- For films with the same title, see Holiday film (disambiguation). For songs with the same title, see Holiday song (disambiguation).
The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. Based on the words holy and day -, holidays originally represented special religious days. The word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day.
In most of the English-speaking world a holiday is also 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 being "vacation". However, some Canadians (especially those of English or Irish decent) will use both the terms vacation and holiday interchangeably when referring to a trip away from home or time off work.
In Canada and the United States, a Holiday is 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) observation or activity. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day.
Public holidays
A public holiday or legal 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 character. "Public Holiday" is the term used in Australia and "Bank Holiday" in the UK — although some industries in the UK work through Bank Holidays — while "Legal holiday" is the term used within the United States of America.
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:
- Began at 2000, in the People's Republic of China, Spring Festival, Labor Day and National Day are week-long holidays.
- In Japan, golden-week, lasting roughly a full week.
- In Poland during holidays on the 1st 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.
- In Australia and England, 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, Veterans Day, and Washington's Birthday from fixed dates to certain Mondays in 1968 (effective 1971). Several states had passed similar laws earlier.
Religious 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 Catholic fiestas patronales are celebrated in each place's patron saint's day, according to the Calendar of saints.
- Main article: Jewish holiday
- Main article: Bahá'í calendar
- Naw Ruz (Bahá'í New Year)
- 1st Day of Ridván
- 9th Day of Ridvan
- 12th Day of Ridvan
- Declaration of the Báb
- Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
- Martyrdom of the Báb
- Birth of the Báb
- Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
The Northern Hemisphere winter holiday season
In many Western countries, the winter holiday season is a period of time surrounding Christmas. Except in North America, the phrases "holiday season" and "holiday period" usually mean the summer months when most people take their annual holiday ("vacation" in North American English), and phrases such as the "festive period" are used to describe the period around Christmas and New Year. Usually, this festive period begins near the end of November and ends with New Year's Day on January 1, reflecting traditional pagan celebrations of the period around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. 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".
- 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. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular gift-giving holiday; other observances include the decoration of trees and houses.
- Boxing Day (26 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. In many European countries it is also a holiday, called St Stephen's Day or the second day of Christmas.
Winter holiday greetings
With the winter holidays, come various different greetings appropriate for each holiday or the entire season. They are:
- Merry Christmas (sometimes referenced in Spanish or French as Feliz Navidad and Joyeux Noel)
- Happy Hanukkah
- Season's Greetings
- Happy Holiday(s)
- Joyous Yule
- Happy Kwanzaa
- Happy New Year
- Happy Solstice
- Happy Thanksgiving
- Happy Winter
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
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.
- 24-hour Comics Day (24 April)
- Ask a Stupid Question Day (28 September)
- Blame Someone Else Day (first Friday the 13th of the year)
- Bloomsday (16 June based on James Joyce's novel Ulysses)
- Break up Day (13 February)
- Buy Nothing Day (The Day After Thanksgiving)
- Evoloterra (20 July celebrates the first manned Moon Landing)
- Festivus (23 December)
- Flying Spaghetti Monsterism Holy Day (every Friday)
- 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)
- Mole Day (23 October)
- No Pants Day (first Friday of May)
- Pi Approximation Day (22 July)
- Pi Day (14 March)
- Steak and Blowjob Day(14 March)
- Tax Freedom Day (calculated by dividing the tally of all taxes collected in each year by a tally of all income, and applying it to the calendar)
- Towel Day (25 May) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams)
- Wintereenmas (25 January through 31 January)
- X-Day (5 July in the Church of the SubGenius)
Vanishing holidays
Some holidays that were once widely celebrated are less so today, for various reasons. One example of this fact is revealed by the assumption inherent in this bit of dialogue from the 1961 musical-comedy album, Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America, Volume One. Christopher Columbus, who has arrived in the New World just moments earlier, tells a Native American that he wants to cash a check...
- Native: "You out of luck today. Banks closed."
- Columbus: "Oh? Why?"
- Native: "Columbus Day!"
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 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 the "empty set", many non-believers honor various holidays and "holy" days, and those of one faith often honor holidays of other faiths.
See also
External links
