Fairhope, Alabama
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| August 14 city council. |
Without discussion Monday, the city council voted unanimously to make June 19 and Mardi Gras Day (Shrove Tuesday) official holidays for city employees -- and to make Christmas Eve a full holiday instead of a half-day.
Council president Robinson said this will bring the city into alignment with what other cities in the area offer their employees.
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday (not a state one yet) long-celebrated by African Americans marking the end of slavery; and Mardi Gras is a traditional Christian holiday for some denominations.
Mardi Gras, also called Shrove Tuesday, takes place annually on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday—the beginning of the Christian observance of Lent, which lasts about six weeks and ends just before Easter. This means that Mardi Gras is a moveable holiday that can take place in either February or March.