Holiday names take capital letters
A holiday has a name, so the name takes a capital.
- Thanksgiving
- Halloween
- Juneteenth
- Hanukkah
- Ramadan
- Diwali
Each one points at a single holiday. That is the same test you have used all along.
Holiday names made of several words
Many holiday names are more than one word. Every word that belongs to the name takes a capital.
| Holiday | How many capitals |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | three |
| Independence Day | two |
| Mother’s Day | two |
| Labor Day | two |
Look at the word “Day” in those names. On its own it is an ordinary word. Inside a holiday name it is part of the name. So it takes a capital.
That is the same thing that happened with “Street” in Bell Street.
Small joining words stay small
A short joining word inside a longer name does not take a capital.
“Fourth of July”
The word “of” is doing a small job in the middle. It stays lowercase.
Holidays and the days they land on
“Thanksgiving is on a Thursday in November.”
Three capitals in one sentence. The holiday, the day, and the month are all names. Only “on” and “a” and “in” stay small.
A mistake to watch for
The word “holiday” is a label, not a name.
“My favorite Holiday is Halloween.” is wrong.
“My favorite holiday is Halloween.” is right.
Your turn
Write each one correctly.
- “thanksgiving”
- “new year’s day”
- “My favorite Holiday is in December.”
Check your answers
- “Thanksgiving”
- “New Year’s Day”
- “My favorite holiday is in December.”
Remember
- Holiday names take capital letters.
- Every word of the name counts, including Day.
- Small joining words like of stay lowercase.