FAMILY LIFE
-AMERICA-
Marriage and divorce
Marriage laws are established by individual states. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in New York, Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Washington D.C.. New Jersey, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada allow same-sex couples access to most state-level marriage benefits with civil unions or domestic partnerships; Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado offer some benefits to couples in domestic partnerships. The typical wedding involves a couple proclaiming their commitment to one another in front of their close relatives and friends, often presided over by a religious figure such as a minister, priest, or rabbi, depending upon the faith of the couple. In traditional Christian ceremonies, the bride's father will "give away" (hand off) the bride to the groom. Secular weddings are also common, often presided over by a judge, Justice of the Peace, or other municipal official.
Divorce is the province of state governments, so divorce law varies from state to state. Prior to the 1970s, divorcing spouses had to allege that the other spouse was guilty of a crime or sin like abandonment or adultery; when spouses simply could not get along, lawyers were forced to manufacture "uncontested" divorces. The no-fault divorce revolution began in 1969 in California; South Dakota was the last state to allow no-fault divorce, in 1985. No-fault divorce on the grounds of "irreconcilable differences" is now available in all states. However, many states have recently required separation periods prior to a formal divorce decree. State law provides for child support where children are involved, and sometimes for alimony. "Married adults now divorce two-and-a-half times as often as adults did 20 years ago and four times as often as they did 50 years ago... between 40% and 60% of new marriages will eventually end in divorce. The probability within... the first five years is 20%, and the probability of its ending within the first 10 years is 33%... Perhaps 25% of children ages 16 and under live with a stepparent.The median length for a marriage in the U.S. today is 11 years with 90% of all divorces being settled out of court.
Valentine's Day cards are exchanged between friends and lovers. In school students draw names to exchange gifts or just pass Valentines to classmates. Men usually present gifts of candy and flowers to their Sweethearts. Many couples today make a treat of Dark Chocolate and a fine Merlot Wine in the privacy of their Valentine's Day evening
It has become customary to fly The Flag on National Holidays, and many people now fly The Flag daily from their homes. This action demonstrates Patriotism and Loyalty to our Country and Honors the sacrifice of all who have made this Great Nation possible.
Christmas
For Christmas, names are drawn for the children to exchange gifts. Everybody congregates around Mom's tree and the Gift Marathon begins. Wrapping paper that has been hurriedly torn off gifts is balled up and tossed at each other as we open presents. Certain "traditional" foods are served at both occasions and recipes are passed from Mom to all of us.
It has become customary to give the gift of fresh Flowers to the opposite sex on almost any occasion. In times of illness and death, Flowers are given regardless of gender. The gift of Flowers to couples is customary for such occasions as Weddings, Anniversaries and Holidays. Many men buy Flowers for their favorite woman on a weekly basis to show their love and affection.
Drugs and Alcohol
A movement to ban alcoholic beverages, called the Temperance movement, emerged in the late 19th century. Several American Protestant religious groups, as well as women's groups such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union, supported the movement. In 1919, Prohibitionists succeeded in amending the Constitution to prohibit the sale of alcohol. Although the Prohibition period did result in lowering alcohol consumption overall, banning alcohol outright proved to be unworkable, as the previously legitimate distillery industry was replaced by criminal gangs which trafficked in alcohol. Prohibition was repealed in 1931. States and localities retained the right to remain "dry", and to this day, a handful still do.
Since 1980, the trend has been toward greater restrictions on alcohol and drug use. The focus this time, however, has been to criminalize behaviors associated with alcohol, rather than attempt to prohibit consumption outright. New York was the first state to enact tough drunk-driving laws in 1980; since then all other states have followed suit. A "Just Say No to Drugs" movement replaced the more libertine ethos of the 1960s. As a result, since the late half of the 1980s to about the year 2000, all states made the legal drinking age (to purchase alcoholic beverages) at 21.
| January 1 | New Year's Day |
| Third Monday in January | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| First January 20 following a Presidential election | |
| Third Monday in February | |
| Last Monday in May | |
| July 4 | |
| First Monday in September | Labor Day |
| Second Monday in October | |
| November 11 | |
| Fourth Thursday in November | |
| December 25 | Christmas |
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