Holiday 13279 226179067 2008-07-17T04:57:32Z 71.34.143.181 /* See also */ {{Refimprove|date=July 2007}} {{redirect|Vacation}} {{otheruses}} {{See also|Lists of holidays}} The words '''holiday''' or '''vacation''' have related meanings in different [[English language|English-speaking]] countries and continents, but will usually refer to one of the following activities or events: * A general '''leave of absence''' from a regular occupation for [[rest]] or [[recreation]] * A specific '''trip''' or journey for the purposes of [[recreation]] / [[tourism]] * Official or unofficial '''observances''' of religious/national/cultural/other significance, often accompanied by '''celebrations or festivities''' (public/religious holiday) A holiday or vacation trip/break will often be undertaken during specific holiday observances, or be made for specific festivals or celebrations. Certain religious holidays may be of a more somber nature. Vacation or holidays are often used as a time to spend with friends or family. Longer breaks from a career or occupation also exist, such as a [[sabbatical]], [[gap year]] or [[career break]]. ==Etymology== ===Holiday=== Holiday is a [[contraction (grammar)|contraction]] of [[holy]] and [[day]], holidays originally represented [[Religious festival|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]]). ===Vacation=== In the United Kingdom the word "vacation" referred specifically to the long summer break taken by the [[court|law courts]] (and later universities)&mdash;a custom introduced by [[William the Conqueror]] from [[Normandy]] where it was intended to facilitate the grape harvest. The French term is similar to the American English: "Les Vacances." The term derives from the fact that, in the past, upper-class families would literally move to a summer home for part of the year, leaving their usual family home vacant. ==Regional meanings== ===As a trip=== 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 [[Tourism|pleasure trip]] away from home, such as a trip to the beach that lasts several days or longer. In the rest of the English-speaking world the word ''holiday'' is used (e.g. "I'm going on holiday to [[Malta]] next week"). Americans, especially those of recent British or European descent, may also use the word "holiday." "Annual Leave" is another expression used in [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries. 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 [[gazette]]d public holiday, but not to a day of observance such as [[Mothers' Day]] or [[Halloween]]. ===As an observance=== In all of the English-speaking world including North America, a holiday can refer to a day set aside by a [[nation]] or [[culture]] (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for [[celebration (party)|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]]. By extension, (observance)-holiday, e.g. Labour Day holiday, refers to the rest period around the official observance. ==Employment issues== {{see also|List of statutory minimum employment leave by country}} Most countries around the world have [[labor law]]s mandating employers give a certain number of paid days of time off per year to be given to a worker. In nearly all Canadian provinces, the legal minimum is three weeks, while in most of Europe the limit is significantly higher. The U.S.<ref>US law does not require employers to grant any vacation or holidays and about 25% of all employees receive no vacation time or holidays [http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1184&Itemid=8 No-Vacation Nation]. For employees that do receive vacation, 10 working days with 8 [[List of holidays by country#United States of America|national holidays]] is fairly standard. Members of the US Armed Services earn a total of 30 vacation days a year, not including national holidays. </ref> does not require employers to give a set mandatory vacation time. However, in the free-market labor system in the United States, many employers offer paid vacation, typically 10 to 20 days work days, as an incentive to attract employees, and under U.S. federal law, an employee whose employment terminates generally must receive compensation for any accrued but unused vacation time. Additionally, the vast majority of American employers provide for paid national holidays, such as Christmas, New Years, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day. Notably, American workers are statistically the most productive in the world. Despite an unemployment rate of 5.6% in 2008, relatively high for the United States of America, most other Western nations with socialized vacation time consistently have unemployment rates almost double this rate, such as Germany (8.8%), Finland (17.4%), France (11.6%), Italy (11.1%), Spain (22.9%), Sweden (8%), U.K. (8.2%), Canada (9.5%), and Australia (8.5%). <ref>Worldwide Unemployment Rates [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762531.html] </ref> While U.S. federal law and most state's laws provide for leave, such as medical leave, there are movements attempting to remove vacation time as a factor in the free-market labor pool and, instead, require mandatory vacation time for American workers, such as [http://www.timeday.org timeday.org]. In some cases "vacation holiday" is