Lesson35 Holidays and Vacations in the US
In some countries, holidays and vacations are the same thing. That is because people in those countries take their vacations only when there is a holiday. But that is not necessarily how it is done in the United States.
In America, holidays are simply days set aside for the celebration of a particular event, such as historical or religious commemorations. The word holiday originally meant "holy day," signifying an important day on the religious calendar. Today, however, the word has nothing to do with religion.
There are holidays of both religious and secular significance. The religious holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, are well known because they are shared by the many countries of the Christian world. But there are many secular holidays, too, such as Veteran's Day, Memorial Day and Labour Day. Holidays
like these were established to honour persons who have served their nation or died in the service of their country and those whose labour makes the country strong.
All of these are holidays, but they aren't vacations.
Vacations are usually longer than holidays. A person on vacation often travels out of town to see the country, or to visit relatives, and might be gone for several weeks or longer. They almost always use paid vacation time, and they must, of course, first get permission from their employer.
Sometimes vacations are taken together with holidays, especially during the "holiday season." This starts with Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November, and ends with New Year's Day.

commemoration 纪念, 纪念会
secular 世俗的, 非宗教的

美国的节日和假日
在有些国家，节日和假日是一回事，因为在这些国家里，人们只有在节日时才会有假日。但是在美国情况却不一定是这样。
在美国，节日是用来庆祝某一特殊事件的，例如历史或者宗教纪念活动。“节日”这个词在英语中的原义是“神圣的日子”，指的是宗教日历上的重要日子。然而，这个词现在与宗教没有任何关系。
有些节日具有宗教意义，有些没有。宗教节日例如圣诞节和复活节是为人所熟知的，因为它们在基督教世界的许多国家都有庆祝活动。但是也有一些非宗教的节日，例如退伍军人节、阵亡将士纪念日和劳动节。设立这些节日是用来纪念那些为曾经服务祖国的人们、为国捐躯的人们和为祖国的强大而辛苦劳作的人们。
所有这些都是节日，但不是假日。假日通常比节日持续时间要长。度假的人经常要外出旅游观光或者探亲访友，可能要离开几个星期或者更长的时间。他们几乎都是带薪度假，当然要事先征得老板的同意。
有时候，度假的时间和节日刚好重合，特别是在圣诞节前后的“度假旺季”里，即从感恩节，十一月的第四个星期四，一直到元旦这段时间。