holy day
holy day — noun
1. a day that a particular religion sets apart for worship, ceremonies, and celebra
a day that a particular religion sets apart for worship, ceremonies, and celebration — often involving special foods, traditional activities, and gatherings specific to that faith's calendar
Hari's family prepares traditional sweets every year for Diwali, their most important holy day.
collocation: most important holy day
During the holy day of Eid al-Fitr, Nia's family visits neighbours and shares special dishes.
pattern: holy day of [festival name]
Liang's class learned about Vesak, the Buddhist holy day that celebrates the birth of Buddha.
Renata's grandmother bakes Saint Lucy bread only on that particular holy day each December.
Many shops close early on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
- festival
broader — can be secular or religious; 'harvest festival', 'music festival'
- feast day
more specific to Christian traditions, especially Catholic and Orthodox calendars
- religious observance
more formal; often used in academic or official descriptions rather than conversation
- ordinary day
a regular weekday without religious significance
- working day
a day when normal business and labour occur
文法句型
holy day of [festival name]
[possessive determiner] + holy day
on + holy day
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of' and the festival name ('the holy day of Diwali') or used with a possessive ('their holy day'). Not to be confused with 'holiday', which in modern English usually means any day off work or school regardless of religious meaning.
常見錯誤
2. a designated day in the Catholic tradition — distinct from Sunday — when the fai
a designated day in the Catholic tradition — distinct from Sunday — when the faithful must attend Mass and avoid ordinary work, carrying the same religious weight as a Sunday
Pedro attends Mass on Sundays and also on holy days of obligation throughout the year.
collocation: holy day of obligation
Matthew checked the church calendar for holy days that would fall on a Monday.
collocation: church calendar / holy days
Kian's employer gives Catholic staff the day off on holy days to attend Mass.
Putri attended Mass at the town cathedral on that holy day and lit a candle.
- feast day
general Christian term; not all feast days are days of obligation
- day of obligation
shorter technical term used among Catholics; omits 'holy' but means the same
- ferial day
a weekday in the Catholic calendar that has no special feast or obligation
文法句型
holy day of obligation
a holy day in the Catholic Church
on + holy day + of obligation
用法筆記
The formal Catholic term is 'holy day of obligation'. The phrase is countable: 'a holy day of obligation', 'holy days of obligation'. These days are listed by the Church's canon law and vary slightly by country.