All kinds of holidays
Hurray, it’s a holiday!
Many holidays are days when you don’t have to go to school and grown-ups
don’t have to go to work. These are often fun-filled days when your
family gets together for a big dinner, a picnic, or a backyard barbecue.
Sometimes there are parades or fireworks. And on some holidays people go
to a church or other house of worship. The very word holiday means
“holy day”—a day on which people thank or honor God.
We celebrate all kinds of holidays. Many, such as Christmas, Yom Kippur,
and others are religious holidays, or holy days. Some
holidays are the birthdays of great leaders or of famous people, such as
Benito Juarez and George Washington. Others, such as Bastille Day in
France, are the birthdays of nations. And there are a number of special
days, such as Remembrance Day in Canada. These holidays remind us of
those who have helped their country in time of war.
We also celebrate traditional holidays, one of which is Thanksgiving.
There are also holidays for special groups of people. Labor
Day is one of these. It is a holiday in honor of working people. And in
Japan there is
Children’s Day—a special day in honor of children.
Holidays and calendars
The first holidays were holy days. In fact, the word holiday comes
from an Old English word, haligdaeg, which means “holy day.”
Many of our holidays today are holy days. But we also celebrate many
other kinds of holidays. Why, you even celebrate a holiday that is yours
alone. Do you know what it is?
When you want to know what day a holiday falls on, you look at a
calendar. Long ago, the only “calendars” people had were the moon, sun,
stars, and seasons. Even today we still use “moon calendars” and “sun
calendars.” Do you know which kind you use?
Have you ever really thought about the days of the week and the months
of the year? How do you think they got their names? Do you know what the
names mean?
You will find out about all of these things— and many others—as you
read this book. So, good reading—and have a happy holiday!