List of South Carolina State Symbols - List of State Holidays and Observances

List of State Holidays and Observances

Holidays for South Carolina (when state government offices are closed) include

• the first day of January--New Year's Day,
• the third Monday of January--Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• the third Monday in February--George Washington's birthday/President's Day,
• the tenth day of May--Confederate Memorial Day,
• the last Monday of May—National Memorial Day,
• the fourth day of July--Independence Day,
• the first Monday in September--Labor Day,
• the eleventh day of November--Veterans Day,
• National Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and
• the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth days of December.

South Carolina observes numerous special days and weeks throughout the year.

• The month of February is American History Month, created for appropriate observances of American history.
• Purple Heart Day is the third Saturday in February to honor the Purple Heart medal and the men and women awarded it.
• March 18, John C. Calhoun's birthday is South Carolina Day when the history, resources and possibilities of the state are to be taught in schools.
• The last week in April in each year is designated as Golf Week. It commemorates the economic impact of the golf industry, the importance of the state's junior golfers and the importance of turfgrass research.
• May 1 is Loyalty Day.
• The first Friday in May is Vietnam Veterans Survivors' and Remembrance Day.
• The Friday preceding Mother's Day is designated Family Respect Day to "recognize the role the family unit plays in a healthy and productive society."
• The state observes the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
• The first week of June is South Carolina State Guard Week.
• June 28 is Carolina Day to remember the anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sullivan in 1776.
• Garden Week is the week beginning the first Sunday of June.
• The last week in August is Family Week. The "South Carolina Family of the Year" is awarded during this week.
• September 11 is a State Day of Remembrance for the victims of the tragic events of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and for the firefighters, law enforcement, National Guard, emergency service personnel, and 911 telecommunicators who risk their lives and contribute every day to ensure the safety of the state's citizens.
• The third Friday in September is "POW/MIA Recognition Day" in South Carolina observed to remember military personnel who were prisoners of war or declared missing in action.
• October 11 is set as General Pulaski's Memorial Day to commemorate the date of Casimir Pulaski's death and remember his service in South Carolina during the American Revolution.
• The second Sunday in October is designated as "Grandmother's Day"
• The fourth Friday in October is Frances Willard Day to educate children on the evils of intemperance.
• The week which includes November 11, Veterans Day, is designated as "Patriotism Week" to recognize contributions made by military veterans to American society, to honor the supreme sacrifices made in defending the freedoms and protections afforded by the United States Constitution, and to memorialize those who lost their lives in military service.
• The first Friday of December of each year is Arbor Day in this state, encouraged to be observed by the planting of trees on school property.
• December 15, the anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution, is "Bill of Rights Day" in South Carolina to recognize the meaning and importance of each of the ten constitutional amendments.