The document provides information on holidays, festivals, and vacations in the United States. It notes that Americans have fewer paid vacation days than other countries, typically around two weeks. Popular family vacations involve driving to domestic destinations like national parks. Festivals celebrating various arts are common at the local and national levels. The largest and most famous include music festivals like Monterey Jazz. The legend of St. Valentine is also summarized, describing how he allegedly healed the daughter of his jailer before being martyred.

2. The US population
In the United States the population in
2003 was about 292 million people, of which
about 211 million were white, 34 million were
black, 10 million were Asian and 2.4 million
were Native Americans.
The US Census Bureau predicts that the
nation will have about 323 million people by
2020 and 394 million by 2050.
In 2001 immigration was just over a million
people of whom the largest group was 206000
from Mexico.

3. In the US about 80% of the population live in
cities. The largest are New York with about 8
million people, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The states with the largest populations are
California with 35 million people, Texas with
more than 21 million and New York with 19
million.
Some large states have very few people:
Wyoming has the fewest, 498000, or about 5
people for every square mile.

4. Holidays & Vacations in the USA
Holiday in American English means a day
that is special for some reason.
Most people do not go to work on an
important holiday, but may do so on a minor
one. Few people have to work on federal
holidays such as New Year’s Day or
Independence Day, though they may celebrate
St Valentine’s Day or Groundhog Day but still
go to work or school.

5. Apart from the main federal holidays each
state decides its own holidays. The period from
Thanksgiving to the end of the year when there
are several important holidays is called the
holiday season or simply the holidays.
In British English, special days like New
Year’s Day are called bank holidays or public
holidays.
Americans have less paid vacation,
typically two weeks. People with important
jobs or who have worked in their company for
many years may have longer vacations.

6. People with low-paid jobs in shops, fast
food restaurants, etc., often have no paid
vacation at all.
The typical family vacation in the US
involves driving to a destination within the
country.
Some people visit relatives or go
sightseeing in cities like Washington, DC, or
New York.

7. The national parks, like Yellowstone
National Park or the Grand Canyon, are also
popular, and people sometimes rent a cabin in
the country. Families often go to amusement
parks like Disney World in Florida.
People who do not drive usually fly to a
place as air fares are relatively cheap. Package
tours are not very common and most
Americans arrange their transport and
accommodation separately.

8. Many Americans have not been on
vacation outside North America. However,
Europe has always been a popular destination
for people wanting to travel further, and trips to
South America and the Far east are
increasingly common, especially with younger
travelers.
Cruises to the Caribbean or Alaska have
also become very popular.

9. Festivals in the US
Many branches of the arts hold festivals each
year in towns and cities throughout Britain and the
US. Some of the largest festivals last several
weeks and include music, drama, art and literature.
People travel a long way to hear the top
international performers that such festivals attract.
Smaller festivals concentrate on one art form,
such as poetry. Because the US is so large, most of
its festivals are local, although a few famous ones,
such as the Monterey Jazz festival in California,
attract people from around the world.

10. Americans most like summer festivals where
they can enjoy art, music and food outdoors.
Many festivals try to obtain sponsorship
money from local businesses to help cover the
costs. In the US events are relatively cheap so
the entire family can spend the day out.
In the US the Carmel Performing Arts
Festival in California offers a range of music,
dance, theatre, stories and poetry.
Classical music is less popular in the US, but
several festivals offer a mixture of concerts and
classes, e.g. the Aspen Music Festival.

11. There are huge numbers of festivals every
year across the US for different types of music.
These include Rock Fests, for example the
one held near Cadott, Wisconsin and the
Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival
which celebrates the music (and Cajun food) of
Black French and Creole peoples.
The Beale Street Music Festival in
Memphis and the W C Handy Blues and
Barbecue Festival in Henderson, Kentucky,
celebrate the blues.

12. Film festivals are especially popular in US.
The best-known is the Sundance Film Festival
in Utah.
The Hollywood Film Festival attracts big
stars, but America’s mix of people from
different races and cultures has led to many
smaller events such as the Boston Jewish Film
Festival and the Los Angeles Asian-Pacific
Film Festival.
Fewer people generally attend literature
festivals, but in the US the annual Tennessee
Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival has
become a major event.

