Vacations are ... Origin and interpretation of the word

What is a vacation? This word is familiar even to a first-grader who hardly crossed the threshold of the school. Why are periods free from studies so-called? It's very clear and simple with the holidays for the employees and employees. Let go to rest - it means, they provided a long weekend. A vacation? Although it sounds beautiful, it's completely incomprehensible how the word was formed and from where it appeared in the Russian language.

Echoes of Greek and Roman mythology

Anyone who likes to look at the night sky, probably knows the name of the brightest star - is Sirius, located in the constellation of the Great Dog. As scientists believe, the name of the star comes from the Greek word sirios, which meant "hot, scorching." In the period from mid-July to the last days of September, when the distance between Sirius and the Sun becomes minimal, Greece is in unbearable heat. The ancient Greeks believed that it was the brightest star of the sky that sent the summer heat to the earth. Therefore, the entire period was called by the name of a scorching star.

No less hot in the summer and in ancient Rome. But since the Romans affectionately called the "dog" (in Latin canus), the sultry months were called "dog days" (dies caniculares). At this time, the city residents sought to move closer to nature, the Roman Parliament ceased its work, the pupils of schools were dismissed to their homes, that is, the holidays were coming. This word was borrowed in some other European languages to refer to especially hot summer days. True, it was used in the singular - "vacation".

The best time of year for students and schoolchildren

In Russia, there were practically no public educational institutions until the 17th century. The noble children were taught specially hired teachers and tutors, for the rest the path to education was closed.

Only with the advent of the first schools on the European model did it become necessary to choose a word that denotes time free from study. And it was not a vacation at all. This concept entered the Russian language only towards the end of the XIX century, and earlier the annual "holidays" of schoolchildren were called vacancies, that is borrowed from the French language by the word vacances.

In the old days, as now, students of various educational institutions were getting rest from classes several times a year. But since summer vacancies were longer, it was required to find a separate word for them. That's when they remembered about the Roman "vacation", for convenience, giving the term plural, like the already familiar at that time "vacancies".

As we see, the interpretation of the word "vacation" is rather complicated, but very interesting. In this familiar name for us, ancient myths, names of stars and the first ideas of people about the influence of heavenly bodies on the earth's climate intertwined.