When is Presidents' Day 2013?

When is Presidents' Day 2013? When is George Washington's birthday? Read on . . .

Both President's Day and George Washington's birthday are always celebrated on the third Monday of February.

The observed federal holiday is actually called George Washington's Birthday. Certain states, however, list the holiday as Presidents' Day. 

We say: Celebrate the presidents' birthdays with a cherry recipe! Here are our favorites from the Almanac recipe archives:

Cherry Cream Pie
Cherry Brownies
Mock Cherry Pie (with cranberries)
Cherry Mocha Mousse Pie
Cherry Thumbprints (with almonds)
Black Forest Cherry Torte

Presidents' Day Dates

George Washington's Birthday

Although George Washington's birthday is celebrated on February 22, it is observed as a federal holiday on the third Monday of February. To complicate matters, Washington was actually born on February 11 in 1731! How can that be? During Washington's lifetime, people in Great Britain and America switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar (something most of Europe had done in 1582). As a result of this calendar reform, people born before 1752 were told to add 11 days to their birth dates. Those born between January 1 and March 25, as Washington was, also had to add one year to be in sync with the new calendar. By the time Washington became president in 1789, he celebrated his birthday on February 22 and listed his year of birth as 1732. Upon entering office, Washington was not convinced that he was the right man for the job. He wrote, "My movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit, who is going to the place of his execution." Fortunately for the young country, he was wrong. You can read more about Washington at the official White House Web site.

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington, (1732-99)