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HOLIDAY

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Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 584 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HOLIDAY , originally the " See also:

holy See also:day," a festival set apart for religious observances as a memorial of some sacred event or sacred See also:person; hence a day on which the See also:ordinary See also:work or business ceases. For the religious sense see FEASTS AND FESTIVALS, and See also:SUNDAY. Apart from the use of the See also:term for a single day of See also:rest or enjoyment, it is commonly used in the plural for a recognized and See also:regular See also:period (as at See also:schools, &c.) of See also:absence from work. It is unnecessary here to See also:deal with what may be regarded as private holidays, which are matters of agreement between employer and employed or between the authorities of this or that institution and those who attend it. In See also:recent years there has been a notable tendency in most occupations to shorten the See also:hours of labour, and make holidays more regular. It will suffice to deal here with public holidays, the observance of which is prescribed by the See also:state. In one respect these have been diminished, in so far as See also:saints' days are no longer regarded as entailing non-attendance at the See also:government offices in See also:England, as was the See also:case at the beginning of the 19th See also:century. But while the See also:influence of See also:religion in determining such holidays has waned, the importance of making some compulsory See also:provision for social recreation has made itself See also:felt. In England four days, known as See also:Bank Holidays (q.v.), are set apart by See also:statute to be observed as See also:general holidays, while the See also:sovereign may by See also:proclamation appoint any day to be similarly observed. Endeavours have been made from See also:time to time to get additional days recognized as general holidays, such as See also:Empire Day (May 24th), Arbor Day, &c. In the See also:British colonies there is no See also:uniform practice. In See also:Canada eight days are generally observed as public holidays: New See also:Year's Day, See also:Good See also:Friday, See also:Easter See also:Monday, See also:Christmas Day, the birthday of the sovereign, See also:Victoria Day, Dominion Day and Labour Day.

Some of the provinces have followed the See also:

American example by adding an Arbor Day. See also:Alberta and See also:Saskatchewan observe Ash Wednesday. In See also:Quebec, where the See also:majority of the See also:population is See also:Roman See also:Catholic, the holy days are also holidays, namely, the Festival of the See also:Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the See also:Ascension, All See also:Saint's Day, Conception Day, Christmas Day. In 1897 Labour Day was added. In New See also:South See also:Wales, the 1st of See also:January, Good Friday, Easter See also:Eve, Easter Monday, the birthday of the sovereign, the 1st of See also:August, the birthday of the See also:prince of Wales, Christmas Day and the 26th of See also:December, are observed as holidays. In Victoria there are thirteen public holidays during the year. and in See also:Queensland fourteen. In New See also:Zealand the public holidays are confined to four, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Labour Day. In most of the other British colonies the usual number of public holidays is from six to eight. In the See also:United States there is no legal holiday in the sense of the See also:English bank holidays. A legal holiday is dependent upon state and territorial legislation. It is usual for the See also:president to proclaim the last See also:Thursday in See also:November as a day of thanks-giving; this makes it only a legal holiday in the See also:District of See also:Columbia, and in the territories, but most states make it a general holiday. See also:Independence Day (See also:July 4th) and Labour Day (first Monday in See also:September) are legal holidays in most states.

There are other days which, in connexion with particular events or in remembrance of particular persons, have been made legal holidays by particular states. For example, See also:

Lincoln's birthday, See also:Washington's birthday, Memorial Day (May 3oth), Patriots' Day (See also:April 19th, See also:Maine and See also:Mass.), R. E. See also:Lee's birthday (See also:Jan. 19th, See also:Ala., Fla., Ga., Va.), Pioneers' Day (July 24th, See also:Utah), See also:Colorado Day (Aug. 1st), See also:Battle of New See also:Orleans (Jan. 8th, La.), See also:Bennington Battle Day (Aug. 16th, Vt.), Defenders's Day (See also:Sept. 12th, Md.), Arbor Day (April 22nd, See also:Nebraska; second Friday in May R.I., &c.), See also:Admission Day (September 9th, Cal.; Oct. 31st, Nev.), See also:Con-federate Memorial Day (April 26th, Ala., Fla., Ga., See also:Miss., May loth, N. & S. See also:Car., See also:June 3rd, La., Miss., See also:Texas), &c.

See M'Curdy, Bibliography of Articles See also:

relating to Holidays (See also:Boston, 1905). (T. A.

End of Article: HOLIDAY

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