November Business Holidays

The month of November contains two US federal holidays. The first holiday is Veterans Day, which honors people who have served in the US Armed Forces. Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 because World War I officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It was originally called Armistice Day, which Congress made a legal holiday in 1938. Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 in order to include all veterans in the celebration. Veterans Day should not be confused with Memorial Day, which honors the people who died while serving.

The second major holiday in November is Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It became an official federal holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." The date was fixed as the fourth Thursday of the month by Congress in 1941. Many businesses and schools are also closed the day after Thanksgiving, but it's not a federal holiday.

If you'd like to know the dates of the remaining 2014 business holidays, visit our Business Holiday Calendar.