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• Published: 20 January 2022

Global holiday datasets for understanding seasonal human mobility and population dynamics

• Shengjie Lai   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9781-8148 1 ,
• Alessandro Sorichetta   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3576-5826 1 ,
• Jessica Steele   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6741-1195 1 ,
• Corrine W. Ruktanonchai 1 , 2 ,
• Alexander D. Cunningham 1 ,
• Grant Rogers 1 ,
• Patrycja Koper 1 ,
• Dorothea Woods 1 ,
• Maksym Bondarenko   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4958-6551 1 ,
• Nick W. Ruktanonchai 1 , 2 ,
• Weifeng Shi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-2942 3 &
• Andrew J. Tatem 1  

Scientific Data volume  9 , Article number:  17 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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Public and school holidays have important impacts on population mobility and dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales, subsequently affecting the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases and many socioeconomic activities. However, worldwide data on public and school holidays for understanding their changes across regions and years have not been assembled into a single, open-source and multitemporal dataset. To address this gap, an open access archive of data on public and school holidays in 2010–2019 across the globe at daily, weekly, and monthly timescales was constructed. Airline passenger volumes across 90 countries from 2010 to 2018 were also assembled to illustrate the usage of the holiday data for understanding the changing spatiotemporal patterns of population movements.

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17833922

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Background & Summary

Human populations are increasingly mobile, across both high- and low-income settings 1 , 2 , 3 . This also has substantial impacts on population distributions and dynamics, economies, social development and planning 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . Domestic and international movements both show significant seasonal variations across countries 10 , 11 . This seasonality of human mobility has been attributed to multiple socioeconomic and climatic drivers across the globe 12 . Among them, some determinants play a greater role than others, including school terms, religious festivals, and national holidays 13 , 14 . For example, major national public or religious holidays are associated with shifts in the scope of travel and drive particularly strong fluctuations. Increasing volumes of travel are also commonly found around Christmas in Kenya, Namibia, and the United States, while travel decreases during Ramadan in Pakistan 13 . The ‘Golden week’ holidays of the National Day and Lunar New Year in China have also witnessed massive domestic and international movements 15 . Additionally, the seasonal changes of population densities between the major holiday period (July and August) and more traditional working periods (from September to June) in Portugal and France revealed clear spatial patterns: most cities are characterized by a large decrease in population densities during the holiday period, whereas less-populated areas and well-known tourist sites show large increases 16 .

The directionality of seasonal movements may also change over the course of a year, with the relative importance of particular routes changing. For example, travel from urban to rural areas increases in December in Namibia, while reverse population movements returning to cities occur in January, suggesting travel from urban areas for Christmas and back after the holiday 3 , 13 . Additionally, human mobility also changes seasonally with school terms and breaks. For instance, the largest increase in travel volume happens around Christmas in Kenya, Namibia and the United States, in line with school holidays 13 . Air traffic further tends to peak during long public holiday periods and school breaks over summer and winter that may cross months 17 , and holidays have also been revealed to coincide with seasonal mobility patterns measured by travel surveys, novel data sources (e.g., mobile phone call detail records), and social media, among others 13 . For example, anonymous cell phone data have been used to evaluate the change in traffic patterns caused by holidays, and patterns varied each day due to holiday effects (before the holiday, during the holiday, and after the holiday) 18 .

The homogenization and synchronicity of holidays across large regions of the globe could further facilitate pathogen spread through increased travel connectivity during national holidays and school breaks 13 . In particular, the mobility across countries during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated how fast countries could be reached by an emerging pathogen and new variants 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 . For example, it was estimated that 5 million people including workers and students left Wuhan in China before the Lunar New Year holiday in January 2020 23 . Conversely, the timing of holidays and school breaks and travel restrictions may also reduce the close contact in some population groups, and then mitigate the spread of pathogens 24 , 25 .

Public and school holidays are therefore one of the main factors determining seasonal changes in human mobility and population dynamics, subsequently affecting the transmission of infectious diseases and many socioeconomic activities. However, the dates and timings of holidays may vary across years. Comprehensive and contemporary datasets of historical public and school holidays for nations around the world and their changes over time are critical for understanding the seasonality of human domestic and international movements. This has many potential applications across disciplines, from travel estimation, transport planning and management, resource allocation, to public health service provision and monitoring efforts. Despite this, the worldwide data of public and school holidays across years since 2010 have not been assembled into a single time series, free to obtain and easy to use.

This study aims to overcome this data gap identified by producing global, temporally explicit datasets of public and school holidays across countries and multiple years. Specifically, an open access archive of comprehensive datasets of public and school holidays across the world at the daily, weekly, and monthly level has been created. To illustrate the usage of holiday datasets for understanding seasonal patterns of human mobility, these time series of holidays are also compared against the statistics of airline passengers by month from 2010 to 2018, assembled in this study, and a dataset of monthly international airline ticket bookings across the world in 2015–2019, used in a previous COVID-19 research 22 . All products are available through the WorldPop website ( https://www.worldpop.org/ ) 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 .

Five steps were taken to assemble and validate the holiday datasets: 1) collating national public holidays for countries/territories/areas across the globe from 2010 to 2019; 2) collating school holidays in 2019 and retrospectively generating the school holiday data from 2010 to 2018; 3) merging and aggregating data of public and school holidays to generate time series at the daily, weekly, and monthly level; 4) collating monthly statistics of airline passengers travelling domestically and internationally, compared with the seasonal distribution of holidays; and 5) using the Official Aviation Guide’s (OAG) global dataset of international air passenger ticket bookings across 223 countries/territories/areas from 2015 to 2019, for further assessing the correlation between seasonal mobility and holiday patterns. Figure  1 provides a schematic overview of the study design.

Schematic overview of the workflow to generate and analyse datasets. First, national public holidays from 2010 to 2019 were assembled, and school holidays in 2019 were collated to retrospectively generate school holidays from 2010 to 2018. Second, public and school holidays were merged to generate daily, weekly, and monthly time series. Third, the statistics and time series of monthly airline passenger numbers were collated to compared with the seasonal distribution of holidays across countries/territories/areas. Additionally, the Official Aviation Guide’s (OAG) global dataset of international air passenger ticket bookings from 2015 to 2019 were used for further assessing the correlations between seasonal mobility and holiday patterns.

Public holiday data

Public holidays, also referred to as national holidays, bank holidays, or official holidays in different countries or regions, are usually non-working days of celebration or commemoration during the year established by law. Sovereign nations and territories generally observe public holidays based on events of significance to their history, such as the anniversary of a significant historical event (e.g., the National Day) or a religious celebration like Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, etc. Moreover, public holidays vary by country and sometimes by year. They can land on a specific day of the year or be tied to a certain week of the month, such as Thanksgiving, or follow other calendar systems like the Lunar Calendar. To commemorate special events, there has also been a number of ad hoc public holidays that were announced on short notice (<4 weeks), such as the 2-week-ahead announcement of extra holiday in the opening ceremony for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games held in Malaysia 33 .

In this study, we define national public holidays as ones established by law or announced by the corresponding authorities. A standardized data collection form was used to gather information on public holidays on a country-by-country basis from 2010 to 2019, with variables including: the name and ISO 3166 alpha-3 code of the country or territory, name and date of the holiday, and type of the holiday (e.g., public holiday, observance, special holiday, and half-day holiday). We also collected information on special working days occurring on weekends or non-working days that were officially and temporarily taken as replacements of non-working days during the week, such as the 7- or 8-day ‘Golden week’ holidays in China.

To assemble this dataset, we systematically searched information on public holidays for each country or territory via Google by using the search terms: [Public OR Federal OR official OR bank] AND [holidays] AND [Name of the country or territory] AND [Year]. Where data for a given area were available from multiple publicly available sources, we prioritized the data from official central or federal government/authority websites. If such data did not exist through official websites, other websites with openly available data were also considered, including: the Time and Date ( www.timeanddate.com/holidays/ ), the Festivo ( https://getfestivo.com/countries ), the Office Holidays ( https://www.officeholidays.com/countries ), the Bhutanese Calendar ( https://www.bhutanesecalendar.com ), and the Nager.Date ( https://date.nager.at/ ). However, comparing with the data in the latter half of the 2010s, data spanning 2010–2014 were not widely available. We therefore identified missing data in the dataset by comparing the number of holidays by year for each region. For missing data on public holidays in a year that were tied to a specific day of each year, we interpolated the records into the dataset. For public holidays with variable dates across the years, we inferred dates where possible if they landed on a certain day of the week in a certain month or followed other calendar systems like the Lunar Calendar. Finally, we merged these interpolated and inferred public holiday within the final dataset 27 .

School holiday data

School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recesses) are the periods during which primary and secondary schools are closed or no classes or other mandatory activities are held. The dates and periods of school holidays vary considerably throughout the world, and there is usually some variation even within the same jurisdiction, with governments sometimes legislating only the total number of school days required. In this study, we defined school holidays for primary and secondary schools only, excluding higher education, such as universities. Because short holidays or mid-term breaks commonly overlap with public holidays (e.g., the Easter or Thanksgiving), we focused on long school holidays with breaks lasting more than 2 weeks, e.g., summer and winter holidays between academic years. We similarly created a standardized form to collect and collate data, with the variables including name and ISO 3166-alpha3 code of country or territory, name of the school holiday (e.g., spring/summer/autumn/winter holiday, or break between school years), the first date and the last date of the holiday.

We systematically searched the information on school holidays for each single country or territory in Google by using the search terms: [school] AND [Holiday OR Break OR Term] AND [Name of the country or territory] AND [Year]. We prioritized data from official central or federal government/authority websites. If these data were unavailable at the country level, we collected information on school holidays for capital regions, announced by local governments or educational departments. For example, school holidays in China varied across provinces, so we therefore relied on information about school holidays within Beijing. For those countries without available data from official websites, we also searched publicly available data from websites including: the School Holidays ( https://school-holidays.net/ ), the Public Holidays Asia ( https://publicholidays.asia/ ), the School Holidays Europe ( https://www.schoolholidayseurope.eu/ ), and the Holiday Calendar ( https://holidaycalendar.com/ ).

Due to variability in dates of school academic years and terms across schools, regions and countries, median dates were used for discrepancies in beginning and end dates of school holidays across regions within a country for the same year. However, historical data on school holidays are not widely available from websites, and school breaks in each country vary by year, but generally occur during the same season. For example, Namibia and Kenya have school breaks in April, August, and December/January, and Pakistan has a single long break from July–August 13 . Therefore, we firstly collated information on school holidays in 2019, and then estimated beginning and end dates of school holidays between 2009 and 2018 using the same information from 2019. Of note, if the beginning dates in 2010–2018 were on Thursday or Friday, they were adjusted to the nearest Monday, and if the end dates in 2010–2018 were on Monday or Tuesday, they were adjusted to the nearest Sunday 28 .

Holiday time series

We then created time series on a daily basis for each country or territory from 1 January 2010 through 31 December 2019, and generated the fields of year, month, and week number in each year. The time series were merged with the public holiday data to decide whether each day of the year was a holiday or not. Similarly, this was merged with the school holidays data to identify whether the day was a school holiday or not. We added a variable (i.e., hl_sch) to indicate whether each day included a public or school holiday 29 . Finally, the daily time series were aggregated to generate weekly time series 30 and monthly time series 31 , by calculating how many days in each week or month contained school or public holidays.

Airline passenger statistics

To understand the impact of holidays on seasonal mobility and illustrate the usage of holiday datasets, we also collated monthly statistics of airline passengers travelling domestically and internationally, as censuses and surveys commonly do not collect the data of seasonal population movements across countries. The air travel data span 2010 to 2018 were systematically searched and collected from the National Offices of Statistics or Departments of Transportation across continents and countries 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 . We also used publicly accessible databases of airline passengers at the airport level from the Anna Aero ( https://www.anna.aero/databases/ ). All data were then aggregated from the airport level to national level. We merged data into a time series at the monthly level 32 , which included the following variables: ISO 3166-alpha3 code of each country or territory, year, month, total number of air passengers (obtained from statistics), number of internal air travellers, number of international air travellers, and the total number of airline passengers using data obtained from other sources such as Anna Aero.

As the statistics of airline passengers might not be available for all countries across the world, particularly in the low- and middle-income settings, we further used OAG’s global dataset ( https://www.oag.com/ ) of international travellers based on air ticket bookings from 2015 to 2019, for investigating the correlations between holidays and mobility for countries that were not covered by air traffic statistics assembled by this study. The OAG data of international traffic flows have been used in our previous study to understand the international spreading risk of COVID-19 at the early stage of pandemic from December 2019 to May 2020 22 . The data obtained from OAG are not publicly available due to stringent data licensing agreements, but the information on the process of requesting access to the dataset that supports the findings of this study is available from the corresponding author.

Data Records

The datasets of public and school holidays and airline passenger statistics assembled by this study are publicly and freely available through the WorldPop Repository ( https://www.worldpop.org/ ) 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 . A collection of these datasets with DOIs has been compiled and described in Table  1 .

Technical Validation

All data collected, assembled and used were (i) already validated by the corresponding data collector, owner and/or distributor, (ii) visualised to present their spatiotemporal and spatial patterns, and (iii) further quality-checked, in the framework of this project, for the synchronicity and correlations between holiday patterns and seasonal human mobility derived from air travel datasets.

Public and school holidays

Time series data of public and school holidays were assembled for 232 countries/territories/areas across the world, with noticeable seasonality from 2010 to 2019 (Figs.  2 and 3 ) and across regions (Fig.  4 ). We checked the number and seasonal patterns of holidays over years by country, as holidays generally occur at similar periods across years in each country. Our datasets present clear seasonality in holidays by country, but the timings of some holidays based on the Lunar Calendar, for example, change by year. However, some countries further move non-working days from the weekend to the weekday and combine with public holidays to allow for longer holidays. For instance, China has a ‘golden week’ with 7 to 8 days of national holiday, including the Chinese New Year in January/February, and the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day in late September and early October, facilitating long-distance family visits (Fig.  2 ).

Heatmaps of weekly time series of holidays in 2010 and 2019. Each row in the heatmap represents a country/territory, sorted by the latitudes of their capitals from North to South. ( a ) and ( b ) present the number of holidays by week in 2010 and 2019 across the world, respectively. ( c ) and ( d ) show weekly holiday patterns for 16 countries in 2010 and 2019, respectively.

Heatmaps of monthly time series of holidays across the world in the 2010–2019 period. Each row in the heatmap represents a country/territory/area, sorted by the latitudes of their capitals from North to South. ( a ) The months with or without public and school holidays. ( b ) The days of holidays for each month.

Average number of public and school holidays by month and country/territory/area in the 2010–2019 period. The regions without data are filled with grey colour.

Winter and summer school holidays contributed markedly to holiday seasonality. Most countries have summer holidays or vacations as the longest break in the school year, lasting between 5 and 14 weeks. For example, summer holidays in Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia normally last three months, compared to 6-8 weeks in the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands and Germany from June to August. The summer break in the southern hemisphere commonly lasts 6–8 weeks from December to February, overlapping with Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays, while the winter break in predominantly Christian countries in the northern hemisphere normally last for about 1–3 weeks surrounding Christmas (Fig.  2 ). Additionally, in countries with a history of Christianity, the Easter holiday is a school break that takes place in the northern hemisphere’s spring and in the southern hemisphere’s autumn, with the date varying by country and level of schooling (e.g., primary versus secondary). For South-East Asian countries celebrating the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, there is also a long school break towards the beginning of the year, lasting between 4 and 6 weeks around January and February.

Holidays and seasonal population mobility

We collated the statistics of airline passengers for a total of 90 countries/territories/areas from publicly available data sources from 2010 to 2018 (Figs.  5a and 6 ), with the majority of countries in Europe, North America, and East Asia. Comparing air travel data obtained from official statistics versus other sources, we found slight discrepancies. This might be due to a number of factors, including: i) some countries, e.g., Australia and Canada, only reporting monthly statistics of traffic for major airports or airlines; or ii) duplication of air passengers due to data collection from a variety of data sources. For instance, those airport-level data including total number of incoming and outgoing passengers had being aggregated from airport level to national level, and domestic passengers being at more than one airport in the same country might be counted twice, especially in geographically vast countries, e.g., USA, Canada, or China. To overcome these issues, we only used data from other sources at the airport level for countries and years without official statistical data available, and then transformed the actual monthly traffic data to relative values by ranking monthly volumes of airline passengers within each year and country. We found that more people travelled around July – August in the northern hemisphere, while a high volume of air travel occurred in July – August and December – January in the southern hemisphere (Fig.  6 ). These seasonal patterns demonstrated high correlations between human mobility and the duration of public and school holidays, for both domestic and international travel (Figs.  7 and 8 ).

The availability of seasonal air travel data. ( a ) Airline passenger statistics in 90 countries/territories/areas, collated by this study from openly available data sources. ( b ) The availability of international air travel data based on passenger bookings, obtained from the Official Aviation Guide (OAG). The regions without data in maps are filled with grey colour. ( c ) The correlation between the statistics of international airline passengers assembled in this study and OAG data. The air travel data are presented as the proportion of international travellers among each year and country/territory/area. The green solid line represents linear regression fit, with p and R 2 values provided.

Seasonal patterns of holidays and air travel for regions with available airline passenger statistics in 2010–2018, assembled by this study. ( a ) Days of holidays in each month. ( b ) The seasonality of holidays, presented by the average number of days of public and school holidays in the same period across years. ( c ) The rank of monthly volume of domestic and international airline passengers. Months with higher volumes have a higher rank (from the lowest to the highest: 1–12) in each year. Months without data are coloured white. ( d ) The seasonality of air travel, presented by average rank of airline passenger numbers for the same period across years. Each row in the heatmap represents a country/territory/area, sorted by the latitudes of their capitals from North to South.

Boxplots of the monthly volume of airline passengers by the duration of holidays across the world. ( a ) Airline passenger statistics in 90 countries/territories/areas, collated by this study from openly available data sources. ( b ) International air travel data based on passenger bookings, obtained from the Official Aviation Guide. The monthly volume of air travel was transformed as the rank. