Acadian National Day
Acadians, also known as Cajuns, are eighteenth-century refugees of French extraction who were exiled to Louisiana from Canada's Acadia Province by the British during the French and Indian War. The term is now used more broadly to refer to South Louisiana residents of various ethnic backgrounds who have adopted Cajun speech, customs and food as their own.

African American Heritage Month
dedicated to the study of Black life and culture.

Asian-American Heritage Month
month-long celebration of the history and achievements of Asian-Americans.

Brotherhood/Sisterhood Week
promotes cooperation and justice among all religious, racial and thnic groups in U.S., sponsored by The National Conference for Community and Justice.

Canada Day
acknowledges the creation of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867; observed with formal celebrations across the country. It is recognized as the nation's principal national holiday.

Cinco de Mayo
celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican-Americans; commemorates the battle of Guadalupe in 1862 when a small Mexican army defeated a larger French force.

Citizenship Day
also known as Constitution Day. The rights and responsibilities of citizenship are stressed on this day marking the passage of the U.S. constitution in 1787.

Flag Day
commemorates the acceptance of the Stars and Stripes as the U.S. flag in 1777. In some states this is a legal holiday.

Juneteenth
commemorates the day in 1865 when most slaves learned they had been freed -- more than two years after Pesident Lincoln had declared them free.

National Hispanic-American Heritage Month
month-long celebration of the history and achievements of Hispanic-Americans; runs from September 15 to October 15.

National American Indian Heritage Month
designated in 1990, the observance, held during the traditional Indian harvest season, honors the distinct and important contributions to the nation and the world of the first Americans.

National Women's History Month
designated by U.S. Congress as a time to salute women's role in history, includes International Women's Day.

United Nations Day
marks the anniversary of the U.N. Charter ratified in 1945.

Light Our Candles gratefully acknowledges the National Conference for Community and Justice (http://www.nccj.org/nccj3.nsf/htmlmedia/organize.htm) for the origin of much of this information.

    Light Our Candles. (2000, July 31). Light Our Candles:
Kids Across the Globe - Civic Observances [WWW document]. Light Our Candles. 
Leavenworth, KS: Saint Mary College. Retrieved Month #, 2000 
from the World Wide Web: 
https://lightourcandles.tripod.com/kidscivic.html