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Holidays / Holydays
The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. Based on the English words holy and day, holidays originally represented special days of the Christian Church calendar. The word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day. In Canada and the United States, a holiday is a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observation or activity. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day. In most of the rest of the English-speaking world (including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) a holiday is also a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation, the North American equivalent being vacation.
A public holiday or legal holiday is a holiday endorsed by the state. Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant religion in a country, or secular, in which case they are usually political or historical in character. "Public Holiday" is the term used in Australia and "Bank Holiday" in the UK, although some industries in the UK work through Bank Holidays. "Legal Holiday" is not a term used outside the United States.
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 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. A well-known consecutive holiday in Japan is golden-week, lasting roughly a full week. A similar phenomenon occurs in Poland during holidays on the 1st and 3rd of May, when taking a few days of leave can result in 9-day-long holidays. This is called The Picnic (or Majówka).
External Links
Holidays on the Net
Holidays on the Net is a beautifully done collection of multimedia holiday celebrations...More than just works of art, though, each holiday celebration also offers a wealth of information about the holiday, including its history and holiday-related activities.
Earth Calendar - Celebrate every Day
We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information given in any of the pages from which this document has been called or of any page in the site http://www.earthcalendar.net While every effort is made to achieve accuracy, users should accept this for what it is, an attempt to gather together in one place as much information as possible, however incomplete or inaccurate it may be, in the hopes that it will be of some help to them.
Bargain Holidays and cheap Flights
Over 2,000,000 bargain holidays to the sun! Plus city breaks, cheap flights, destination guides and more! Explore the world by sea, living in the lap of luxury with our bargain offers. Relax on the white sandy beaches or get active in Barbados. The Land of the Pharaohs offers a coastline on the Med and the Red Sea. Find amazing holidays to the Bahamas - It's your departure from everyday life.
ABC News - Holiday Stress brings Anxiety and Abuse
The holiday season brings with it images of glittering parties, family get-togethers and a festive social whirlwind. But these same images often mask a number of serious mental health issues that also can come with the holiday season. And while many people do enjoy the holiday activities during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's, for others the season is marked by an increase in depression, alcohol and substance abuse, suicide and domestic violence.