used in North America, which signifies that a vacation trip is taken during a traditional national holiday period, extended on either end of the period by taking additional time off from work. This is common in the United States where employers give far fewer annual vacation days than European employers&mdash;so stretching the related national holidays tends to conserve one's accumulated total of eligible days available for longer quality vacation excursions. This is often termed a "long weekend", if a national holiday falls next to a weekend. When national holidays fall on a normal non-working day, such as a weekend, they will sometimes be carried over to the next working day. In the [[United Kingdom]], there is an annual issue for parents, who only have the mandated summer holidays in order to plan vacations. Accordingly, holiday companies charge higher prices, giving an incentive for parents to use their work vacation time in term time. ==Types of holiday (observance)== {{Main|Lists of holidays}} ===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 [[Japan]]ese 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 === {{see|:Category:Religious holidays}} Several holidays are linked to faiths and religions. [[Christian]] holidays are defined as part of the [[liturgical year]]. The Catholic [[fiesta patronal|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). [[Holidays of Japan|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 [[Bahá'í calendar#Holy_Days|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 Blasting, also called [[Rosh HaShannah]]), [[Yom Kippur]] (Day of Atonement), and [[Sukkot]] (Tabernacles). ===Northern Hemisphere winter holidays=== {{main|Christmas and holiday season}} The winter months in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] see the observance of many holidays considered a season, often accompanied by [[List of winter festivals|festivals and feasts]]. The '''winter holiday season''' is known as a period of time surrounding [[Christmas]] that was formed in order to [[Multiculturalism|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 [[Christianity|Christian]] countries, the end of the festive season is considered to be after the feast of [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]], although this is only within the Christian creed.[[Winter holiday greetings]] are traditionally a part of the winter holiday season. ===National holidays=== {{Main|list of holidays by country}} Several sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history. ===Secular holidays=== Several [[secular]] holidays are observed, both [[International observance|internationally]], and across multi-country regions, often in conjunction with organisations 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=== {{seealso|: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. ==See also== {{portalpar|Holidays|Calendar icon.svg}} {{Cookbook|Holiday Recipes}} {{wikiquote|Vacation}} *[[Federal holiday]] *[[Bank Holiday]] *[[Holiday heart syndrome]] *[[Adventure tourism]] *[[Lists of holidays]] *[[List of statutory minimum employment leave by country]] *[[List of holidays by country]] *[[Christmas controversy]] *[[Easter/Good Friday controversy]] *[[Luxury resorts]] *[[Scientology holidays]] *[[:Category:Holiday characters|Holiday characters]] *[[Furlough]] *[[Labour and employment law]] *[[Long service leave]] *[[Luxury resorts]] *[[Sick leave]] *[[Tourism]] *[[Staycation]] *[[Volunteer Vacation]] Mommy should go on a vacation to illinois ==References== <div class="references-small"> * {{cite book|title=Holidays & Holy Days: Origins, Customs, and Insights on Celebrations Through the Year|author=Susan E. Richardson|publisher=Vine Books|date=July 2001|id=ISBN 0-8307-3442-2}} * {{cite book|title=Celebration: The Story of American Holidays|author=Lucille Recht Penner and Ib Ohlsson|publisher=MacMillan Publishing Company|date=September 1993|id=ISBN 0-02-770903-5}} * {{cite book|title=American Holidays: Exploring Traditions, Customs, and Backgrounds|author=Barbara Klebanow and Sara Fischer|publisher=Pro Lingua Associates|date=2005|id=ISBN 0-86647-196-0}} <references /></div> == External links == * {{dmoz|Society/Holidays/Calendars_and_Lists|Holidays -- Calendars and Lists}} * [http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=276559&page=1 ''Holiday Stress Brings Anxiety and Abuse''] (ABC News) * [http://bank-holidays.com/ Calendar of all legal Public and Bank Holidays worldwide, until 2050] * [http://holidays.net/ Daily Holiday Calender] [[Category:Employment compensation]] [[Category:tourism]] [[Category:Holidays| ]] [[Category:Working time]] [[als:Feiertage]] [[ar:عيد]] [[az:Bayram]] [[bs:Praznik]] [[bg:Празник]] [[cs:Svátek]] [[da:Helligdag]] [[de:Feiertag]] [[el:Αργία]] [[es:Día festivo]] [[eo:Festaj kaj feriaj tagoj]] [[fo:Halgidagur]] [[fr:Fête]] [[ga:Lá saoire]] [[ko:공휴일]] [[id:Hari raya]] [[is:Helgidagur]] [[it:Festa]] [[he:חג]] [[ka:დღესასწაული]] [[sw:Sikukuu]] [[lt:Šventė]] [[ms:Hari perayaan]] [[nl:Feest- en gedenkdagen]] [[ja:祝日]] [[no:Helligdag]] [[nn:Heilagdag]] [[pl:Święto]] [[pt:Feriado]] [[ru:Праздник]] [[sq:Festa]] [[simple:Holiday]] [[sk:Sviatok]] [[fi:Loma]] [[sv:Helgdag]] [[tl:Pista]] [[vo:Zeladel]] [[wa:Fiesse]] [[bat-smg:Švėntė]] [[zh:假日]]