Typical American holidays? As much as they are celebrated, it is not the Valentine’s Day or Halloween!

Every country in the world celebrates its traditional holidays, and so is the USA. They mainly commemorate the most important historical events or personalities, such as the birth of Martin Luther King, George Washington or the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Besides those, there are other holidays that are typically perceived as American ones, but they in fact originate from somewhere else. Which exactly are these?

Valentine’s Day

The feast of all those in love, which falls on February 14, probably does not need to be introduced in much detail, since it has become well known in our country too. Many believe that it is a typical American holiday. However, that is not true as it originates in Rome, Italy, where in the 3rd century lived the priest Valentine, known as a patron of those in love. He disobeyed the order of Emperor Claudius II, who forbade weddings because, in his opinion, they distracted men from their military duties. In spite of that, Valentine was secretly marrying the young couples and as a punishment was executed on 14 February. He had nevertheless managed to write a love letter from the prison to his beloved girl before the execution. It is probably here that the tradition of sending Valentine's cards originates from – the tradition that the Americans have embraced. The Valentine’s Day is perceived in a broader context as a celebration of love in the US. People express their feelings not only to their mates, but also to their families and friends. The feast is celebrated in schools and retirement homes alike. The holiday brings huge profits to merchants, who sell sweets, flowers, perfumes or jewelry like hot cakes.

Valentine's day flowers

Halloween

Neither the Halloween is of American origin. Its roots could be traced back to the tradition of ancient Celts in Ireland, where it originated as a celebration of the Feast of All Saints. People believed that on the night of October 31 to November 1, the world of the living and the dead was interconnected. That is why they were illuminating the journey of the souls of the dead with lanterns made of pumpkins, were painting their faces and were disguising to protect themselves against evil spirits. Perceiving death as a natural part of life, the Celts were coming to the graves of their ancestors and decorated them with flowers. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the US. The Americans celebrate Halloween exuberantly, regardless of their age or gender. They get ready long time ahead, buy sweets and small gifts for children, decorate their houses with lit carved pumpkins and other scary decorations, for which they do not hesitate to spend exorbitant sums. They prepare costumes of ghosts, witches, skeletons, vampires and monsters. Various parades of masks and Halloween parties are organized at many places.

Halloween costume

If you wish to experience the atmosphere of these holidays fully and completely, Florida gives you the best opportunity to do so. Perhaps the local celebrations combined with Florida’s beautiful nature and gorgeous weather all year round will enthrall you so much that you will decide to buy a second home in here. If that is the case, we are ready to give you a helping hand. We specialize in the sale of houses, apartments and new properties throughout Florida. We can also help you with their rental and purchase, and we can deal with commercial properties and estates too. Just name your dream, we’ll make it come true.