Holidays
Holiday is a contraction of holy and day, and so holidays were originally just special religious “holy days”. This word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day of rest (as opposed to regular days of rest such as weekends). The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents – British say “holiday” for what Americans call a “vacation” or “vacation trip”. In England the word "vacation" exactly referred only to the long summer break taken by the law courts (and later universities) so that men & boys could help with the summer farm-work, and so 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.
Now, “holiday” or “vacation” 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, and for travel.
The “Original Ancient Holidays”:
Annual movement of the Sun:
Winter Solstice 12.21, Spring Equinox 3.21, Summer Solstice 6.21, Autumn Equinox 9.21
Four Phases (quarters) of the Moon:
New Moon, waxing Half Moon, Full Moon, waning Half Moon
Types of Holidays:
Public (Official) Holidays (day off for most workers) / Unofficial Holidays
Monday holiday laws -- (USA President Jimmy Carter, 1979) importance for Tourism
Religious / Civic or Secular Cultural Festival Holidays
National History – Anniversaries of Events, Birthdays of great people,
Civic themes or places
Folk (old customs) (new customs) romantic, humorous / playful, sports…
Mixed-theme holidays, such as New Year's Eve or Day
Public Holidays of North Korea
Date
/Name
/Remarks
January 1st
/New Year's Day
/1 day
January 15
/ Joseon-geul Day(Korean Alphabet Day, 조선글날) /
not a day off
1st day of 1st Moon
/Seol-nal
/3 days
February 16-17
/Kim Jong-il's Birthday
/2 days
April 15
/Kim Il-Sung's Birthday
/April 25
/Army Day
/May 1st
/Labor Day
/5th day of 5th Moon
/Suri-nal
/July 27
/Victory Day
/August 15
/Liberation Day
/September 9
/ Independence DayFounding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea /
15th day of 8th Moon
/ Hangawi /October 10 / Founding of the Workers Party of Korea /
December 27 / Constitution Day /
Public Holidays in China
Date / English name / Chinese name (Simplified) / PinyinJanuary 1 / New Year / 元旦 / Yuándàn
1st day of 1st Moon / Spring Festival[a] / 春节 / Chūnjié
5thsolar term
(April 4 or April 5) / Tomb-Sweeping Day / 清明节 / Qīngmíng jié
May 1 / Labour Day / 劳动节 / Láodòng jié
5th day of 5th Moon / Dragon Boat Festival / 端午节 / Duānwǔ jié
15th day of 8th Moon / Mid-Autumn Festival / 中秋节 / Zhōngqiū jié
October 1 / National Day / 国庆节 / Guóqìng jié
Public Holidays in the United States
Date / *Official name / Percentage of Americans celebrating / Business offering paid time off / RemarksJanuary 1 (fixed) / New Year's Day / 72% / 96% / Celebrates beginning of theGregorian Calendaryear. Festivities include counting down to 12:00 midnight on the preceding night,New Year's Eve, often with fireworks display and party. The day is also the traditional end ofthe ChristmasHoliday Season.
January 15–21 (floating Monday) / Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. / 26% / 34–38% / HonorsDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,civil rightsleader, who was actually born on January 15, 1929; combined with other holidays in several states.
February 15–21 (floating Monday) / Washington's Birthday, or Presidents' Day / 52% / 34–35% / Washington's Birthday was first declared a federal holiday by an 1879 act of Congress. TheUniform Holidays Act, 1968, shifted the date from February 22 to the third Monday in February and combined it with President Lincoln's birthday on February 12, and so many people now refer to this holiday as "Presidents' Day" and consider it a day honoring all American presidents.
May 25–31 (floating Monday) / Memorial Day / 21%[57] / 95% / Honors the nation's war dead from the Civil War onwards; marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season (traditionally May 30, shifted by the Uniform Holidays Act 1968).
July 4 (fixed) / Independence Day / 79% / 97% / Celebrates the signing of T. Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence from British rule, also called the Fourth of July or simply "The Fourth". Fireworks celebrations are held in most cities throughout the nation.
September 1–7 (floating Monday) / Labor Day / 53%[58][59] / 95% / Celebrates the achievements of workers and the labor movement; marks the unofficial end of the summer season.
October 8–14 (floating Monday) / Columbus Day / 8% / 13–16% / HonorsChristopher Columbus, the first European to land in mainlandAmericasafterLeif Erikson. In some places this day is observed as Indigenous People's Day, in honor of the Native Americans who lived in the Americas long before Columbus "discovered" the area.
November 11 (fixed) / Veterans Day / 43% / 16–21% / Honors all veterans of theUnited States armed forces. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918, at 11am, when theArmistice with Germany went into effect).
November 22–28 (floating Thursday) / Thanksgiving Day / 87% / 97% / Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest, since 1621. Traditionally includes the sharing of aturkeydinner.
December 25 (fixed) / Christmas / 90%–95% / 94% / The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year, Christmas is observed as a commemoration of the birth ofJesus of Nazareth.