Juneteenth - did we really need another holiday? As ancient Rome marched towards decline its calendar became cluttered with holidays.
“By AD 165, the number of festival days, imperial birthdays and other labor-optional days reached 135. … In time, the runaway holiday calendar rose to 177 days of leisure.” (Los Angeles Times)
“Emperors, in the later stages of the Empire, used both free bread (and other food) and free entertainment to placate the larger number of people who were otherwise poorly served by their government.” (Will Luden - “Bread and Circuses for the Masses – Not Just Ancient Rome”)
Last summer June 19 became a federal holiday. This year it will be celebrated on June 20 - and US banks and stock markets will be closed.