Holiday

The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents, but will usually refer to one of the following activities or events: A holiday or vacation trip/break will often be undertaken during specific holiday observances, or be made for specific festivals or celebrations. Certain religious holidays may be of a more sombre nature. Vacation or holidays are often used as a time to spend with friends or family. Longer breaks from a career or occupation also exist, such as a sabbatical, gap year or career break. Holiday is a contraction of holy and day, holidays originally represented special religious days. This word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day of rest (as opposed to regular days of rest such as the weekend). In the United Kingdom the word "vacation" referred specifically to the long summer break taken by the law courts (and later universities)—a custom introduced by William the Conqueror from Normandy where... full article at wikipedia