August Holidays
There are currently a lot of different holidays that are sprinkled all throughout the year. The Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day remain the most popular holidays in the land. It is even said that each day of the calendar corresponds to some form of holiday whether it is publicly known or not.
Officially sanctioned holidays would usually mean that these days are non-working days. There are times when the entire holiday celebration would encompass the entire state or country that the only way of truly celebrating in the spirit of the holiday is to declare the entire day a non working or no school day.
There are two main reasons why people and cultures celebrate these holidays.
The word itself is a combination of two words- “holi” and day. The first part of the word, “holi”, is a derivative of the word “holy”. This really reflects the origin of the term.
The term “holiday” was once only reserved to refer to those days with religious significance. Holidays then were always associated with something religious and holy, hence the name. Today, it is still used to refer to the Christmas season. When people are referring to the Christmas season and the vacation that comes along with it, people still say “the holidays”. Though this usage is still popular today, its current use is no longer exclusive. Holidays are now more closely associated with feasts that commemorate special milestones and events in the history of a nation.
Entire nations and cultures celebrate holidays because of religious beliefs. This is especially true in December. Where two of the world’s most prominent religions celebrate one of their most awaited and celebrated holidays. Even if December is the most famous of all months when it comes to holidays, there are still a lot of different religious based holidays that are celebrated all throughout the year.
Not all individuals would like to celebrate religious feasts though. There are a lot who would rather be secular. For a more secular perspective, holidays are more centered on a nation’s achievement. Events such as a state or a city’s charter are the ones that are celebrated in a secular calendar. On a much grander scale, independence from colonial rule or the victory against another nation in a war are the events that are commemorated.
In a much modern sense, there are now newer holidays that have been created by the United Nations in response to the needs that arise during the times. There have also been some international holidays that were created in order to celebrate and bring into light some international matters that are really of universal concern.
Each month of the year holds special holidays that are significant to different types of people and cultures. December is probably the most well known of all holiday months. This is of course after, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Then, there is February which is the month of hearts. Each of these holidays corresponding to different months of the year holds significance to the people celebrating it.
August, just like any other month, holds within its days some special celebrations and holidays that are really quite significant. Some have been around for several decades, while others have been around only for a few years.
The August Holidays celebrate very different things that are in no way interconnected with each other. This means that there is no one theme that would portray the August holidays. This is really in contrast with the other months in which there is an entire theme that’s associated with a given month. Nevertheless, August still holds some significant holidays ever celebrated.
These holidays are celebrated in order to commemorate past war victories and struggles. For those who are old enough to remember, they could be the time to really revisit old memories and once again feel the message and spirit of the holiday itself. For some, celebrating these holidays would mean paying respect to the lives and memories of great men and women who have given their lives for the sake of the future of the nation. For some, these holidays may be a celebration of being together. It may be a celebration of being around the people who matter the most. These are the times where friends and family would meet and enjoy each other’s company. These may be the times where busy lives and responsibilities are temporarily let go in lieu of a quiet evening together with friends, family or lovers. Holidays are really that special.
Holidays may very well be the only real excuse left to really be in actual physical contact with other individuals. Because of the interactivity that’s allowed by computer technology and the internet, people are becoming more and more cyber friendly while at the same time becoming less sociable. Holidays allow people to at least interact with friends, families and neighbors physically and naturally.
This has been a long tradition that has been practiced even in the ancient times of the Olympics and gladiatorial games. These feasts and celebrations were times of great plenty and of joyous celebrations that wars were abated.
This is pretty much the same with how things are now. This is why the world’s leaders in the form of the United Nations, have created and have commemorated several important human virtues and achievement to truly celebrate humanity in all its glory. There are also international celebrations that remember some of humanity’s worst moments in the hope of not ever repeating the same mistakes again.
Holidays make everyone a little bit happy. These may be religious or patriotic. They bring people together. They celebrate love. They celebrate peace. They celebrate great human inventions. They celebrate human achievement. They celebrate humanity and its virtues.
Holidays are truly part of what makes humans, humans.
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