Holidays, a contraction of holy and day, originally represented special religious days. Over the years, 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 all of the English-speaking world, a holiday can be a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observance or activity. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day.

When translated from/to other languages, the meanings of the word "holiday" may be conflated with those of "observance" and "celebration".