Holidays



HolidaysHoliday 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) People will take journeys during specific holiday observances, or for festivals or celebrations. Religious holidays may be of a more somber nature. Vacation or holidays are often used to spend time 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 9.21Four Phases (quarters) of the Moon:New Moon, waxing Half Moon, Full Moon, waning Half MoonTypes of Holidays:Public (Official) Holidays (day off for most workers) Official (but not public) Holidays / Unofficial Holidays (commemorations, folk)Monday holiday laws -- (USA President Jimmy Carter, 1979) importance for Tourism Religious / Civic or Secular Cultural Festival HolidaysNational History – Anniversaries of Events, Birthdays of great people, Civic themes or placesFolk (old customs) (new customs) romantic, humorous / playful, sports…Mixed-theme holidays, such as New Year's Eve or New Year's DayPublic Holidays of North KoreaDateNameRemarksJanuary 1stNew Year's Day1 dayJanuary 15Joseon-geul Day(Korean Alphabet Day, ????)not a day off1st day of 1st MoonSeol-nal3 daysFebruary 16-17Kim Jong-il's Birthday2 daysApril 15Kim Il-Sung's BirthdayApril 25Army DayMay 1stLabor Day5th day of 5th MoonSuri-nalJuly 27 Victory DayAugust 15 Liberation DaySeptember 9 Independence DayFounding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea15th day of 8th MoonHangawiOctober 10 Founding of the Workers Party of KoreaDecember 27 Constitution Day Public Holidays in ChinaDateEnglish nameChinese name (Simplified)PinyinJanuary 1New Year元旦Yuándàn1st day of 1st MoonSpring Festival[a]春节Chūnjié5th?solar term(April 4 or April 5)Tomb-Sweeping Day清明节Qīngmíng jiéMay 1Labor Day劳动节Láodòng jié5th day of 5th MoonDragon Boat Festival端午节Duānwǔ jié15th day of 8th MoonMid-Autumn Festival中秋节Zhōngqiū jiéOctober 1National Day国庆节Guóqìng jiéPublic Holidays in the United StatesDateOfficial NamePercentage of Americans celebratingBusiness offering paid time offRemarksJanuary 1 (fixed)New Year's Day72%96%Celebrates beginning of the?Gregorian Calendar?year. 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 of?the Christmas?Holiday Season.January 15–21 (floating Monday)Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.26%34–38%Honors?Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,?civil rights?leader, 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' Day52%34–35%Washington's Birthday was first declared a federal holiday by an 1879 act of Congress. The?Uniform 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 Day21%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 Day79%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 Day53%95%Celebrates the achievements of workers and the labor movement; marks the unofficial end of the summer season.October 8–14 (floating Monday)Columbus Day8%13–16%Honors?Christopher Columbus, the first European to land in mainland?Americas?after?Leif 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 Day43%16–21%Honors all veterans of the?United 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 the?Armistice with Germany went into effect).November 22–28 (floating Thursday)Thanksgiving Day87%97%Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest, since 1621. Traditionally includes the sharing of a?turkey?dinner with extended family members.December 25 (fixed)Christmas90%–95%94%The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year, Christmas is observed as a commemoration of the birth of?Jesus of Nazareth. ................
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