Happy Birthday 2016!

Well before I stayed up late and drank too much bubbly at 2016’s birthday bash last night, I started thinking of all the birthdays that we’ve turned into holidays.

This is one of the best kinds of birthday. Someone else’s birthday is so special we get a day off from work? Yes please! It’s one reason we love celebrating the birth of our countries too. There’s Bastille Day July 14 in France whereas China takes a week off in October to mark its National Day.

But, let’s see what famous folk merit a government-acknowledged holiday to commemorate their birth:

• Martin Luther King Day, celebrated in the United States since 1983, is on the third Monday of January to mark Dr. King’s birthday January 15 — although this holiday is meant to be commemorated with service.
• President’s Day is the third Monday in February. Although it started out marking George Washington’s Feb 22 birth, the day now marks all U.S. presidents’ birthdays (though history.com, reports some states do still mark Lincoln or Washington individually).
• Victoria Day in Canada celebrates Queen Victoria born May 24. The day is officially recognized with the Monday preceding May 25 off. That’s why it’s popularly known as May 2-4 weekend (for all the people who head to the cottage with a 2-4 of beer —Even though Victoria would surely not approve!).
• Australia marks the Queen’s birthday the same Monday in May, but New Zealanders wait until June 1 (probably since that’s closer to Elizabeth’s birthday).
• Queen Elizabeth is feted June 9 in England, although her birthday is actually April 21 (the two birthdays for reigning monarchs is quite common apparently).

Oh, and October 6 is a work holiday at my house for the awesomeness that is me, but I’ve yet to persuade others to join me.

What officially-recognized government-sanctioned birthdays did I miss? Let me know! I’d love to add to this list.