The words holiday
or vacation
have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents, but usually refer to one of the following activities or events:
- Official or unofficial observances
of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities
- A general leave of absence
from a regular occupation for rest or recreation
- A specific trip
or journey for the purposes of recreation or tourism
People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacation or holidays are often used spent with friends or family.
A person may take a longer break from work, such as a sabbatical, gap year, or career break.
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Etymology
Holiday
Holiday
is a
contraction of
holy and
day.
Holiday
originally referred only to
special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest, as opposed to normal days off work or school.
Vacation
In the United Kingdom,
vacation
once specifically referred to the long summer break taken by the
law courts and, later, universities—a custom introduced by
William the Conqueror from
Normandy where it facilitated the grape harvest. The French term is similar to American English: "Les Vacances". In the past, many upper-class families moved to a summer home for part of the year, leaving their usual family home vacant.
Regional meanings
As a trip
Vacation
, in English-speaking North America, describes recreational travel, such as a short pleasure trip, or a journey abroad. Most of the rest of the English-speaking world says
holiday
, rather than
vacation
. Americans, especially those of recent British or European descent, may also say,
going on holiday
. People in
Commonwealth countries also use the phrase,
going on leave
.
Canadians often use
vacation
and
holiday
interchangeably referring to a trip away from home or time off work. In Australia, the term can refer to a vacation or a public holiday.
As an observance
In all of the English-speaking world, including North America,
holiday
may refer to a day set aside by a
nation or
culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) for commemoration,
celebration, or other observance. Schools, business, and workplaces often close for holidays.
Employment issues
Most countries around the world have
labor laws that mandate employers give a certain number of paid time-off days per year to workers. Nearly all Canadian provinces require at least two weeks, while in most of Europe the minimum is higher. US
[1] Where law does not mandate vacation time, many employers nonetheless offer paid vacation, typically 10 to 20 work days, to attract employees. Under US federal law, employers usually must compensate terminated employees for accrued but unused vacation time. Additionally, most American employers provide paid days off for national holidays, such as Christmas, New Years, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.
While US federal and most state law provides for leave such as medical leave, there are movements attempting to remove vacation time as a factor in the free-market labor pool by requiring mandatory vacation time.
Countries (such as the
United Kingdom and
Denmark) or particular companies may mandate summer holidays in specific periods. These present issues to parents planning vacations, since holiday companies charge higher prices, and parents have an incentive to use their work vacation time in term time.
Types of holiday (observance)
Consecutive holidays
Consecutive holidays
refers to holidays that occur in a group without working days in between. In the 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.
Religious holidays
Many holidays are linked to faiths and religions (see etymology above).
Christian holidays are defined as part of the
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. In
Islam, the largest
holidays are
Eid and
Ramadan.
Hindus,
Jains and
Sikhs observe several holidays, one of the largest being
Diwali (Festival of Light).
Japanese holidays contain references to several different faiths and beliefs. Celtic, Norse, and
Neopagan holidays follow the order of the
Wheel of the Year. Some are closely linked to
Swedish festivities. The
Bahá'í Faith observes
holidays as defined by the
Bahá'í calendar. Jews have two holiday seasons: the Spring Feasts of
Pesach (Passover),
Chag Ha-Matzot (Festival of Unleavened Bread), and
Shavuot (Weeks, called
Pentacost in Greek); and the Fall Feasts of
Yom Teruah (Day of Blessing, also called
Rosh HaShannah),
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and
Sukkot (Tabernacles).
Northern Hemisphere winter holidays
Winter in the
Northern Hemisphere features many holidays that involve
festivals and feasts. The
winter holiday season
surrounds the
winter solstice celebrated by many religions and cultures. Usually, this period begins near the start of November and ends with
New Year's Day.
Holiday season
is, somewhat, a commercial term that applies, in the US, to the period that begins with Thanksgiving and ends with New Year's Eve. Some
Christian countries consider the end of the festive season to be after the feast of
Epiphany.
National holidays
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history. For example, Australians celebrate
Australia Day.
Secular holidays
Several
secular holidays are observed, such as
Earth Day or
Labour Day, both
internationally, and across multi-country regions, often in conjunction with organizations such as the
United Nations. Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.
Unofficial holidays
These are holidays that are not traditionally marked on calendars. These holidays are celebrated by various groups and individuals. Some promote a cause, others recognize historical events not officially recognized, and others are "funny" holidays celebrated with humorous intent.
Opposition
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate holidays, including
Christmas,
Halloween, and
Easter, because they believe holidays are
pagan.
[2]. They reject
national holidays as well because they believe that by celebrating these holidays they are giving honor to man's governments and not God's Kingdom
.
See also
- Adventure travel
- Bank holiday
- Christmas controversy
- Spring Holiday
- Federal holidays in the United States
- Furlough
- Holiday characters
- Holiday heart syndrome
- Labour law
- List of holidays by country
- List of statutory minimum employment leave by country
- Lists of holidays
- Long service leave
- Luxury resort
- Scientology holidays
- Sick leave
- Staycation
- Template:Holiday-stub
- Tourism
- Volunteer travel
- Work-life balance
- World Party Day
- Post vacation blues
Bibliography
References
- US law does not require employers to grant any vacation or holidays, and about 25% of all employees receive no vacation time or holidays No-Vacation Nation. Many US State and local governments require a minimum number of days off. For employees that do receive vacation, 10 working days with 8 national holidays is fairly standard. Members of the US Armed Services earn 30 vacation days a year, not including national holidays.
- Reasoning from the Scriptures