Americans Commemorating Presidents Day to Honor all US Presidents

WASHINGTON — 

Presidents Day, the third Monday of February, is popularly recognized as honoring the birth month of two of the country’s most prominent presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Washington and Lincoln, who led America through some of the toughest times, have long been deeply admired by many people. Monday’s holiday is now a celebration of the birthdays and lives of all U.S. presidents.

Presidents Day is usually marked by public ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and throughout the country. While many government offices will be closed, many businesses offer special holiday sales.

History

The origin of Presidents Day lies in the 1880s, when the birthday of Washington — the first president of the United States and commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution — was first celebrated as a federal holiday.

FILE – George Washington’s residence is illuminated as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend a dinner with members of the National Governors Association in Mount Vernon, Va., Jan. 30, 2022.

At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history. Many events such as the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved several federal holidays to Mondays. The change was intended to schedule certain holidays so that employees would have long weekends throughout the year, but it has been opposed by those who believe that those holidays should be celebrated on the dates they commemorate.

FILE – The U.S. Capitol is seen through a display of flags on the National Mall, one day after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, on Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington.

During debate on the bill, it was suggested that the Washington’s Birthday holiday be renamed Presidents Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington (February 22) and Lincoln (February 12). Although Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change.

After the bill went into effect in 1971, however, Presidents Day became the commonly acknowledged name, due in part to retailers’ use of that name to promote sales and the holiday’s proximity to Lincoln’s birthday.

US, Taiwanese Vice Presidents Speak at Rare Encounter in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS — 

The U.S. and Taiwanese vice presidents had a brief conversation Thursday at the inauguration of the new Honduran president, a rare encounter that is highly symbolic and likely to add to Beijing’s tensions with Washington.

The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, though its strong support for the island both politically and through arms sales is one of the main sources of Sino-U.S. friction.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said she spoke with her Taiwanese counterpart, William Lai, in Honduras about their shared interest in Central America and the U.S. government’s “root causes” strategy to curb migration.

“The brief conversation that we had was really about a common interest in this part of the region and apparently Taiwan’s interest in our root causes strategy,” she told reporters, adding Lai had approached her.

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency characterized it as a “simple greeting,” saying the two “talked briefly and interacted naturally.”

It carried a picture of them standing next to each other on a stage talking, both wearing face masks, and Lai sporting a lapel pin of entwined Taiwanese and Honduran flags.

Honduras is one of only 14 countries still to formally recognize Taiwan.

Honduras’ new president, Xiomara Castro, floated the idea of ditching Taipei for Beijing in her election campaign, though on Wednesday she told Lai that Honduras is grateful for Taiwan’s support and hopes to maintain their relationship.

Castro and Lai met again Thursday, with Lai handing over a donation of supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I appreciate the solidarity, as well as the willingness to support us in our development agenda,” she wrote in a tweet.

Speaking after her meeting with Castro, Harris said they did not discuss China.

China has ramped up pressure to reduce Taiwan’s international footprint, saying the democratically governed island is Chinese territory with no right to state-to-state ties.

In the runup to the November election, a visiting U.S. delegation to Honduras made clear it wanted the Central American country to maintain its Taiwan relations.

The United States has worried about growing Chinese influence in its back yard.

China last month reestablished relations with Nicaragua, a neighbor of Honduras, and has openly said it is aiming to reduce the number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to zero.