The word has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. A Contraction of Holy and Day , holidays originally represented Special Religious Days . This word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day of rest (as opposed to regular days of rest such as the Weekend ).
In the English-speaking world a holiday can mean a period spent away from home or business in Travel or Recreation (e.g. "I'm going on holiday to Malta next week"), the North American equivalent is " Vacation ". Many Canadians will use the terms ''vacation'' and ''holiday'' interchangeably when referring to a trip away from home or time off work. In Australia the term can refer to a vacation or gazetted public holiday, but not to a day of commemoration such as Mothers' Day or Halloween.
In all of the English-speaking world, a holiday can be a day set aside by a Nation or Culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for Celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observance or activity. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day .
When translated from/to other languages, the meanings of the word "holiday" may be conflated with these of "observance" and "celebration".
A or '''legal holiday''' or '''bank holiday''' is a holiday endorsed by the State . Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant Religion in a country, or Secular , in which case they are usually Political or Historical in inspiration. "Public holiday" is the term used in, for example, Australia. "Bank holiday" is the term used in the UK because on these days the banks traditionally did not open for business, which originally prevented the transacting of other commercial business (although many banks, industries and shops in the UK now work on Bank Holidays). " Legal Holiday " is the predominant term used within the United States, although "bank holiday" is recognized by many people as referring to the same phenomenon. In the United States both Federal Holidays and State Holidays are observed.
are a string of holidays taken together without working days in between. They tend to be considered a good chance to take short trips. In late 1990s, the Japan ese government passed a law that increased the likelihood of consecutive holidays by moving holidays from fixed days to a relative position in a month, such as the second Monday. Well-known consecutive holidays include:
- Beginning in 2000, Spring Festival , Labor Day and National Day are week-long holidays in the People's Republic Of China .
- In Japan, '' Golden-week '', lasting roughly a full week.
- In Colombia , in the '' The Holy Week '' there are consecutive holidays Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Holy Friday) (variable dates in March or April)
- In Poland during holidays on the 1st May and 3rd May , when taking a few days of Leave can result in 9-day -long holidays; this is called The Picnic (or Majówka).
- In Ireland , St. Patrick's Day can occasionally occur in Holy Week , the week before Easter ; in this case the three holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Good Friday , and Easter Monday ) plus three days leave can result in a 10-day break. See Public Holidays In The Republic Of Ireland .
- In Australia , Canada , Poland and the UK , a public holiday otherwise falling on a Sunday will result in observance of the public holiday on the next available weekday (generally Monday). This arrangement results in a Long Weekend
- The U.S. Congress changed the observance of Memorial Day and Washington's Birthday from fixed dates to certain Mondays in 1968 (effective 1971). Several states had passed similar laws earlier.
- In The Netherlands , Queen's Day is celebrated on 30th April , Remembrance Of The Dead on the 4th May and Liberation Day every 5 years on the 5th May . When Queen's day falls on Friday and Liberation Day is celebrated, two days' break can result in a 10-day break.
See Also: Bahá'í calendar
''In the order of the Wheel Of The Year :''
- - 1 November , Celtic New Year , first day of Winter
- - 2 November , Norse New Year
- - 22 December , winter Solstice , Celtic Mid-winter
- - 2 February , Celtic first day of Spring
- - 22 March , Vernal Equinox , Celtic Mid-spring
- - 1 May , Celtic first day of Summer
- - 22 June , summer solstice, Celtic Mid-summer
- - 2 August , Celtic first day of Autumn
- - 22 September , Autumnal Equinox , Celtic Mid-fall
See Also: Swedish festivities
See Also: liturgical year
See Also: Jewish holiday
See Also: Winter holiday season
In the United States and periodically Canada , the is known as a period of time surrounding Christmas that was formed in order to Embrace All Cultural And Religious Celebration rather than only Christian celebrations. Usually, this period begins near the end of November and ends with New Year's Day on January 1 . The holiday season is usually commercially referred to with a broad interpretation, avoiding the reference of specific holidays like Hanukkah or Christmas . Traditional "holiday season" festivities are usually associated with Winter , including snowflakes and wintry songs. In some Christian countries, the end of the festive season is considered to be after the feast of Epiphany , although this has only symbolic value.
