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Information about Holiday

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". 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".

Public holidays

A public holiday 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.

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:

Bahá'í holidays

Main article: Bahá'í calendar

Buddhist holidays

Celtic, Norse, and Neopagan holidays

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:

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 in the winter holiday season

Further information: List of winter festivals
  • 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) — 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 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.
  • 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.

Winter holiday greetings

Further information: Winter holiday greetings

National holidays

Further information: national holiday and list of holidays by country

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.

Other secular holidays

Other secular holidays not observed internationally:

Unofficial holidays

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.

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 and other , and those of one faith often honor holidays of other faiths.

See also

Wikibooks has an article on

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

In traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. This often is a result of a common sequence of words, or, as in French, to maintain a flowing sound.
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Holiness, or sanctity, is the state of being holy or sacred, that is, set apart for the worship or service of God or gods. It is often ascribed to people, objects, times, or places.
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day (symbol: d) is a unit of time equivalent to 24 hours. It is not an SI unit but it is accepted for use with SI.[1] The SI unit of time is the second. The term comes from the Old English dæg.

Definitions

The day has several definitions.
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A religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on reoccurring cycles in a calendar year or lunar calendar.
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The weekend is a part of the week lasting one or two days in which most paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and/or for religious activities.
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Travel is the transport of people on a trip/journey or the process or time involved in a person or object moving from one location to another. Reasons for travel include:
  • Tourism—travel for recreation.

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Recreation or fun is the use of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind. While leisure is more likely a form of entertainment or rest, recreation is active for the participant but in a refreshing and diverting manner.
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Anthem
L-Innu Malti
("The Maltese Anthem")

Location of  

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Vacation is a term used in English-speaking North America to describe a lengthy time away from work or school, a trip abroad, or simply a pleasure trip away from home, such as a trip to the beach that lasts several days or longer.
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A nation is a form of cultural or social community. Nationhood is an ethical and philosophical doctrine and is the starting point for the ideology of nationalism. Members of a "nation" share a common identity, and usually a common origin, in the sense of ancestry, parentage or
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Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate,") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significant importance.
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This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.

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Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday in September. The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create a day off for the "working man".
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A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. It usually includes the set of institutions that claim the authority to make the rules that govern the people of the society in that territory, though its status as a state often depends in part on
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religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people, often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience.
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Secularity (adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from religion.[1] For instance, eating and bathing may be regarded as examples of secular activities, because there is nothing inherently religious about them.
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Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, politics is observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious
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History is the study of the past, focused on human activity and leading up to the present day.[1] More precisely, history is the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race [1]
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Civic Holiday is the name given to the public holiday declared by the provincial government in Ontario.

The holiday may be known by a variety of names in different municipalities, including Simcoe Day in Toronto and Colonel By Day in Ottawa.
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In the United States, a federal holiday is a holiday recognized by the United States Government. Non-essential federal government offices are closed. All federal employees are paid for the holiday; those who are required to work on the holiday receive wages for that day in addition
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A state holiday in the United States is one that is celebrated only within a U.S. state, and recognized by the state government, rather than celebrated nationally, and recognized by the U.S. federal government.
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This article contains Chinese text.
Without proper , you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.


Chinese New Year (Simplified Chinese:
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May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day. These holidays include several pagan celebrations, celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic tradition, and International Workers' Day, which is a public holiday in some countries.
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The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a country. Often the National Day will be a national holiday.

The National Day is often taken as the date on which a state or territory achieved independence.
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Anthem
March of the Volunteers (义勇军进行曲)
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Golden Week may refer to:
  • Golden Week (Japan), several Japanese holidays that occur during the first week of May
  • Golden Week (China), three weeks of Chinese holidays, occurring in January or February, May, and October

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Motto
"Libertad y Orden"   (Spanish)
"Liberty and Order"
Anthem
Oh, Gloria Inmarcesible!
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Motto
none1
Anthem
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego   (Polish)
Dąbrowski's Mazurek
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May 1 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor.

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