Holidays

The word ’holiday’, derived from the words holy and day, has different meanings in different English-speaking countries. Initially, it was only referred to as a special religious day. However, with time the context of the word changed. Today, a holiday basically means a period that is spent away from home and work. This leisure time is spent either in travel or in recreation. In the North-America, holidays are used interchangeably with the word vacation. National and cultural holidays are generally celebrated by interacting with relatives, friends and family. A holiday can also be the day when schools and/or offices are closed.

There are different types of holidays: public holidays, consecutive holidays, religious holidays, American winter holiday season, national holidays, secular holidays, unofficial holidays and international holidays. A public holiday is legally declared by the government of the state. It is also called the "bank holiday" as all the banks are closed on this holiday. However, now-a-days, there are many banks, shops and industries that work on a public holiday as well. Consecutive holidays are a string of holidays taken together without any working day in between. These holidays are especially planned by family or friends for travel and tourism. The craze for these holidays has been increasing; therefore, there are many companies that offer fully packaged travel arrangements. Though the package may differ from company to company, they basically include sight-seeing, transport, food and accommodation.

The American winter season holidays are consecutive holidays that occur during the time surrounding Christmas. This includes the holiday for New Year i.e. January 1.