West Virginia Day

Flag of West Virginia

West Virginia Day is a state holiday celebrated every June 20 in the American state of West Virginia. The day celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the state as a result of the secession of several northwestern counties of Virginia during the American Civil War.^[1]

History

During the Civil War, the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond chose to join the Confederate States of America, much to the chagrin of most of the inhabitants in the trans-Allegheny region of the state who had long expressed their resentment toward the political elites in Richmond. Loyal unionists gradually pushed for the creation of a new state. After two years of legal maneuvering, West Virginia was formally admitted to the United States of America on June 20, 1863.

June 20 had been informally celebrated across West Virginia over the next six decades until the West Virginia Legislature gave the holiday formal recognition in 1927.^[2] The day has traditionally been celebrated with festivities at the state capitol complex in Charleston and at other locations across the state.

References

Public holidays in the United States
January	New Year's Day (federal) Martin Luther King Jr. Day (federal) Confederate Heroes Day (TX) Idaho Human Rights Day (ID) Lee–Jackson Day (formerly Lee–Jackson–King Day) (VA) Robert E. Lee Day (FL, GA) Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36) Kansas Day (KS) The Eighth (LA, former federal)
January–February	Super Bowl Sunday
February Black History Month American Heart Month	Washington's Birthday (federal, aka "Presidents' Day") Valentine's Day Mardi Gras Georgia Day (GA) Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NJ, NY, WV) Primary Election Day (WI) Ronald Reagan Day (CA) Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO) Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal) National Freedom Day (36) Ash Wednesday (religious) Courir de Mardi Gras (religious) Groundhog Day
March Women's History Month	St. Patrick's Day (religious) Spring break (week) Harvey Milk Day (CA) Harriet Tubman Day (NY) Casimir Pulaski Day (IL) Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal) Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA) Holi (NY, religious) Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA) Maryland Day (MD) Passover (religious, sometimes in April) Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day (HI) Seward's Day (AK) Texas Independence Day (TX) Town Meeting Day (VT) Ash Wednesday (religious) Courir de Mardi Gras (religious) Easter Monday (religious) Palm Sunday (religious, week, sometimes in April) St. Joseph's Day (religious) National Poison Prevention Week (week) Super Tuesday
March–April	Easter (religious) Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, religious)
April Confederate History Month	April Fools' Day Arbor Day Confederate Memorial Day (AL, FL, MS, SC) Emancipation Day (DC) Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (AL) Pascua Florida (FL) Patriots' Day (MA, ME) San Jacinto Day (TX) Mahavir Jayanti (religious) 420 Day Earth Day Walpurgis Night (religious) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (week)
May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month	Memorial Day (federal) Mother's Day (36) Cinco de Mayo Harvey Milk Day (CA) Truman Day (MO) Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal) Law Day (36) Loyalty Day (36) National Day of Prayer (36) National Defense Transportation Day (36) National Maritime Day (36) Peace Officers Memorial Day (36) Military Spouse Day May Day
June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month	Father's Day (36) Flag Day (36, proposed federal) Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA) Emancipation Day In Texas / Juneteenth (TX) Helen Keller Day (PA) Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL) Kamehameha Day (HI) West Virginia Day (WV) Honor America Days (week) Senior Week (week) Carolina Day (SC) Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA)
July	Independence Day (federal) Pioneer Day (UT) Parents' Day (36) Honor America Days (week)
July–August	Summer vacation
August	Bennington Battle Day (VT) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX) Service Reduction Day (MD) Victory over Japan Day (RI, former federal) National Aviation Day (36) Women's Equality Day (36) American Family Day (AZ)
September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month	Labor Day (federal) Native American Day (CA, proposed federal) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36) Constitution Day (36) Defenders Day (MD) Gold Star Mother's Day (36) National Grandparents Day (36) Patriot Day (36) Constitution Week (week) National Payroll Week (week)
September–October Hispanic Heritage Month	Oktoberfest Rosh Hashanah (religious) Yom Kippur (religious)
October Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month	Columbus Day (federal) Halloween Alaska Day (AK) Diwali (religious) Indigenous Peoples' Day (VT) Missouri Day (MO) Native American Day (SD) Nevada Day (NV) Child Health Day (36) Leif Erikson Day (36) White Cane Safety Day (36) International Day of Non-Violence German-American Day General Pulaski Memorial Day Sweetest Day National School Lunch Week
October–November	Diwali (religious)
November Native American Indian Heritage Month	Veterans Day (federal) Thanksgiving (federal) Day after Thanksgiving (23) Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, WV, proposed federal) Family Day (NV) Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA) Obama Day (Perry County, AL) Hanukkah (religious)
December	Christmas (religious, federal) Kwanzaa (religious, week) Christmas Eve (KY, NC) Day after Christmas (SC) New Year's Eve Hanukkah (religious, week) Alabama Day (AL) Indiana Day (IN) Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36) Pan American Aviation Day (36) Wright Brothers Day (36) Festivus
Varies (year round)	Eid al-Adha (religious) Ramadan (religious, month) Eid al-Fitr (religious)
Legend: (federal) = federal holidays, (state) = state holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (week) = weeklong holidays, (month) = monthlong holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Bolded text indicates major holidays that are commonly celebrated by Americans, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, public holidays in the United States, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, New Jersey and New York.