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Presidents' Day: Is It Just an American Holiday?

If you live in the U.S., you likely observed Presidents' Day earlier this week. Presidents' Day is acknowledged on the third Monday in February, and people around the United States honor it in different ways. According to History.com, Presidents' Day originated in 1885 to recognize the birthday of America's first president, George Washington. Today, it exists to celebrate all the U.S. presidents, and is acknowledged in every U.S. state and territory (American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). 

But what about everywhere else in the world? Of course they may not celebrate American presidents, but countries all over the planet have days to celebrate their own presidents, royalty, and government leaders. Let's look at three other holidays created to recognize significant figures in leadership. 

• Royal Jubilees:  Royal Jubilees are celebrated by the UK and the Commonwealth to recognize their current royalty's achievements and lengths of service. These usually last a few days and are complete with parades, beacon lighting, parties, and other exciting attractions. The most recent jubilee was observed in February of 2022 to honor the late Queen Elizabeth's 70th year as a monarch! 
• The Abu Simbel Sun Festival: On February 22nd and October 22nd of each year, Egypt celebrates the Abu Simbel Sun Festival at the Abu Simbel Temples. This festival commemorates several things: the date Pharoah Ramses II took the throne of Egypt (02/22–today!), his birthday (10/22), and the specific way light fills the holiest room in the temple on these dates. Egyptians and tourists alike gather in the early morning hours to watch the sun rise and fill the Abu Simbel Temples with light, illuminating three of the four prominent statues in the room–Ramses' included. After it is finished, they join to party, listen to live music, dance, and eat traditional Egyptian foods. Take a look at these  photos to better visualize the temple. 
• Chakri Memorial Day: Every April 6th, Thailand celebrates Chakri Memorial Day. This holiday recognizes King Rama's establishment of the Chakri Dynasty in 1782 and the accomplishments of the ten kings who have ruled since then. The current royal family participates in religious ceremonies and visits the Royal Patheon to pay respect to a statue of King Rama, while most of the country honors its rulers by taking time off work and school. 

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Pro Tips: Heading Formatting

This week, our pro tips are about heading formatting! Headings are great ways to emphasise your article topics, attract traffic, and help your pieces look organized and approachable. Below are some suggestions for how (and where) to use headings in your articles. 

• Use APA title case. You've heard this one before; all your titles and headings should be in APA capitalization style. This tool works well as a capitalization cheat sheet! 
• Place headings below photos. Occasionally, headings above images can make the content appear chunky and stacked. To avoid this, try following an Image, Caption, Heading, Text pattern, like in the article " Plato's Allegory of the Cave Explained." If you already have a heading under your image, consider moving your photo header to the "Caption" section instead! 
• Add buffer text. When articles are published, H2s and H3s appear as large, bolded text, so when you use an H3 directly under an H2, it can look dense and visually loud. Adding even a single line of text between H2s and H3s will separate the bolded text and make your article easier on the eyes! For an example, see this article on The Ten Best Ways to Build Better Back Muscles. 
• Avoid redundancy with videos. Headings over videos often repeat the video's title, which often is redundant and unnecessary. Removing the headings over your videos will likely help your article look cleaner. 

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Featured Articles of the Week

• 3 Myths of Homelessness by Catherine Tally
• The Strange Disappearance and Death of David Glenn Lewis by Michelle Short 
• Yoga Poses for Stress Relief by Angela Michelle Schultz
• Save Lives by Becoming an Organ Donor by Kristen Howe 

jauthor, From UK, 0 Fans, 8 Hubs, Joined 4 months ago

Fresh Face of HubPages: James Author

This week's fresh face of HubPages is James Author! James is a video game collector who loves to write about hidden gems and JRPGs. Check out their articles on The 5 Worst Final Fantasy Characters and Weird and Wacky Fighting Game Stances. 

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