Juneteenth

Culture of origin: National · National holiday

Holiday sources: United States (federal)

The name joins "June" and "nineteenth": on June 19, 1865, at the end of the Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas. Celebrations began in Texas in 1866 and spread across the country with the Great Migration. They include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, cookouts, rodeos and red foods such as red velvet cake, standing for resilience and joy.