From db36706ea85c5021e0b0635e36edaff26f476ea0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Phil Peble Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:03:53 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Clarify that formal holidays are what is commonly called statutory holidays Signed-off-by: Phil Peble --- README.md | 2 ++ doc/SYNTAX.md | 2 +- 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 1748fde0..918316f1 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ Currently it is only used by the [existing Holidays gem](https://github.com/holi definitions and generates ruby classes for use in that gem. In the future it will be used by other languages in a similar manner. +By default the definitions in this repository represent **statutory holidays** — government-defined observances. Holidays that are culturally recognized but not enshrined in law (such as Valentine's Day) are marked `type: informal` and are only returned when the consumer explicitly requests them. See the [Syntax Guide](doc/SYNTAX.md#formalinformal) for details. + **Please note** that this is _not_ a gem. The validation process is written in ruby simply for convenience. The real stars of this show are the YAML files. diff --git a/doc/SYNTAX.md b/doc/SYNTAX.md index b6978190..f04774b7 100644 --- a/doc/SYNTAX.md +++ b/doc/SYNTAX.md @@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Non-standard regions (e.g. `ecbtarget`, `federalreserve`, etc) must be all one w #### `formal`/`informal` -We consider `formal` dates as government-defined holidays. These could be the kinds of holidays where everyone stays home from work or perhaps are bank holidays but it is *not required* for a holiday to have these features to be considered formal. +We consider `formal` dates as government-defined holidays — what is commonly called **statutory** holidays. These could be the kinds of holidays where everyone stays home from work or perhaps are bank holidays but it is *not required* for a holiday to have these features to be considered formal. `Informal` holidays are holidays that everyone knows about but aren't enshrined in law. For example, Valentine's Day in the US is considered an informal holiday.