SummerSummer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
vacation (also called
six weeks holiday,
summer holidays (UK) or
summer break) is a
vacationSchool 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.- Christmas holiday :In countries with a predominantly Judeo-Christian...
in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.
Students
In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports,
summer campSummer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
s, and attend
summer schoolSummer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....
s. They may also hang out with friends.
High schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students sometimes visit
collegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
campusA campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es but that usually occurs during college weekend or spring break. It is also typical for teenagers to get a job during the summer vacation in order to raise some money. Many parents take time off work, in order to go on a family vacation during the summer. Some churches have a program called
Vacation Bible SchoolVacation Bible School is a specialized form of religious education which focuses on children. Churches usually hold the week long events during the summer, though the lengths of such programs may vary, and they are sometimes held during other times of the year.-History:The origins of Vacation...
to educate students about the Christian religion with a laid back atmosphere in the summer. Local libraries may have activities to help students brush up on reading. Students during the summer may do summer recreational activities, take up new hobbies and develop new interests, travel, and many other things. Many counties have their
county fair"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
or
carnivalCarnaval 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...
which gives the opportunity for students to congregate before school starts. At the end of the summer vacation, back to school shopping gives students opportunity to make an impression to their peers on the first day of school with new clothing, along with the time to get school supplies.
Criticisms and support
Canada only gets 2 months off because students supposedly forget large amounts of information learned in the past year (
See: Summer learning lossSummer learning loss is the loss in academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. The loss in learning varies across grade level, subject matter, and family income. A common finding across numerous studies is that on average, students score lower on standardized tests at the...
).
Other education reformers believed that children were overstimulated in a system which required 48 weeks of schooling. They believe that over-schooling could lead to
nervous disordersAnxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
, depression, and
insanityInsanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
. They believe that children need the 2–3 months off to relax and also to take a break from other childhood stresses associated with school such as
peer pressurePeer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member , or a social clique...
,
cliqueA clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
s, bullying, and the pressure of heavy loads of schoolwork and
homeworkHomework, or homework assignment, refers to tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside of class. Common homework assignments may include a quantity or period of reading to be performed, writing or typing to be completed, problems to be solved, a school project to be built...
.
Some critics of summer vacation point out that American students spend approximately 180 days per year in school, but Asian students are in school for 240 to 250 days. However, in certain Asian countries, like Singapore, students there from primary to secondary education get a week of holidays in March, a month in June, another week in September and a month and a half in November to December, meaning that Singaporean students spend around 200 days a year in school, not 240 to 250. This is consistent with the conclusions of researchers who suggest that advanced abilities are in proportion to the time spent learning.
Though many people in Asian Countries do spend more time in school per year than in most places of the world, the students there also have some of the highest suicide rates among students in the world.
By country
- In Australia, the Summer season officially lasts from December to February, and therefore coincides with the Christmas and New Year holidays. The dates of Australian school holidays (the term used, rather than "vacation") are determined by each state's Department of Education, the Summer (also known as Christmas) holidays being the longest in duration. Typically Christmas or Summer holidays in Australia last approximately six weeks, usually from around December 20 (depending on school year, see below) to the last few days of January. While significantly shorter than the North American Summer vacation, Australian schools also break for two weeks at Easter, and in June and September, giving students and teachers a total of twelve weeks of annual holidays. In many public schools, years 10 through 12 will finish before December 20, allowing time to complete exam marking and results. Year 10 commonly finishes at the end of November, Year 11 at the end of October, and year 12 also at the end of October after 3 weeks of end-of-year exams. This can bring the normal 12 weeks of vacation to 20 weeks of vacation. The intervening periods of school operation are called "School Terms", each term lasting approximately ten weeks. All Australian states have relatively similar holiday periods, but there is the ability for this to change around, such as for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth games, when the first term in Victorian schools was shortened to 6 weeks and the other subsequently extended to 12 weeks due to severe disruptions to the public and private bus networks used by school students. Most private schools in Australia have up to four weeks of additional holidays, due to their longer teaching hours during term.
- In Austria, summer vacation varies by region. School usually ends in late June, while in some schools the school year lasts until early July.
- In Belgium, summer lasts from July 1 until August 31.
- In Brazil summer break starts at early December and ends on early February, sometimes being delayed until the week after Brazilian 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...
.
- In Bulgaria, summer vacation starts on June 15th and ends on September 15th.
- In Canada, the first day of summer vacation for public schools is the Thursday before the last Friday of June. This may vary in Quebec (re earlier due to provincial June 24 holiday). In some areas, that Thursday is a half-day. The last day of summer vacation is Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. It can vary in Private schools. School generally resumes the day after Labor Day (in September). Most have two weeks of vacation for Christmas and New Years, and a week for Spring Break (usually March).
