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For other uses, see Holiday (disambiguation).

The word holiday 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". Canadians often 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 into other languages, the meanings of the word "holiday" are sometimes conflated with those of "observance" and "celebration".

Consecutive holidays

Consecutive holidays 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 Japanese 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:

Religious holidays

Further information: Category:Holy days

Bahá'í holidays

Main article: Bahá'í calendar

Buddhist holidays

Celtic, Norse, and Neopagan holidays

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:

See also: Swedish festivities

Christian holidays

See also: liturgical year

The Catholic patronal feast day or 'name day' are celebrated in each place's patron saint's day, according to the Calendar of saints.

Hindu holidays

Muslim holidays

Jewish holidays

Main article: Jewish holiday

The American winter holiday season

Main article: Winter holiday season

In the United States and periodically Canada, the winter holiday season 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 start 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.

Holidays traditionally considered part of the winter holiday season

Further information: List of winter festivals
  • Thanksgiving - (fourth Thursday in November in United States) — 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".
  • Black Friday - (Day after Thanksgiving in United States) — Day after Thanksgiving. It is generally viewed as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Stores generally give sales and discounts to attract customers.
  • 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) — Jewish 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 Eve - (24 December) — Day before Christmas. Observances usually include big feasts at night to celebrate the day to come.
  • 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 folktales.
  • 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.
  • St Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas (26 December) — Holiday observed in many European countries.
  • Boxing Day (26 December or 27 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
  • New Year's Eve - (31 December) — Night before New Year's Day. Usually observed with celebrations and festivities in anticipation of the new year.
  • New Year's Day - (1 January) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
  • 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.

Winter holiday greetings

Further information: Winter holiday greetings


National holidays

Further information: ]

International holidays (secular)

Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.

See also: International observance

Other secular holidays

Other secular holidays not observed internationally:

Unofficial holidays

See also: Category:Unofficial observances

These are holidays that are not traditionally marked on calendars. These holidays are 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.

No holidays?

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 a while, but I gave it up. No holidays!"

Although Youngman's jest suggests that the list of holidays for a non-believer would necessarily be the empty set, many non-believers honor various secular holidays and other holy days, and those of one faith often honor holidays of other faiths.

See also

References

Print

  • Susan E. Richardson (Jul 2001). Holidays & Holy Days: Origins, Customs, and Insights on Celebrations Through the Year. Vine Books. ISBN 0-8307-3442-2.
  • Lucille Recht Penner and Ib Ohlsson (September 1993). Celebration: The Story of American Holidays. MacMillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-770903-5.
  • Barbara Klebanow and Sara Fischer (2005). American Holidays: Exploring Traditions, Customs, and Backgrounds. Pro Lingua Associates. ISBN 0-86647-196-0.


External links

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