School holiday
Encyclopedia
School holidays are the periods during which schools are closed for study. The dates and periods of school holidays vary considerably throughout the world, and there is usually some variation even within the same jurisdiction.
religious tradition, Christmas (or in the United States of America, winter break or winter recess) includes both the Christmas and New Year holidays. In the southern hemisphere Christmas is in summer and the break is longer and sometimes referred to as the summer break due to geographical reasons. They normally last for about 2-3 weeks. However the Christmas holiday in Europe, particularly the UK, is much shorter, 1-2 weeks on average. Some schools can even have christmas holidays 5-7 weeks long.
is 40 days before Easter
The winter break lasts for two weeks, which are determined by which two weeks (beginning on Saturday), encompass Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
The spring break, or "March Break", is one week long and normally begins with the third Saturday of March.
Private schools tend to be 180 days a year, but sometimes more or less.
All public schools from grades K-12 have the following breaks/holidays:
Most colleges and universities have the following breaks/holidays:
Most colleges and universities are divided into two semesters in a school year.
The first starting from day after Labor Day in early September until December 23, and the second starting middle or end of January until early/mid May. Winter and summer classes could be taken in between the breaks.
is also a school holiday.
A separate Diwali
vacation is given to students for approximately ten days during the festival of Diwali, which typically comes after the end of one school term. Therefore there are lots of holidays for many Indian special occasions like Holi.
India has almost 17 public holidays, Apart from the summer break, depends upon the regional state students have term break which is minimum one week. Usually December has half yearly term leave which is almost 20 days.
, summer holidays last for three months from June to August. Christmas holidays last for two weeks, autumn and spring holidays both are one week.
In Ireland students have mid-term breaks in October and February, which last one week. There are two-week breaks during the Christmas/New Year period as well as at Easter. Summer holidays start around the last week of May or the first week of June, and end around the last week in August or the first week in September. The Junior Certificate
and Leaving Certificate
exams start on the first Wednesday in June, and last for two and a half weeks, intruding on students' summer holidays.
), two days for October 31 and November 1 (All Saints
), the national holidays of April 25 (Liberation day
) and June 2 (Republic Day), as well as the Workers' Day
(May 1). Locally, school authorities have freedom upon the establishment of the lessons calendar to concede further vacation days for particularly important local recurrences (ex. for the local Patron saint
day).
holidays, usually the last two weeks of December, as well as one week "crocus holidays" in February (for the south during Carnaval
), and one or two weeks of "May holidays", which spans a period of national holidays such as Queen's Day
(April 30), Remembrance of the Dead
(May 4) and Liberation Day
(May 5) and sometimes includes Ascension Day and Pentecost
.
summer holidays usually begin near the end of June and continue until the start of September.
In Scotland, there are a number of school holidays. The academic year usually begins on the third week of August, this period up until Christmas is known as Autumn Term. In October, there are two weeks off, which is the halfway point between Summer and Christmas holidays. The Christmas holiday usually begins a few days before December 25 and ends a few days after January 5. Again, there is between 2 days and a week off half way through the term (Spring Term) and a 2 week break for Easter. After Easter is Summer term
and the 3rd half term break is the half way point to the summer holidays. Summer itself usually begins towards the end of June for most pupils in years 1–7 and secondary years 1–3. Year 4, 5, and 6 leave at the end of May, after exams.
there are four terms separated by breaks. The summer holiday starts in mid-December and lasts until late January for most schools. In the last year of school, however, the term ends in November; for those who go on to university, the term starts in March. There is a two-week autumn holiday in April (often incorporating the Easter public holidays), and another two weeks in July in winter. The spring break, or "September Holidays", is also two weeks, typically from late September. The main exception to the four-term structure is Tasmania
, which has three academic terms, with school holidays in early June and September.
School holidays have many effects on a country, ranging from the price of travel and holiday accommodation, which increase as demand increases while children are off school, to an decreased crime rate. Traffic congestion and heavy passenger loads on public transport
on school run
routes may be worse on school days during term time. The number of families taking holidays away from urban areas can reduce traffic and use of public transport in cities while loading long-distance highways and means of transport.
In some countries, including Germany, France and Australia, where many families travel to their holiday destinations, the start and end dates of school holidays in different region
s are staggered
to reduce the heavy traffic and pressure on means of transport that would otherwise occur on these dates.
Christmas holiday
In countries with a predominantly Judeo-ChristianJudeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
religious tradition, Christmas (or in the United States of America, winter break or winter recess) includes both the Christmas and New Year holidays. In the southern hemisphere Christmas is in summer and the break is longer and sometimes referred to as the summer break due to geographical reasons. They normally last for about 2-3 weeks. However the Christmas holiday in Europe, particularly the UK, is much shorter, 1-2 weeks on average. Some schools can even have christmas holidays 5-7 weeks long.
