A holiday is a regularly reoccurring festive day. Usually, but not always, the festive day is observed every year. The word "holiday" is derived from the words "holy" and "day." In British English, the word "holiday" is used to refer to a Vacation as well as a public holiday.[1]
- Spring Festival, May Day, and National Day (People's Republic of China)
- Golden Week (Japan)
- The Majówka, also called the Picnic (Poland)
- Holy Week, sometimes with Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Easter Monday and Good Friday (Ireland)
- A long weekend, when a holiday is next to the weekend (Australia and England).
- In the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day are always on Monday to create a "long weekend" or "3-day weekend".
- Other holidays like America's Independence Day and Veterans' Day can come on a weekday or weekend. If the holiday is on a weekend, it is moved to Friday or Monday to create a "3-day weekend." Calendars sometimes mark these holidays twice. For example, in 2006, Veterans' Day in America was on Saturday, November 11. "Veteran's Day (observed)" was also on the calendar; it was Friday, November 10.
Greetings
- Merry Christmas (also called Feliz Navidad (Spanish) and Joyeux Noel (French))
- Merry Yuletide
- Happy Hanukkah
- Happy Kwanzaa
- Happy New Year
- Joyous Yule
- Happy Solstice
- Season's Greetings
- Happy Holiday(s)
Celtic and Norse holidays
In the order of the Wheel of the Year:
- Samhain (Celtic): 31 October-1 November, Celtic New Year, first day of winter
- Winternights (Norse): 29 October-2 November, Norse New Year
- Yule (Norse): 21 December-22 December, winter solstice, Celtic mid-winter
- Imbolc (Celtic): 1 February-2 February, Celtic first day of spring
- Ostara/Easter (Norse): 21 March-22 March, vernal equinox, Celtic mid-spring
- Beltane (Celtic): 30 April-1 May, Celtic first day of summer
- Litha (Norse): 21 June-22 June, summer solstice, Celtic mid-summer
- Lughnasadh (Celtic): 1 August-2 August, Celtic first day of autumn
- Mabon/Harvest End (Norse): 21 September-22 September, autumnal equinox
Christian holidays
Catholics also celebrate saint's days.
Islamic holidays
- Aashurah Muharram
- Eid (based on the lunar calendar)
- Mawlid Al Rasul - Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
- Nisfu Shaaban
- Nuzul Al Qur'an - First announcement of Holy Koran
- Ramadan-Ul-Mubarik
- Isra' Mi'raj - Prophet Muhammad's enters heaven.
- Youm Arafat - Day before Eid ul-Adha
Bahá'í holidays
- Naw Ruz (Bahá'í New Year)
- 1st Day of Ridván
- 9th Day of Ridvan
- 12th Day of Ridvan
- Declaration of the Báb
- Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
- Martyrdom of the Báb
- Birth of the Israel
- Birth of Bahá'u'lláh