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:
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. Then, in 2007, the law was amended so that if any 2 public holidays occur both on a weekday and are separated by a day, then that intermediate day shall also be a public holiday, thus creating a 3-day long public holiday.
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.
Religious holidays
Celtic, Norse, and Neopagan holidays
''In the order of the
Wheel of the Year:''
Samhain (Celtic): 31 October-1 November, Celtic New Year, first day of winter
Winternights (Norse): 29 October-2 November, Norse New Year
Yule (Norse): 21 December-22 December, winter solstice, Celtic mid-winter
Imbolc (Celtic): 1 February-2 February, Celtic first day of spring
Ostara/Easter (Norse): 21 March-22 march, vernal equinox, Celtic mid-spring
Beltane (Celtic): 30 April-1 May, Celtic first day of summer
Litha (Norse): 21 June-22 June, summer solstice, Celtic mid-summer
Lughnasadh (Celtic): 1 August-2 August, Celtic first day of autumn
Mabon/Harvest End (Norse): 21 September-22 September, autumnal equinox, Celtic mid-fall
The American 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
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
National holidays
Unofficial holidays
''see also
:Category:Unofficial observances''
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)
Husband Appreciation Day (April 21))
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))
National Gorilla Day (31 January)
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)
Wife Appreciation Day (September 16))
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)
Thank Krishnesh Nayak Day (24 September)
Russian Reversal Day (7 July)
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.