Holidays are special days set aside for public enjoyment; where family members, loved ones and acquaintances meet and mingle with one another to have fun. A holiday is usually a day set apart by law or custom, whereby public activities, particularly work or business, such as a school, are either reduced or suspended. In general, holidays are meant to enable people to commemorate or celebrate an occasion or belief of social or cultural value. Most of us have our own idea of what makes a holiday special. We may associate it with a beloved sibling, a beloved parent, or a beloved friend.
Holidays are internationally recognized and celebrated every year. Different countries observe different holidays. In France, a major festival during February called L’emploi or the Lamentation is commemorated with the process of painting the gravestones of those who have passed away. The words inscribed on these monuments help to commemorate their life and the love they shared. Other popular holidays include Mother’s Day (in French, March 9), Father’s Day (in French, May 8), Christmas (in French, December 25), Chanukah (in May, the Jewish festival of Lights) and New Year (in Russian, January 1).
If you refer to a period of time spent away from home, you can consider the most popular international holiday: Christmas. Millions of Americans and Europeans go on vacation during Christmas. The best time for Americans to visit their home in the U.S.A. is in the middle of December. Americans spend over three hundred billion dollars on Christmas shopping. Most Americans get in the holiday spirit by visiting malls, restaurants, and shops.
Some of the other popular international holidays are Mother’s Day (in French, March 9), Father’s Day (in French, May 8), New Year (in Russian, January 1), and Hanukkah (in Israel, the Jewish holiday of lights). In addition, there are national holidays that are celebrated every four years such as Flag Day, Independence Day, Good Friday, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. If you are from the United Kingdom, you have the option of taking paid holidays to visit your country. British citizens have national holidays on each of the four days of the year. The same applies to residents of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Sweden.
When talking about the international part of the holiday, people usually consider New Years’ Day, Christmas and Hanukkah as special occasions. The fourth Sunday of February is known as “Greening Day” in the United Kingdom and “ipation day” in the United States. This event marks the start of the planting season in most parts of the globe. The planting season typically lasts from mid-November to mid-March. Generally speaking, the longer the duration of the holiday, the more holidays you will be able to take off. Some areas in the United Kingdom observe public holidays on all four Sundays whereas other areas observe only one or two public holidays.
The Holidays have universal significance across the world. Regardless of the country where you are from, the Holidays mark the end of one phase of life and start another. For instance, when observing Hanukkah, it is the celebration of the Jews’ liberation from the land of Israel at the hands of the Jews of WWII. A glance at world history shows that throughout the centuries, different countries have always turned to the Holidays to strengthen their bonds with one another and strengthen their resolve to fight for what is right.