Holidays, School

School holidays are days during the school year when students recognize and participate in national and cultural celebrations. They can occur when schools are open as well as when they are closed. When schools are closed for more than a day for holiday celebrations, such as Christmas or Easter, the closure is often called a vacation or a school break. When holiday celebrations, such as Halloween and Valentine's Day in the United States, are held when schools are open, instructional time is typically refocused on classroom parties and holiday activities.

School holidays vary throughout the world. For example, students in Kenya celebrate All Saints Day and students in China celebrate Children's Day. Neither of these holidays is generally celebrated in U.S. public schools. Even when the same holiday, such as New Year's Day, is celebrated, the dates identified with the holiday are not necessarily the same. New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st in the United States. In Iran, the Persian New Year is celebrated in March, and in China, the Lunar New Year is celebrated in late January or in February.

In the United States, school holidays traditionally mirror Christian religious holidays. The relationship between school holidays and Christian religious holidays has a long history in the United States. However, as the number of Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and people of other faiths as [Page 1081]well as atheists and agnostics grows, educators will be increasingly challenged to acknowledge and respond to a wider range of religious and cultural holidays. This entry reviews key concerns facing educators as they consider the challenges and opportunities of instituting and celebrating school holidays in a pluralistic society.