13. It includes performances of Williams’s
plays and a walking tour of ‘Williams’s New
Orleans’.
The Dodge Poetry Festival is held every
two years in New Jersey.
In the US the most common festivals are
arts, or arts and crafts, festivals.
For example, the Utah Arts festival mixes
art with music, theatre and cooking.

14. Festivals old and new
In Britain, Canada and the USA, in each of
the four seasons, people enjoy different
festivals and celebrations.
Thousands of years ago the people of
Britain were pagans.
In their religions, the sun, the moon, the
winds, rain, animals and trees were all
important, and they had festivals for them
When Christianity came to Britain, the people
wanted to keep some of their old festivals, as
Christian festivals.

15. Halloween, Christmas, Saint Valentine’s Day
an Easter are all examples of this. Today many
people celebrate these festivals, and also many
other festivals which did start in the church.
Food, family and flowers are an important
part of most celebrations. Most people have a big
family dinner at Christmas; Canadians and
Americans get together at Thanksgiving too.
A lot of people give chocolate and other
sweets as presents at Christmas, Valentine’s Day
and Mother’s Day, and flower shops sell a lot of
flowers on these days.

16. People today often live far away from their
families, so they send greetings cards at special
times like Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter.
The cards say things like: “Thinking of you
across the miles”. Post offices and telephones
are very busy too.
Times change and festivals change too.
But people have celebrated many of these
festivals for hundreds of years – and will still
enjoy them in many years’ time.

17. Valentine’s Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known
as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint
Valentine, is observed on February 14 each
year.
Today Valentine's Day is celebrated in
many countries around the world.
St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical
celebration of one or more early Christian
saints named Valentinus.

18. The most popular martyrology associated
with Saint Valentine was that he was
imprisoned for performing weddings for
soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for
ministering to Christians, who were persecuted
under the Roman Empire; during his
imprisonment, he is said to have healed the
daughter of his jailer Asterius.
Legend states that before his execution he
wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to
her.

19. Valentine's Day symbols that are used
today include the heart-shaped outline, doves,
and the figure of the winged Cupid.
Since the 19th century, handwritten
valentines have given way to mass-produced
greeting cards.

20. The Legend of Saint Valentine
The story of Valentine's Day begins in the
third century with an oppressive Roman
emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The
emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The
Christian was Valentinus.

21. Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship
state religion's idols, and he had made it a crime
punishable by death to associate with Christians.
But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of
Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep
him from practicing his beliefs.
During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a
remarkable thing happened.
One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome
knocked at Valentinus's door clutching his blind
daughter in his arms.

22. He had learned of Valentinus's medical and
spiritual healing abilities, and appealed to
Valentinus to treat his daughter's blindness. She
had been blind since birth.
Valentinus knew that her condition would
be difficult to treat but he gave the man his
word he would do his best.
The little girl was examined, given an
ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits
were scheduled.

23. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the
jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might
also be brought to Valentinus for lessons.
Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick
mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history
to her. He described the world of nature to her.
He taught her arithmetic and told her about
GOD. She saw the world through his eyes,
trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his
quiet strength.

24. "Valentinus, does GOD really hear our
prayers?" Julia said one day. "Yes, my child,
He hears each one, "he replied.
"Do you know what I pray for every
morning and every night? I pray that I might
see. I want so much to see everything you've
told me about!"
"GOD does what is best for us if we will
believe in HIM," Valentinus said.
"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe," Julia said
intensely. "I do." She knelt and grasped his
hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.

25. Several weeks passed and the girl's sight
was not restored. Yet the man and his daughter
never wavered in their faith and returned each
week.
Then one day, Valentinus received a visit
from Roman soldiers who arrested him,
destroyed his medicines and admonished him
for his religious beliefs.
When the little girl's father learned of his
arrest and imprisonment, he wanted to
intervene but there was nothing he could do.

26. On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a
last note to Julia - knowing his execution was
imminent.
Valentinus asked the jailer for a paper, pen
and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and
handed it to the jailer to give to his blind
daughter.
He urged her to stay close to GOD, and he
signed it "From Your Valentine."
His sentence was carried out the next day,
February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was
later named Porta Valentini in his memory.

27. When the jailer went home, he was greeted
by his little girl. The little girl opened the note
and discovered a yellow crocus inside.
The message said, "From your Valentine."
As the little girl looked down upon the crocus
that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant
colors for the first time in her life!
The girl's eyesight was restored! A miracle!
Happy Valentine's Day!