I hope you had a good holiday season. This is how many of my emails begin this month. However, the meaning of "holiday season" is slightly elusive. In our society, the festive period typically starts in late November and ends in early January. This doesn’t mean we celebrate non-stop throughout these weeks. The famous English 18th-century carol is more precise, counting exactly the Twelve Days of Christmas, with one gift given each day. It does not, however, account for how quickly supermarkets and retailers pivot to preparing for the next round of holidays—Valentine's Day and Easter.
Important holidays tend to be the longer ones. Ramadan lasts for a month. Easter is celebrated for 50 days in the Catholic Church calendar. The Maha Kumbh Mela festival in northern India stretches ov Show more
