SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — You have heard the name of this holiday before — but what exactly is Juneteenth, and what does it celebrate?

In short, Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the last enslaved people in the United States learning of their freedom after the Civil War. The holiday, which occurs every year on June 19, only became a federal holiday in 2021 — but its roots date back to the 1860s.

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The name “Juneteenth” combines the words “June” and “nineteenth,” but other names for the holiday include Juneteenth Independence Day, as well as Freedom Day, the Associated Press said.

The freedom of enslaved people in the South was ordered in 1863, after then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. However, some places were unable to enforce the proclamation until after the Civil War ended, according to the AP.

On June 19, 1865 — more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant — Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger went to Galveston, Texas, with his troops to announce that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were free, according to the AP.

Juneteenth is the “oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States,” according to the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. The first anniversary of Juneteenth was in 1866, and several commemorations took place that year, according to the NJOF.

“The celebration not only commemorates African American freedom throughout America, but Juneteenth also emphasizes education and achievement internationally,” the NJOF said.

The NJOF had been pushing for national recognition of Juneteenth for nearly 25 years, and said it “directly contributed” to the passing of legislation to recognize the holiday in 43 states by 2019. In 2021, a bill with 60 co-sponsors was unanimously passed, officially naming Juneteenth a federal holiday, according to the AP.

There are several celebrations of the holiday in Utah, including the Utah Juneteenth Festival in Ogden and the Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration at Millcreek Common. Because of the holiday, the United States Postal Service will not offer regular mail delivery on June 19, and USPS retail locations will be closed until the next day, June 20.

The Associated Press has contributed to this story.

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