A holiday is a day off from work or school during a calendar year, usually marked by an official day off. While Americans use the term vacation, British people use the term holiday, which can be applied to both types of time off. In the United States, a popular greeting during December is “Happy Holidays!” or a variation of that phrase. In addition, the word holiday has a religious meaning, with many countries observing it as a national holiday.
Some holidays are religious, and some have a secular or recreational function. Christian holidays are often government-designated holidays, but non-Christians often observe them as “working holidays.” For example, many Jews treat the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah as a non-working holiday. In some countries, government-designated holidays are the main source of national pride. Regardless of the religious origin of the day, the purpose of a holiday is to make life easier for people.
Many holidays are cultural. Some celebrate a religious event, such as the Hindu festival of Holi. Other holidays are secular in nature. In some countries, such as South Korea, a country will observe a whole week of holiday festivities. Some countries, such as India, have secular holidays for religious festivals such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, the vast majority of holidays are secular in nature. For instance, the Indian holiday of Holi requires employees to take a week off work to celebrate the festival.
There are several kinds of holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Many other countries have different names for certain holidays, which can complicate the definition of a holiday. Some of the secular holidays are centered around Christians, while others are religious in nature and not observable by Christians. Then there are those that are purely secular, such as Hanukkah, which is a minor Jewish holiday celebrated by many Jews.
A holiday is a day when normal activities are suspended or reduced to commemorate a special event. These days may be national or religious. The term holiday may be used to describe a day when workers are required to take time off work. It also refers to a holiday that is celebrated by a country. There are many different types of holidays, but all are designed to celebrate a special event, such as a birthday or a wedding.
In some countries, a holiday is a day that is celebrated by people and businesses. In other countries, the day is celebrated by many people for a variety of reasons. In the United States, for example, it is a federal holiday that is celebrated by Americans. In most other countries, a holiday is not a legal holiday. In some cases, it is simply a celebration that is held by other nations. It may also be a religious celebration that is observed by non-Christians.