Easter holiday
In countries with a Christian religious tradition, Easter holiday (In the United States it is sometimes known as Spring Break) is a school holiday that takes place in the northern spring, with the date varying by country and level of schooling.Summer holiday
In most countries the longest break in the school year is during summer, often lasting for 5 to 8 weeks. In America Summer holiday is normally two to three months. In Ireland, Italy and Russia summer holidays last for 3 months. Summer holidays are up to 14 weeks compared to Britain and Germany which gets around 6 weeks.South Africa
In South Africa, school usually ends end of November and then resumes again in mid January. There is a 2 week break during April. Students take a winter break during June until July and there is a 2 week break during September.Brazil
In Brazil, Summer holidays start in early December and end in middle February. Winter holidays are generally the whole month of July. Brazilian CarnivalBrazilian Carnival
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat." Carnival celebrations...
is 40 days before Easter
Canada
In Canada, summer holidays/break from school is July and August, with students returning to school in the first week of September.The winter break lasts for two weeks, which are determined by which two weeks (beginning on Saturday), encompass Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
The spring break, or "March Break", is one week long and normally begins with the third Saturday of March.
Chile
In Chile, Summer holidays start in late December and end in late February, with students returning to school in the last week of February or the first week of March. Winter holidays are generally 2 weeks in the month of July, returning to school the first week of August.Mexico
In Mexico, school usually ends in the last weeks of June and resumes in September depending on what scheduling system a school uses, and whether it is high school or college. Christmas holiday is 3 weeks.United States
In the United States, there are 180 school days in a year (college/universities often shorter).Private schools tend to be 180 days a year, but sometimes more or less.
All public schools from grades K-12 have the following breaks/holidays:
- Fall Break - about 2 to 3 days to one week in the fall, generally around Mid to late October (depending on region)
- Thanksgiving Holiday - End of November (Thanksgiving Day & Day after - Wednesday is half day)
- Christmas/Holiday Break - Varies, usually starts the Saturday of Christmas week and ends the first Monday after the New Year's Day.
- Winter Break - one week in February or March (depending on region)
- Easter/Spring Break - Lazarus Saturday to Easter Sunday (depending on region, it may last until Easter Monday)
- Summer Break - About 10 to 12 weeks (either from end of May to end of August, or end of June to day after Labor Day in early September - depending on region and state).
- All federal and state holidays, including religious holidays (such as Good Friday, and sometimes Jewish/Islamic holidays) - depending on school demographic.
- Teacher's Day off (convention) - 2 to 3 days any day in school calendar.
- Snow Days (In regions where it snows in winter) - usually given few days, but it could be make up if schools are having many snow days.
Most colleges and universities have the following breaks/holidays:
- Thanksgiving Holiday - End of November (The week of Thanksgiving)
- Christmas/Holiday & Winter break - December 23 to mid/end of January (Winter classes could be taken after New Year).
- Spring Break - one week in March or April.
- Summer Break - Early/mid of May to day after Labor day in early September (Summer classes could be taken).
- Major federal/state holidays
- Snow Days (In regions where it snows in winter) - usually given few days, and no days to make up.
Most colleges and universities are divided into two semesters in a school year.
The first starting from day after Labor Day in early September until December 23, and the second starting middle or end of January until early/mid May. Winter and summer classes could be taken in between the breaks.
China (People's Republic Of China)
Summer holidays usually begin in mid July–early September. The Chinese new yearChinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
is also a school holiday.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong summer holidays last from mid-June to the end of August. Christmas, Lunar New Year and Easter holidays last usually for one and a half weeks.India
In India, summer vacations starts around Late May and ends at approximately Late July. Typically, summer vacations start with the conclusion of final exams and end with the commencement of admissions for the next year.A separate Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
vacation is given to students for approximately ten days during the festival of Diwali, which typically comes after the end of one school term. Therefore there are lots of holidays for many Indian special occasions like Holi.
India has almost 17 public holidays, Apart from the summer break, depends upon the regional state students have term break which is minimum one week. Usually December has half yearly term leave which is almost 20 days.