- Thanksgiving - ( Second Monday In October In Canada , Fourth Thursday In November In USA ) — Holiday generally observed as an expression of Gratitude , traditionally to God , for the Autumn Harvest . It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which Turkey is eaten. It is celebrated by many as a secular holiday, and in the USA marks the beginning of the "holiday season".
- Winter Solstice , Yule - (Winter Solstice , around 21 - 22 December in the Northern Hemisphere and 21 - 22 June in the Southern Hemisphere ) — The celebrations on the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year, are traditionally marked with anything that symbolizes or encourages life. Decorations of evergreens, bright objects and lights; singing songs, giving gifts, feasting and romantic events are often included. For Neopagans this is the celebration of the death and rebirth of the Sun and is one of the eight Sabbats on the Wheel Of The Year .
- Hanukkah - (26 Kislev - 2/3 Tevet - almost always in December) — Jew ish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practising Judaism , and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough (olive) oil for one day.
- Christmas Day - ( 25 December ) — Christian holiday commemorating the traditional birth-date of Jesus . Observances include gift-giving, the decoration of trees and houses, and Santa Claus Folktale s.
- Kwanzaa (USA) - ( 26 December - 1 January ) — A modern American invention held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. It was invented in 1966 by black activist and marxist Ron Karenga .
- Boxing Day ( 26 December or 27 December ) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
- St Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas ( 26 December ) — Holiday observed in many European countries.
- Eid Ul-Adha ( 31 December 2006 or 22 December 2007 ) — The Festival of Sacrifice — Commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Marks the end of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca each year. Its presence in the Winter Holidays is mostly coincidental, and will move out of the holiday season within a few years.
- New Year's Day - ( 1 January ) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar . Preceded by New Year's Eve on 31 December , which is celebrated with festivities in anticipation of New Year's Day .
- A secular name for these holidays is a winter holiday. iTunes classifies "Christmas Music" as "Holiday Music" which can cause confusion for the English speaking world outside of the US, for whom "Holidays" are the same as "Vacations" - Annual Holidays, Easter Holidays, School Holidays, Summer Holidays, Skiing Holidays, Public Holidays etc.
Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.
Other secular holidays not observed internationally:
''see also ''
These are holidays celebrated by various groups and individuals. Some are designed to promote a cause, others recognize historical events not recognized officially, and others are "funny" holidays, generally intended as humorous distractions and excuses to share laughs among friends.
- Bloomsday ( 16 June based on James Joyce 's novel '' Ulysses '')
- Buy Nothing Day (The Day After Thanksgiving)
- Devil's Night ( October 30 )
- Festivus ( 23 December )
- Friendship Day (first Sunday in August)
- GIS Day (The Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week in November)
- International Cannabis Day ( 20 April )
- International Dadaism Month ( 4 February , 1 April , 28 March , 15 July , 2 August , 7 August , 16 August , 26 August , 18 September , 22 September , 1 October , 17 October , 26 October )
- International Talk Like A Pirate Day ( 19 September )
- International Kitchen Garden Day (4th Sunday of August)
- Mischief Night ( 30 October ) Notorious night of vandalism the night before Halloween
- Mole Day ( 23 October )
- Monkey Day ( December 14 ))
- No Pants Day (first Friday of May)
- Pi Day ( 14 March ) or Pi Approximation Day ( 22 July )
- Tax Freedom Day
- Towel Day ( 25 May ) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams )
- Winter-een-mas (The season lasts all of January, however the actual holiday itself is 25 January - 31 January )
- X-Day ( 5 July in the Church of the SubGenius)
- Russian Reversal Day ( 7 July )
Referring to the original meaning of the term, Henny Youngman included this joke among his vast catalog of one-liners:
:"I was an Atheist for awhile, but I gave it up. No holidays!"
Although Youngman's jest suggests that the list of holidays for a non-believer would necessarily be , and those of one faith often honor holidays of other faiths.
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