holiday

a holiday of not less than 24 hours.

A day of cessation from labor; a day when public business is suspended; a nonjudicial day. Primarily the term meant a "holy day," or religious festival. In modern usage it indicates a secular day on which, by stat^ute, public business is suspended. It does not appropriately include Sunday. 51 N. J. Law, 255.

A religious festival; a day set apart for commemorating some important event in history; a day of exemption from labor. Webster. A day upon which the usual operations of business are suspended and the courts closed, and, generally, no legal process is served.

— Legal holiday. A day designated by law as exempt from judicial proceedings, service of process, demand and protest of commercial paper, etc.

— Public holiday. A legal holiday.

A religions festival; a day set apart for commemoraling some important aventin history;a day of exemption from labor. Welster. A day upon which the usual operations of business are suspended and the courts closed, and, generally, no legal process is served.

A secular day on which the law exempts all persons from the performance of contracts for labor or other personal service, from attendance at court, and from attention to legal proceedings. Legal or public holidays are appointed by statute law, or are authorized by custom having the foi'ce of law. These are New Year's day, Washington's birthday, Decoration day, Independence day, Thanlisgiving day, Christmas day; in some States good Friday; general election' days; and other days appointed by the President or the governor of the State for thanksgiving, fasting, or other observance. On these days public business is suspended, and the presentment and protest of paper is excused, as on Sunday. Falling on Sunday, the Monday succeeding is generall.v observed; paper becoming due on such Monday is payable on the Saturday preceding. Paper due on Decoration day or Good Friday is generally payable on.the secular day next previous thereto.^ The observance of a holiday binds no man's conscience. It is bis privilege to labor or not, as he prefers." The expression " legal holiday " of itself imports a dies non juridicus ^ See Sunday. ' Montclair Township v. Ramsdell, ante. >See 8 Bl. Com. 150; 3 id. 210; Pickard v. Kleis, 66 Mich, eoi (1885). » See Penn. Acts 25 May, 1874, 12 April, 1869, 8 April, 1873; N. Y. Stat. 1873, c. 577. < Richardson v. Goddard, 23 How. 43, 41 (1859).