Japan
In Japan, school holidays take place from the end of March through the beginning of April, from the end of July until the end of August, and over the New Year period from December 24th to January 7th.Malaysia
School holidays in Malaysia starts from around the middle of November until January 3rd or 4th.Philippines
In the Philippines, school holidays or summer holidays starts from the 3rd week of March until the 1st to 3rd week of June. There is also a semester break from the last week of October until the 3rd of November & Christmas break from the 3rd Friday of December until the first Wednesday of January. This academic year, 2011-2012, the school started last June 6, 2011 in all public schools in the Philippines while private schools started school from June 6-17 & it is varied by private school.Austria
In Austria, the summer holidays are mostly between early July and early September. There is no Autumn break but , Easter break (lasts for 10 days), Christmas break (from December 24 until January 6) and the mid-term break ( February) which lasts for a week and the Whitsun break which lasts for 4 days including the weekend. There are also four free days during Pentecost and various free days during religious holidays (assumption day, ascension day, Corpus Christi etc.).Czech Republic
In Czech Republic, summer holidays begin at the end of school year on June 30 and end at the start of the school year in first week of September. Then there are autumn holidays, it is two days plus October 28 (day of creating Czechoslovakia). The winter (Christmas) holidays last usually from December 22 to January 2. There is also half term one day holiday on 31.1. The spring holidays are a week long and takes range from February to march, depending on region, sometimes they continue with Easter holidays (the green Thursday, great Friday and Easter Monday). There are also free days such as May 1 and May 8 and September 28. The school director also have right to add up to three more free days during school year. The school holidays are determined by Ministry of Schools for each school year and are valid for every basic and high school.Estonia
In EstoniaEstonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, summer holidays last for three months from June to August. Christmas holidays last for two weeks, autumn and spring holidays both are one week.
Germany
In Germany, summer holidays are mostly between July and late August with regional differences. Some regions begin as early as beginning / mid June, some end as late as start of September. They last 6 weeks. Other holidays are around Easter (2 weeks), in autumn (2 weeks) as well as mid- to end-December to the beginning of January (2 weeks). Depending on the state, further holidays can be around Pentecost or in winter between the first and the second half of the school year.Greece
In Greece, summer holidays are between June and September. There is no standard date when holidays begin but this usually happens between June 10 and 20. However, holidays always end on September 11.Ireland
The dates for the start and the end of the school year at both primary and post-primary level are not fixed. However, due to the start of certificate exams, post-primary schools are usually not open for tuition after the Friday before the June public holiday (the first Monday in June) in any year. The school year generally starts in the week that 1 September falls every year.In Ireland students have mid-term breaks in October and February, which last one week. There are two-week breaks during the Christmas/New Year period as well as at Easter. Summer holidays start around the last week of May or the first week of June, and end around the last week in August or the first week in September. The Junior Certificate
Junior Certificate
The Junior Certificate is an educational qualification awarded in Ireland by the Department of Education to students who have successfully completed the junior cycle of secondary education, and achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cert. examinations...
and Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
exams start on the first Wednesday in June, and last for two and a half weeks, intruding on students' summer holidays.
Italy
In Italy, most school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Instruction, University and Research, and are valid for all public schools of every order and grade. Summer school holidays take place between half June up to the second week of September, except for those students who have to undergo final exams in the Elementary, Middle and Superior schools, as those exams can go on for as far as the second week of July. Christmas holidays take start every year on December 23 and end on the first or second working day past January 6; other holidays include one week around Easter as well as one day on December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate ConceptionFeast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and the Republic of the...
), two days for October 31 and November 1 (All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
), the national holidays of April 25 (Liberation day
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
) and June 2 (Republic Day), as well as the Workers' Day
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries...
(May 1). Locally, school authorities have freedom upon the establishment of the lessons calendar to concede further vacation days for particularly important local recurrences (ex. for the local Patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
day).
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, summer holidays last for six weeks for elementary schools and seven weeks for high schools. The country is divided in three regions which start their summer holidays one week after another. Summer holidays usually start in early July and ends in mid or late August. Dutch elementary and high school students also have a one week autumn holiday in mid October, two weeks of ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
holidays, usually the last two weeks of December, as well as one week "crocus holidays" in February (for the south during Carnaval
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
), and one or two weeks of "May holidays", which spans a period of national holidays such as Queen's Day
Queen's Day
Queen's Day may refer to:*Koninginnedag, a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba*Queene's Day, a celebration of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I...
(April 30), Remembrance of the Dead
Remembrance of the Dead
Remembrance of the Dead is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II....
(May 4) and Liberation Day
Liberation Day
Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day. Liberation marks the date of either a revolution, as in Cuba, or the end of an occupation by another state, thereby differing from independence in the meaning of secession from...
(May 5) and sometimes includes Ascension Day and Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
.
