If the british word for vacation is holiday, what is the british word for holiday?

Question

A holiday in america is not a vacation, but a day, such as christmas, halloween, or another special day. We sometimes say "happy holidays" around christams time. I know you have bank holidays, but are those really bank vacations? What do you call those special day such as christmas and halloween, if a holiday is a vacation?

sorry to be a bother, i am just confused!

Answer 1

We use the word holiday for both actually going way somewhere (vacation) and as a term to describe time given off work or school, such as the Christmas Holidays, Summer Holidays, Half term Holidays, Easter Holidays and so on.

We would never say 'Happy Holidays' at Christmas time, not sure why Americans say this? We just say Merry Christmas =]

Answer 2

Take note - there are no "British" words, we speak English, you speak a corrupted version of the same.

Holiday - originally Holy Day - now means a non working day,

vacation is an american word.

Answer 3

I've never heard of a "marklar", and I'm English born and bred

Holidays are still called holidays. We might say "soon it's the christmas holidays", but we never say "happy holidays". When we're wishing people good wishes, we are more specific, saying "merry christmas", "happy easter" etc. Remember that the only "holidays" we have in the UK are Christmas and Easter. We don't have time off for Hallowe'en or July 4th, Labor Day etc.

Answer 4

As far as I know, we call them holidays (Holy Day) because that's the only time people used to get off to rest.  No sort of thing as a vacation... lol  Because of that we would just call the holiday by its name.  Bank holidays are a recent invention.

Answer 5

Holiday..

Like

Christmas is a holiday

and a holiday is a holiday

lol

were strange!!

Answer 6

we call days where you get time off work holidays, for example christmas

but halloween wouldnt be a holiday because its just like any other day :)

Answer 7

halloween isn't a holiday in the UK cause you don't get the day off work. Any day where you get the day off work is generally called a "Bank Holiday", we call vacation Holiday as well.

"everything in the UK is called Marklar, it get's confusing" ;-P

Answer 8

Christmas, Easter etc are often known in the UK as "public holidays".  A "bank holiday" is a specific kind of public holiday and is one of the very few days when banks are obliged by law to close.

Answer 9

Well, we have religious holidays, bank holidays and just... holidays (like taking time of work or from school).

Answer 10

we call it a 'holiday' no matter what it is lol....like a holiday is preety much when most of us are off work or when we are travelling abroad (on a holiday ol)