A holiday is a single day set aside for public leisure, usually by law or custom where public work, particularly work related, such as work at school, is either suspended or completely reduced. In general, public holidays are marked to let people celebrate or commemorate an occasion or belief of cultural or other spiritual importance. The term holiday is generally applied to any day that falls on a month. A holiday schedule usually shows the date of the public holiday and the time and duration of it, for example, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
While most states mark and observe several traditional public holidays, some states mark a number of religious holidays as well. Although officially public, most US states permit private celebrations of religious belief as long as they don’t disrupt the public peace or create a danger of serious public disorder or violence. In fact, most federal holidays, while certainly not officially designated as national holidays by the US government, are celebrated with great joy and pride by millions of Americans.
Some of the most well-known US national holidays observed every year include Thanksgiving Day, Christmas (Christmas Eve), Pearl Harbor Day, and National Volunteer Week. In Canada, there are many different federal holidays observed, including Canada Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, Canada’s Christmas, and Canada’s National Volunteer Week. The majority of countries around the world observe a series of popular holidays each year. In addition, a few select countries also mark a number of less well-known holidays, all of which are celebrated with great gusto by their locals and foreign visitors alike.