I've always thought the U.S. should have an equivalent to Totensonntag, "a general celebration in memorial of the deceased." We have Memorial Day for deceased military personnel but not for our "ancestors" in general. According to Wiki this started in 1816 by decree from Fredrick William III and is considered a "silent day", where some social restrictions apply. Of course, should the U.S. declare such a holiday it would not be a "silent" day but more like an Irish wake and, like many other U.S. holidays, would result in considerable alcohol consumption and general partying. So, on second thought, maybe we Americans are not yet ready for such a day. As the old adage goes: "Europeans think 100 miles (160km) is a long distance while Americans think 100 years is a long time."