Holiday Travel and Tourism Advisor: Sunday, September 02, 2007

Unofficial holidays

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

These are holidays celebrated by various groups and individuals. Some are designed to promote a cause, others recognize historical events not recognized officially, and others are "funny" holidays, generally intended as humorous distractions and excuses to share laughs among friends.
Bloomsday (16 June based on James Joyce's novel Ulysses)
Buy Nothing Day (The Day After Thanksgiving)
Devil's Night (October 30)
Festivus (23 December)
Friendship Day (first Sunday in August)
GIS Day (The Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week in November)
International Cannabis Day (20 April)
International Dadaism Month (4 February, 1 April, 28 March, 15 July, 2 August, 7 August, 16 August, 26 August, 18 September, 22 September, 1 October, 17 October, 26 October)
International Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September)
International Kitchen Garden Day (4th Sunday of August)
Mischief Night (30 October) Notorious night of vandalism the night before Halloween
Mole Day (23 October)
Monkey Day (December 14))
No Pants Day (first Friday of May)
Pi Day (14 March) or Pi Approximation Day (22 July)
Tax Freedom Day
Towel Day (25 May) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams)
Winter-een-mas (The season lasts all of January, however the actual holiday itself is 25 January - 31 January)
X-Day (5 July in the Church of the SubGenius)
Russian Reversal Day (7 July)

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Other secular holidays

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

Other secular holidays not observed internationally:
Canada Day (1 July) in Canada, celebration of the date of the Confederation of Canada, although Canada was not completely independent from Britain until the proclamation of the Constitution of Canada, 17 April 1982.
Independence day (4 July in the United States; many other nations refer to the holiday celebrating their independence as Independence Day as well. )
Lee-Jackson-King Day (20 January) Combined holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1984 to 2000
Confederate Memorial Day Celebrated by the original Confederate States at various times during the year; still celebrated on the fourth Monday in April in Alabama
Robert E. Lee's birthday and Martin Luther King's birthday (third Monday in January in Alabama)
Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January in the United States)
Groundhog Day (2 February in United States and Canada)
Spring Holiday, a secular euphemism for Easter or Good Friday. Counterpart of "Winter holiday".
Patriot's Day (third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine, United States)
Queen's Day (30 April in the Netherlands)
Labour Day (Many European and South American countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1)
Juneteenth (19 June) Official holiday in 14 states that commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas (unofficial in 5 other US states)
Victoria Day (Monday on or before May 24 in Canada, also in some parts of Scotland)
Flag Day (14 June in the United States)
Pioneer Day (24 July in Utah, United States)
Labor Day (first Monday in September in the United States (federal holiday) and Canada)
Grandparents Day (Sunday after September Labor Day - proclaimed in the United States by Jimmy Carter in 1978)
St. Patricks Day (17 March in Ireland)
Saint Nicholas Day (05 December in the Netherlands, 06 December in Belgium)
Boxing Day (26 December in the Commonwealth of Nations)
Latvian Holidays

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International holidays (secular)

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given.
Valentine's Day (14 February)
International Women's Day (8 March, particularly in Eastern European Countries)
Labour Day, Worker's Day or May Day (1 May in most countries. The United States and Canada both celebrate on the first Monday in September)
Mother's Day (second Sunday in May in North America, fourth Sunday in Lent in UK)
Halloween (31 October)

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Holidays traditionally in the winter holiday season

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

Thanksgiving - (second Monday in October in Canada, fourth Thursday in November in USA) — Holiday generally observed as an expression of gratitude, traditionally to God, for the autumn harvest. It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which turkey is eaten. It is celebrated by many as a secular holiday, and in the USA marks the beginning of the "holiday season".
Winter Solstice, Yule - (Winter solstice, around 21-22 December in the northern hemisphere and 21-22 June in the southern hemisphere) — The celebrations on the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year, are traditionally marked with anything that symbolizes or encourages life. Decorations of evergreens, bright objects and lights; singing songs, giving gifts, feasting and romantic events are often included. For Neopagans this is the celebration of the death and rebirth of the sun and is one of the eight sabbats on the wheel of the year.
Hanukkah - (26 Kislev - 2/3 Tevet - almost always in December) — Jewish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practising Judaism, and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough (olive) oil for one day.
Christmas Day - (25 December) — Christian holiday commemorating the traditional birth-date of Jesus. Observances include gift-giving, the decoration of trees and houses, and Santa Claus folktales.
Kwanzaa (USA) - (26 December - 1 January) — A modern American invention held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. It was invented in 1966 by black activist and marxist Ron Karenga.
Boxing Day (26 December or 27 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on the first non-Sunday after Christmas.
St Stephen's Day or Second Day of Christmas (26 December) — Holiday observed in many European countries.
Eid ul-Adha (31 December 2006 or 22 December 2007) — The Festival of Sacrifice — Commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Marks the end of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca each year. Its presence in the Winter Holidays is mostly coincidental, and will move out of the holiday season within a few years.
New Year's Day - (1 January) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Preceded by New Year's Eve on 31 December, which is celebrated with festivities in anticipation of New Year's Day.
A secular name for these holidays is a winter holiday. iTunes classifies "Christmas Music" as "Holiday Music" which can cause confusion for the English speaking world outside of the US, for whom "Holidays" are the same as "Vacations" - Annual Holidays, Easter Holidays, School Holidays, Summer Holidays, Skiing Holidays, Public Holidays etc.

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The American winter holiday season

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

In the United States and periodically Canada, the winter holiday season is known as a period of time surrounding Christmas that was formed in order to embrace all cultural and religious celebration rather than only Christian celebrations. Usually, this period begins near the end of November and ends with New Year's Day on January 1. The holiday season is usually commercially referred to with a broad interpretation, avoiding the reference of specific holidays like Hanukkah or Christmas. Traditional "holiday season" festivities are usually associated with winter, including snowflakes and wintry songs. In some Christian countries, the end of the festive season is considered to be after the feast of Epiphany, although this has only symbolic value.

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Jewish holidays

Sunday, September 02, 2007 | Posted by Charm

Hanukkah (also: Chanukah; the Festival of Lights)
Passover
Purim (Deliverance from Marcus Mit C)
Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks; Harvest Festival)
Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles)
Tisha B'Av
Tu Bishvat (New year of the trees)
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

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