Growing up I just assumed the whole planet celebrated Mardi Gras as a major holiday and got the day/week off of school/work.
You guys have regional holidays like that, that others don't really observe?
Second year with no parades in town. 2021 due to pandemic. 2022 due to recovery from Hurricane Ida.
New Orleans still has lots of parades tomorrow but I don't feel like going. Will enjoy a day off from work for sure though.
Last night I was wondering if you'd be mentioning Mardi Gras.
Massachusetts has Patriot's Day, which is the day they run the Boston Marathon in mid-April (and occasionally get blown-up). Schools in Mass are closed, many big businesses are closed, and it's a state holiday. Early in the morning, they re-enact the battle of Lexington and Concord. There's always big crowds that come to watch that.
Pre-merger (our first merger in the late 90's), we had that day off every year. It also coincided with school vacation week. Now, there are a bunch of holidays we don't get off, so that we can have the end of the year off.
There's also Bunker Hill Day, which marks the Battle at Bunker Hill. Our community band plays in the parade, just north of Boston. But very few places close for that, except Charlestown schools.
And lets not forget Evacuation Day (no joke), which happens to be on the same day as St. Patrick's Day, March 17. It's an official holiday in Boston (Suffolk County). It's supposed to mark the British evacuation or something, but it's clearly an excuse to clear the way for Irish drinking.
And finally, there's St. Anthony's Feast in Boston's North End, at the end of August. Big Italian festival.