Holiday Date Finder

About the Holiday Date Finder

The Holiday Date Finder calculates the exact dates of moveable US holidays for any year. Unlike fixed-date holidays (July 4, Christmas), moveable holidays are defined by rules such as "the fourth Thursday of November" (Thanksgiving) or "the last Monday of May" (Memorial Day).

Calculating these dates by hand requires knowing the day of the week for the first of the month, then counting to the correct occurrence. This calculator uses the Zeller's congruence algorithm to determine the day of the week for any date, then applies each holiday's specific rule to find the exact date.

Covered holidays include: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It also computes Easter using a simplified algorithm for the Gregorian calendar.

When This Page Helps

Moveable holidays change dates every year, making planning difficult. It shows exact dates for all major US holidays in any year, using the official rules for each. No more guessing when Thanksgiving or Labor Day falls.

How to Use the Inputs

1. Enter any year.
2. View the exact dates of major US holidays for that year.
3. Moveable holidays show both the date and the rule used.
4. Use for vacation planning, payroll scheduling, and calendar creation.
5. Easter date is computed using the anonymous Gregorian Easter algorithm.

Example Calculation

Tips & Best Practices

• Thanksgiving is always the 4th Thursday of November (US) or 2nd Monday of October (Canada).
• Memorial Day is the last Monday of May; it can fall between May 25 and May 31.
• Labor Day is the first Monday of September; it can fall between September 1 and 7.
• Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25, determined by lunar cycles.
• Federal holiday "observed" dates shift weekends: Saturday holidays are observed Friday, Sunday holidays on Monday.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the 3rd Monday of January (Jan 15–21).

Moveable Holiday Rules

US moveable holidays follow specific "Nth weekday of month" rules: MLK Day = 3rd Monday of January, Presidents' Day = 3rd Monday of February, Memorial Day = last Monday of May, Labor Day = 1st Monday of September, Columbus Day = 2nd Monday of October, Thanksgiving = 4th Thursday of November.

The Easter Computation

Computing Easter's date is remarkably complex for a quantity that could range over just 35 possible dates. The algorithm involves computing the year's position in the 19-year Metonic cycle, the century correction, and the paschal full moon date. The result is purely arithmetic—no astronomical tables required.

Planning and Scheduling

Businesses use holiday dates for payroll processing, shipping cutoffs, and staffing. Knowing holiday dates years in advance enables better project scheduling, vacation planning, and budget forecasting. Some industries (retail, travel) center their entire annual calendar around holiday dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How is Thanksgiving calculated?

  US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. Find November 1's day of the week, then calculate the first Thursday. Add 21 days (3 weeks) to get the fourth Thursday. The date ranges from November 22 to November 28.

• How is Easter calculated?

  Easter dates are determined by the paschal full moon—the first full moon on or after March 21. Easter is the first Sunday after this full moon. The computation uses the anonymous Gregorian algorithm, a purely arithmetic method that doesn't require astronomical observation.

• What is the earliest and latest Easter can fall?

  Easter can fall as early as March 22 and as late as April 25 in the Gregorian calendar. The last March 22 Easter was in 1818; the next will be in 2285. The most common date is April 19.

• Are these dates for the US only?

  The fixed holidays like New Year's and Christmas are near-universal. The moveable dates (Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, etc.) use US rules. Other countries have different moveable holidays and different rules. Canadian Thanksgiving, for example, is the second Monday of October.

• What does "observed" mean for holidays?

  When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday, it is observed (day off) on Friday. When it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on Monday. This rule applies to fixed holidays like July 4, Veterans Day, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

• Why does Easter change every year?

  Easter is based on lunisolar calculations—specifically, the first Sunday after the paschal full moon following the vernal equinox. Because lunar months don't divide evenly into solar years, Easter shifts by several weeks from year to year.