The word holidays comes from the Old English word for holy day. And a holiday is just that. It’s a day set aside by law or tradition on which normal activities and work are lessened.

There are many reasons to celebrate. For example, some holidays have religious origins. They date back many, many years and originate from various religious texts. 

Some other holidays are federally observed. In the US, these celebrations include days like Presidents’ Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, etc. 

There are also celebrations that originated from either above and have become more secular. Think Halloween and Thanksgiving. We celebrate days like that mostly because they are fun! And who doesn’t like fun. These celebratory days break up the dullness of the calendar year, so much so that each year is almost pre-divided by major holidays. For example, October is Halloween, November is Thanksgiving. December is full of giving holidays, regardless of which you celebrate. February is the month of love. The list goes on, but the general gist is that these celebrations are a fun way to gather various communities, friends, and families and break the mundanity of everyday life.