Norway
In Norway, school holidays vary by region. Generally, the school year starts around the third week of August. Most regions have a week off in the beginning of October (weeks 40 or 41). Christmas holidays start some days before Christmas Eve and end in the first week of January. There is one week of winter vacation in late February (weeks 8 or 9). Easter holiday is from Palm Sunday to Easter Monday or a day or two later, and Summer holidays begin some days before midsummer. http://www.ks.no/tema/Skole-og-oppvekst/Grunnskole/Skoleruta-2010-2011/Poland
All public schools have the following breaks/holidays:- November 1 - All Saints Day, 1 day break
- November 11 - Independence Day, 1 day break
- january 6 - the Ephiphany, 1 day break
- Christmas Break - December 23 to first day of school week after New Year's
- Winter Break - two weeks in January or February (depending on region)
- Easter Break - usually friday before Easter Sunday to Easter Monday
- May Break - May 1 (Labor Day), May 2 (Polish Flag Day) and May 3 (Constitution of May 3rd)
- Corpus Christi - one day in May or June (depending on year)
- Summer Break - usually last week of June to 1st week of September, school year starts at September 1 (or the first school week day after)
Slovakia
In Slovakia, summer holidays begin at the end of school year on June 30 and end at the start of the school year in first week of September. Then there are autumn holidays, end of October. The winter (Christmas) holidays last usually from December 22 to January 2. There is also half term one day holiday on 31.1. The spring holidays are a week long and takes range from February to march, depending on region. Next are Easter holidays (the green Thursday, great Friday and Easter Monday). There are also free days such as May 1 and May 8, September 1, 15, November 17. The school director also have right to add up to three more free days during school year. The school holidays are determined by Ministry of Schools for each school year and are valid for every basic and high school.Sweden
In Sweden, the curriculum year starts around mid or late August (September 1 at the universities). The week before All saint's day (a Saturday around November 1) primary and secondary school students have an autumn holiday. Christmas Holiday starts around December 18–21, depending on which day of the week December 24(the day Swedes celebrate Christmas) occurs. It usually ends in the second week of January (January 6 is also a public holiday). In the 8th–10th weeks after New year primary and secondary school students have one week of winter vacation, which week depending on location in Sweden. Easter public holidays last four days from Friday till Monday. Easter school holidays are either the week preceding Easter or the week immediately following, depending on location. Primary and secondary school summer holidays last about ten weeks starting the second week of June.United Kingdom
School holidays vary in the countries of the United Kingdom . In England & Wales summer holidays are usually 5 to 8 weeks long and start in mid to late July, ending in early September. Schools have Christmas and Easter holidays, both usually lasting about two weeks. The school year is split up into three sections (Autumn term, the time at school between Summer and Christmas; Spring term, between Christmas and Easter; Summer term, between Easter and the end of the year in Summer) and roughly halfway through each term pupils will get one week off school, known as half-term. In Scotland summer holidays are about 7 weeks long from the end of June. In Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
summer holidays usually begin near the end of June and continue until the start of September.
Scotland
In Scotland, there are a number of school holidays. The academic year usually begins on the third week of August, this period up until Christmas is known as Autumn Term. In October, there are two weeks off, which is the halfway point between Summer and Christmas holidays. The Christmas holiday usually begins a few days before December 25 and ends a few days after January 5. Again, there is between 2 days and a week off half way through the term (Spring Term) and a 2 week break for Easter. After Easter is Summer term
Summer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
and the 3rd half term break is the half way point to the summer holidays. Summer itself usually begins towards the end of June for most pupils in years 1–7 and secondary years 1–3. Year 4, 5, and 6 leave at the end of May, after exams.
Australia
In most Australian schoolsPublic and private education in Australia
Schools in Australia can be classified according to sources of funding and administrative structures. There are two broad categories of school in Australia: Public schools and Private schools, the latter of which can be further subdivided into Catholic schools and Independent...
there are four terms separated by breaks. The summer holiday starts in mid-December and lasts until late January for most schools. In the last year of school, however, the term ends in November; for those who go on to university, the term starts in March. There is a two-week autumn holiday in April (often incorporating the Easter public holidays), and another two weeks in July in winter. The spring break, or "September Holidays", is also two weeks, typically from late September. The main exception to the four-term structure is Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, which has three academic terms, with school holidays in early June and September.
Common practices and effects
Winter holidays for most children are a time to relax, enjoy themselves, and catch up on studies; along with to spend time with family or relatives; the old purpose of the winter break, to free children to help with the harvest, is rarely relevant in modern times, but still is common in farming and rural families. Many families travel together on school holidays.School holidays have many effects on a country, ranging from the price of travel and holiday accommodation, which increase as demand increases while children are off school, to an decreased crime rate. Traffic congestion and heavy passenger loads on public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
on school run
School run
The School Run is a modern phenomenon associated with parents taking their children to school by car. Outside most British schools parents park cars near the school gates and drop off and pick up their children at the appropriate times....
routes may be worse on school days during term time. The number of families taking holidays away from urban areas can reduce traffic and use of public transport in cities while loading long-distance highways and means of transport.
In some countries, including Germany, France and Australia, where many families travel to their holiday destinations, the start and end dates of school holidays in different region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
s are staggered
Staggered
In organic chemistry, a staggered conformation is a chemical conformation of an ethane-like moiety abcX-Ydef in which the substituents a,b,and c are at the maximum distance from d,e,and f...
to reduce the heavy traffic and pressure on means of transport that would otherwise occur on these dates.