-history/ "undefined") spread to how a movement started replace the holiday with [Indigenous Peoples Day.](http://time.com/4971178/indigenous-peoples-day-history-columbus-day/ "undefined") _Canadian Thanksgiving:_ For the same day, Oct. 8, here’s how the Canadian holiday [differs](http://time.com/4971309/canadian-thanksgiving-2017-history/ "undefined") from the U.S. version — and why it takes place a whole month earlier than the more southerly version. ## **November** _Veterans Day:_ The Nov. 11 date still commemorates the World War I armistice, but here’s how the name got changed from [Armistice Day](http://time.com/4555301/armistice-day-veterans-day/ "undefined") to Veterans Day. _Thanksgiving:_ For Nov. 22, here’s why we know so little about the first Thanksgiving, and how [one woman lobbied Abraham Lincoln to make it a national holiday](http://time.com/4577082/thanksgiving-holiday-history-origins/ "undefined") 200 years later. ## **December** _Hanukkah:_ Beginning the evening of Dec. 2, celebrate the festival of lights with the knowledge that its [origins](http://time.com/4136708/hanukkah-story-confusing/ "undefined") are more mysterious than you might think, as is the [history](http://time.com/5054877/history-hanukkah-traditions/ "undefined") of some of its most beloved traditions. _Christmas_: For Dec. 25, gift yourself the story of how Christmas became a [national holiday.](http://time.com/4608452/christmas-america-national-holiday/ "undefined") _Kwanzaa_: For Dec. 26, remember how the holiday was conceived during [a key moment in the civil rights movement. ](http://time.com/4608466/kwanzaa-50-years-history/ "undefined") _New Year’s Eve:_ Ring in 2019 at the close of Dec. 31 with the origins of the traditions to ring in the new year, such as [the ball drop ](http://time.com/4608451/new-years-eve-ball-drop-history/ "undefined")and singing[ “Auld Lang Syne.”](http://ti.me/2Af60vC "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5061971/2018-holiday-calendar-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5061971/2018-holiday-calendar-history/"},"headline":"The History Behind 25 Holidays Coming Up in 2018","datePublished":"2018-01-01T17:00:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:49:16.092Z","description":"From the history behind Martin Luther King Jr. Day to the real reasons behind New Year's Eve traditions","url":"https://time.com/5061971/2018-holiday-calendar-history/","keywords":["Holidays","Newsfeed"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte74a0e27d94237f1/6988f5dadb29878f2025e28e/calendar.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte74a0e27d94237f1/6988f5dadb29878f2025e28e/calendar.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Wall calendar","caption":"Wall calendar","creditText":"H. Armstrong Roberts—Retrofile/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/holidays/","name":"Holidays"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5061971/2018-holiday-calendar-history/","name":"The History Behind 25 Holidays Coming Up in 2018"}}]}] ```