Cesar Chavez day

Today I'm enjoying a day off from work because our company is closed for Cesar Chavez Day. If you're interested, there is a great biography of Chavez on the California Department of Education's web site.

The final paragraph of the article says: In 1994, César Estrada Chávez was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United State’s highest honor for nonmilitary personnel. It was accepted by his wife and long time partner, Helen F. Chávez. During the ceremony President Clinton said of Chávez:

“Born into Depression-era poverty in Arizona in 1927, he served in the United States Navy in the Second World War, and rose to become one of our greatest advocates of nonviolent change. He was for his own people a Moses figure. The farm workers who labored in the fields and yearned for respect and self-sufficiency pinned their hopes on this remarkable man, who, with faith and discipline, with soft-spoken humility and amazing inner strength, led a very courageous life. And in so doing, brought dignity to the lives of so many others, and provided for us inspiration for the rest of our nation’s history.”

This is a state holiday for Californians, one of only 7 states that celebrate it and but it isn't even universally celebrated here. It got me thinking about holidays - their history and acceptance. We have holidays (literally HOLY days) for religious purposes like Easter and Christmas (although only Christmas becomes a work holiday even when it falls on Sunday). We have holidays for patriotic reasons like the Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. And we have those for honoring people like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day, and Columbus Day (although that last one is becoming more controversial each year). Of course we have some just for fun such as New Year's Day and St. Patrick's Day.

Do you have a favorite day you think should be recognized and celebrated more? A minor holiday that should be elevated to a major holiday? Do you think we should eliminate one or modify one that we currently have so that it will be more inclusive? What do you think?