Time – Holidays

For the time display in America often a 12-hour clock and not the 24-hour time is used.

00:00 – 11.59 hour is AM (ante meridiem)
12.00 – 23.59 hour is PM (post meridiem)
9.00 uur [nine hours] = 9.00 a.m. [nine a.m.]
14.00 uur [fourteen hours] = 2.00 p.m. [two p.m.]
When the 24 hour system is used, it looks like this:
9.00 uur [nine hours] = 9.00 hrs [nine hundred hours]
14.00 uur [fourteen hours] = 14.00 hrs. [fourteen hundred hours]

• Half before the hour will be expressed in the U.S. as half after the hour. So 09.30 hour [half ten] is “half nine” in the U.S. (in full “half past nine”) or “nine thirty”.

Time differences with the U.S.

The time difference with America depends on where you are. From East (New York) to West (San Francisco) there are four timezones:
EST – Eastern Standard Time
CST – Central Standard Time
MST – Mountain Standard Time
PST – Pacific Standard Time
* Alaska en Hawaii have their own timezone:
AKST – Alaska Standard Time
HAST – Hawaii Standard Time

Opening hours

Shops

Openings hours varies from store to store, typical hours are as follow:
Monday – Saturday from 9 a.m. till 10 p.m. Sundays from 12 a.m. till 17 p.m.
In many large malls shops are open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. Some supermarkets are open 7 x 24 hours but are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Banks

Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. and sometimes also on Saturday mornings.
On airports bank branches are often open longer.

Post offices

Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Saturday from 8 a.m. till 12 a.m.

Government institutions:

Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.

Holidays

Banks, Post offices, libraries and other public offices are closed on the National holidays. Shops and restaurants can also be closed or they have adapted opening hours.
January 1 – New Year’s Day
third Monday in January – Martin Luther King Day
third Monday in February – Presidents Day
last Monday in May – Memorial Day
July 4 – Independence Day
first Monday in September – Labor Day
second Monday in October – Columbus Day
November 11 – Veteran’s Day
fourth Thursday in November – Thanksgiving Day
December 25 – Christmas Day
The second Easter, Pentecost and Christmas day are not holidays in the U.S. It is a regular labor day and shops are open.

• Apart from the National holidays some states have their own local State-holidays.