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Chapter 6
Days of Observance Functions |
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This chapter discusses the concept of a ''day of observance," outlines some approaches for classifying them, and demonstrates the implementation of important exemplars. |
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A day of observance within a calendar is a date given special status, normally designated with a name, associated with certain rituals or accepted forms of celebration and observed at some time or times within the calendar year by a rule that determines the date. |
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This term is a broad one, which includes the idea of "holiday" but is not restricted to it. Not all days of observance are holidays, or "days off." |
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The word holiday is a contraction of the phrase "holy day" and therefore carries an originally religious connotation. In the context of modern society, the term generally designates a day on which most people are not required to work. |
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This section focuses primarily on days of observance found in the Western calendar, creates a rather arbitrary scheme for classifying them, and outlines a set of rules to generate them. Section 6.3. considers days of observance in other calendars. This section is more detailed for two reasons: |
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There is simply a much greater variety of rules and situations defining days of observance in the Western calendar than in other calendars. |
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The audience for this work is primarily Western. |
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