- In Colombia, summer vacation varies. Because of Colombia's location north of the equator (technically meaning summer in June–September, see Climate of Colombia
The Climate of Colombia is characterized for being tropical and isothermal as a result of its geographical location near the Equator presenting variations within five natural regions and depending on the altitude, temperature, humidity, winds and rainfall...
for more information), school usually ends around July and often begins around September. Due to more warmer weather during the winter (primarily in the south of the Country), some schools may also rather end in November and begin in February.
- In Croatia, the final exams are usually taken around June 15 and school begins on the first Monday after September 1.
- In the Czech Republic, summer holiday begins on July 1 and ends on August 31.
- In Denmark, summer break lasts from the end of June and ends in the start or middle of August. It is different depending on the level of the school. If it is high school (college) it is most likely to be in the beginning and for younger students it can be in the middle.
- In England and Wales, summer holidays usually start in mid-July for state schools, and last until the first week of September – normally a duration of about seven weeks for. In addition, schools have three one-week-long half-term breaks (one at the end of October, one in mid February and one in late May) as well as two weeks off for Christmas and two weeks off for Easter – bringing the total number of weeks off per year to 14. Dates in the independent sector are likely to differ in that schools typically offer an extra week's holiday at the beginning and end of each of the long vacations – i.e. four weeks for Christmas and Easter and eight weeks in summer. Although at Summer students can get up to 10 weeks off due to extended vacation.
- In Estonia, summer holidays start in the beginning of June, the date ranging for different grades. School begins every year on September 1.
- In Finland, summer vacation starts on Saturday in late May, or in the beginning of June. The vacation lasts for 2 months. Usually, school starts again on August 14–20.
- In France, summer vacation usually consist of July and August (2 months).
- In Germany, summer vacation lasts six weeks. The exact dates vary between states, but are consistent within each state.
- In Greece, the summer vacation lasts for almost three months. Schools close on June 16th – 19th and reopen on September 11th. Universities generally close mid-July but with great differences between faculties.
- In Hungary, summer vacation usually lasts from June 15 (after the school ends on June 15) to September 1 (when school starts again).
- In Iceland the summer vacation starts 28 May if the winter vacation is not taken but if it is taken, the summer vacation starts 4 June.
- In India, summer vacation varies. In northern India, school ends on the 1st of May and begins on the 1st of July. While in southern India, school ends on the last week of March and begins in June. But some schools hold extra classes for 10th grade from May till June for students of classes preparing for Board exams.
- In Israel, summer vacation for junior high schools (7th–9th grade) and high schools (10th–12th grade) starts on June 21st. Elementary schools (1st–6th grade) and kindergartens vacation starts on July 1st. It lasted till the end of August until 2011, but from 2012 will be shortened by five days and end on August 26th.
- In Italy, summer vacation for elementary, middle and high school normally starts on the second week of June and lasts until the first week of September included, for a total of three months. For kindergartens, summer vacation starts at beginning of July and lasts until the first week of September included. Final term examinations for middle school and high school are held until the end of June.
- In Japan, the summer vacation generally lasts for an entire month, and due to the way education in Japan is structured
In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lower secondary levels. Approximately 98% of all students progress to the upper secondary level, which is voluntary . Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper...
, it takes place within a school year.
- In Lithuania, school ends at the start of June and begins in September.
- In Malaysia, final term examinations begin in October, at times in September. The term ends usually around November 15, this marks the beginning of the vacation. A new term begins a day or two, sometimes a week after the New Year. This applies to kindergarten, elementary and high schools.
- In Mexico, summer vacation usually starts in the final weeks of June and students return back to school in late August. In addition, Mexican children get 2–3 weeks of Winter vacation around Christmas and New Year, and 2 weeks of Easter Break.
- In Mongolia the summer vacation starts at the start of June and ends on the last day of August.
- In the Netherlands, summer vacation is shorter than anywhere else in Europe. It usually starts in July (depending on the region) and lasts for 6 or 7 weeks.
- In New Zealand, the summer vacation for primary school students typically starts around December 20, and ends around February 7. For junior secondary school students (Years 9 and 10), school holidays typically start one week before primary school students. Senior secondary school students (Years 11, 12, and 13) officially start their summer holidays at the same time as the junior secondary school students, but the summer holidays for them start in mid-November, in the week before the first NCEA
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement is, since 2004, the official secondary school qualification in New Zealand.It has three levels, corresponding to the levels within the National Qualifications Framework, and these are generally studied in each of the three final years of...
exams.
- In Nigeria, summer vacation begins on December 1 and ends on February 2. Students also take a winter break (June–July), and spring break (October).
- In Northern Ireland, most schools summer vacation starts at the beginning of July & runs through to the start of September, except for students doing exams (GCSE and A-Levels), who get off at the start of May on "Study-Leave" and do the exams sometime in June, but still have the same Summer as those not doing exams.
- In Norway, summer vacation typically lasts from mid June to mid August, for a minimum of 8 weeks.
- In Pakistan, summer vacation starts from May 31, as annual examinations or semesters in schools, colleges and universities of the country end during the month, and last till the end of July owing to extreme summer.
