when the day off falls
2019-09-29
Many countries' holidays weren't designed for the present day. Declaring a fixed calendar date a holiday and a day off isn't always convenient for people: in some years the date lands on a weekend anyway, or on an awkward workday.
For example, October 1 is Teachers and Mentors Day, and on that day all of Uzbekistan rests (not just the teachers). This year the day off lands on a Tuesday. Resting two days (Saturday, Sunday), working Monday, then resting again on Tuesday is not convenient for everyone. I'd rather have days off fall on a Monday or a Friday.
That's why holidays like this should be set relative to a week of the month, not a calendar date: the first Monday of October, the second Friday of May, and so on. People would get a three-day weekend every year. No more shuffling the days off around a holiday, and no uncertainty beforehand: sometimes the question "so which day do we get off?" has no answer until the holiday is almost here. Of course, international holidays like New Year and Eid are best celebrated together with the whole world.
Some holidays in the US work this way: Labor Day is the first Monday of September, Memorial Day the last Monday of May, and Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November.
Speaking of Teachers Day, an American acquaintance of mine recently made an interesting point:
Instead of hurting the economy by giving everyone the day off, wouldn't it do more good to take the tax revenue from that one day and add it to teachers' salaries...
World Teachers' Day is actually celebrated on October 5.