U.S. federal holidays are mandated by Congress in Title 5 (Section 6103) of the United State Code. In 2009, there are eleven federal holidays in all.
The United States Code specifies the following official government holidays in 2009:
New Year’s Day - January 1st: New Year's Day falls on Thursday in 2009.
Martin Luther King’s Birthday - January 19th: MLK Day falls on the third Monday in January.
Inauguration Day - January 20th: Since 1965, this holiday is observed every four years following the general election in November of the preceding year. If Inauguration Day falls on a weekend, the next week day is the day of observance.
Presidents' Day (Washington’s Birthday - observed) - February 16th: This falls on the third Monday in February.
Memorial Day - May 25th This is the last Monday in May.
Independence Day - July 4th: The Fourth of July is always on the same date every year.
Labor Day - September 7th: This is the first Monday in September.
Columbus Day - October 12th: This falls on the second Monday in October.
Veterans Day - November 11th
Thanksgiving Day - November 26th: This falls on the fourth Thursday in November.
Christmas Day - December 25th: The only religious holiday recognized by Congress, Christmas Day, always falls on December 25th.
Private Companies in the US may not give all 11 Federal Holidays off as paid holidays, instead they might offer such things as giving two days off for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. They also may ask the employee to choose between Columbus Day and MLK Day.
If a Federal Holiday falls on a weekend, then that holiday will fall to either Friday or Monday.