- In Pakistan, summer vacations lasts for almost 3 months but it varies with the type of school. As in Pakistan there are Public Schools and private schools, both type of schools have different schedules for summer vacations. On average there are 2 months of vacations starting from Mid of June to Mid of August.
- In the People's Republic of China, summer holidays start in early to mid July and often end in September.
- In the Philippines, summer holidays for kindergarten, elementary, and high schools typically start on the third or last week of March and ends in the first week of June. This coincides the country's tropical summer months which span from March to May. Colleges and universities, however, offer summer classes for students who wants to take advanced subjects or those who fail to pass the prerequisites for the next school year. School year begins in the second week of June, the start of Philippines' wet season.
- In Poland, summer vacation starts on the first Saturday after June 18 and ends on the first weekday of September.
- In Portugal, summer vacation starts almost in the ending of June, and finish in the middle of September.
- In the Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, most secondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s get off for Summer on the last week of May or first week in June and don't return until the first or week in September. They also receive around two weeks for Easter and around another two weeks for ChristmasChristmas 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...
and New YearThe New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, as well as another week around HalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
(called "Mid-Term") and another few days (usually 1 or 2) for St. Patrick's Day. Most schools also get every Bank HolidayA bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
off. Students doing exams (Junior Cert and Leaving Cert) have to come in some days during June to sit their exams but otherwise have the same break as those not doing exams. Primary schools in the Republic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
follow the same pattern, though only get off for Summer at the end of June.
- In Russia, summer vacation starts on May 25 (for 1st–8th and 10th grades) and usually end on September 1. For 9th and 11th grades, due to exams (EGE), the vacation starts in the middle (9th grade) or in the end (11th grade) of June.
- In Romania, summer vacation starts on June 15 and ends on September 15.
- In Saudi Arabia the summer vacation starts at the end of June and ends in the middle of September.
- In Scotland, school summer holidays can start from June 27 to July 2 depending on the day of the week and last for about six weeks, with most schools returning on August 20. In addition to summer holidays, Scottish schools have one week in October, two weeks at Christmas and two weeks at Easter. They also have a week off in Mid-February. They have two bank holidays in May, and one in September wraps it up for school holidays. Scottish schools get the fewest days off in the whole of the United Kingdom.
- In Singapore, secondary school start school holidays from November 1. Primary school start school holidays from 4th week of November. These will end on the New Year's Day (very similar to Christmas worldwide#Singapore)
- In Slovakia, summer break lasts from June 30 until September 1.
- In Slovenia, the final exams are usually taken on June 25 and school begins on September 1.
- In South Africa, summer holidays usually begin around early December and end during late January to early February. Winter Break lasts from June to July, and 10 days of Easter holidays.
- In South Korea, summer vacation starts from 3rd week of July. Schools reopen in the last week of August.
- In Spain, the school year finishes on June 22 and begins on September 1–15. Vacation varies by region.
- In Sweden, summer vacation is between the spring and autumn term. It last from early June to mid/late August (a minimum of 10 weeks, differs for each county). In Sweden, students end their term either at a church or in their school, singing traditional summer songs like Den blomstertid nu kommer
Den blomstertid nu kommer is a Swedish hymn, traditionally credited to Israel Kolmodin. The origin of the hymn is, however, debated. It was first published in the 1695 Swedish Hymnal....
(only the first 2 verses).
- In Tunisia, summer vacation for the middle school (7th–9th grade) and high school starts on 1st of June and ends at September 14. Primary schools are off to vacation on the 15th of June and end at September 14.
- In the United Kingdom, the summer holidays last from late June until late August.
- In the United States, summer vacation varies depending on the region. The dates vary depending on the location of the school district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
, with two major formats. One is from mid-June (from about a week before to about the date of the northern solstice to Labor Day, the other major format being from late May (traditionally near Memorial DayMemorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
to mid-August. The early format is most popular in the central and southern portions of the country. In addition, students usually get a week off in late November for ThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
and two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's (students on the early summer format will have this break at the exact half way point of the year, while those on the late format will have this time off while the term is in progress, with the half way point in late January with no break at that time.) Students also usually get a week off in late March or April and a week or half a week off near President's Day.
- In Uruguay, summer holidays usually begin in early December, and finish in early March (3 months). However, students do not have much holidays throughout the school year, having only one week for Easter Holidays
"Easter Holidays" was composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1787. It is one of his earliest known poems and was included in a letter to his brother Luke. The poem describes the joy of Easter but also warns of possible future sorrows after one loses his innocence...
, another week for Spring Holidays, and two weeks for Winter HolidaysWinter Holidays is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque and Giuliano Carnimeo , based on story by Oreste Biancoli...
.
- In The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan, summer vacation lasts almost 3 months and most schools take summer vacation from mid June to September.
- In Turkey, summer vacation starts in mid June and ends in mid September.