Difference Between Holiday and Vacation
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Two of the most euphonious words in the world are Holiday and Vacation. But they are also one of the most confusing words in English, do you take a summer holiday or a summer vacation? The same applies to winter holidays or vacations. Let's see the differences between the two.
Definition
According to Merriam-Webster, one of the most trusted English dictionaries in the world, "Holiday" and "Vacation" can both be used as verbs as well as nouns.
When used as a noun, "Holiday" is defined as:
While "Vacation" is defined as:
When used as a verb, "Holiday" is defined as:
While "Vacation" as a verb, e.g. vacationed or vacationing, is translated as:
It is easier to see that sometimes they can be used interchangeably. The verb vacation, for instance, can be changed to “to take a holiday.”
Simply put, a kind of absence from work can be described as a holiday. But this can be differently used in different countries due to differences in culture and traditions.
Furthermore, the element "Holy" in the word "Holiday" can add to confusions as many would attach holidays to religious festivals.
People celebrating Diwali in India.
For instance, people in India will take a Diwali vacation and/or celebrate Diwali holiday with their families. Confusing, isn't it?
To make it clear, a holiday is usually associated with some cultural or political events as official observances. So for some countries, Christmas is a holiday and for others Diwali and Vesak are holidays. All three days have religious value and are considered holidays in some countries.
In practice, a holiday can be associated with various kinds of religious events, as well as others events such as national holidays, secular holidays and unofficial holidays. But the meaning still stays the same, a kind of break or absence from work.
The clear difference between the two is:
while a holiday can be just a single day, vacations on the other hand, are usually associated with a longer period of time without work in between. Also in some countries like the UK, vacation means a long summer leave taken along with the members of one's family.
A rule of thumb is, a vacation means a special trip to some other place such as a resort for the purpose of rest and recreation. While shorter breaks with family members in the form of trips are known as holidays, longer breaks with the members of the family in the form of trips may be called vacations.
Reference: Merriam-webster
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