LOUISIANA

State of Louisiana

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Named in 1682 for France's King Louis XIV. NICKNAME: The Pelican State. CAPITAL: Baton Rouge. ENTERED UNION: 30 April 1812 (18th). SONGS: "Give Me Louisiana" and "You are My Sunshine." MOTTO: Union, Justice, and Confidence. COLORS: Gold, white, and blue. FLAG: On a blue field, a white pelican feeds her three young, symbolizing the state providing for its citizens; the state motto is inscribed on a white ribbon. OFFICIAL SEAL: A pelican, with its head turned to the left, sits in a nest with three young. Around the inner circle are inscribed "Union," "Justice," and under the nest, "Confidence." BIRD: Eastern brown pelican. CRUSTACEAN: Crawfish. DOG: Catahoula leopard. FLOWER: Magnolia. WILDFLOWER: Louisiana iris. TREE: Bald cypress. GEM: Agate. FOSSIL: Petrified palmwood. INSECT: Honeybee. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Battle of New Orleans Day, 8 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Robert E. Lee's Birthday, 19 January; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Good Friday, March or April; National Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis's Birthday, 3 June; Independence Day, 4 July; Huey Long's Birthday, 30 August, by proclamation of the governor; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; All Saints' Day, 1 November; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. Legal holidays in New Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and East Baton Rouge parishes also include Mardi Gras, February or March. TIME: 6 AM CST = noon GMT.