ORIGIN OF THE WORD "HOLIDAY"
Most of you must be wondering
where the term ‘Holiday’ came from and what does it mean in the original language,
what does it really means and what types of holidays are there. So, this
article is going to explain and answer all your curiosity all these times.
The word holiday comes from
the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"). The
word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it
means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away
from work or school.
A holiday is a day set aside
by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work
including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to
allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tradition of cultural
or religious significance. Holidays may be designated by governments, religious
institutions, or other groups or organizations. The degree to which normal
activities are reduced by a holiday may depend on local laws, customs, the type
of job being held or personal choices.
The concept of holidays often
originated in connection with religious observances. The intention of a holiday
was typically to allow individuals to tend to religious duties associated with
important dates on the calendar. In most modern societies, however, holidays
serve as much of a recreational function as any other weekend days or
activities.
In many societies there are
important distinctions between holidays designated by governments and holidays
designated by religious institutions. For example, in many predominantly
Christian nations, government-designed holidays may center on Christian
holidays, though non-Christians may instead observe religious holidays
associated with their faith. In some cases, a holiday may only be nominally
observed. For example, many Jews in the Americas and Europe treat the
relatively minor Jewish holiday of Hanukkah as a "working holiday",
changing very little of their daily routines for this day.
The word holiday has differing
connotations in different regions. In the United States the word is used
exclusively to refer to the nationally, religiously or culturally observed
day(s) of rest or celebration, or the events themselves, whereas in the United
Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations, the word may refer to the period of
time where leave from one’s duties has been agreed and is used as a synonym to
the US preferred vacation. This time is usually set aside for rest, travel or
the participation in recreational activities, with entire industries targeted
to coincide or enhance these experiences. The days of leave may not coincide
with any specific customs or laws. Employers and educational institutes may
designate ‘holidays’ themselves which may or may not overlap nationally or
culturally relevant dates, which again comes under this connotation, but it is
the first implication detailed that this article is concerned with.
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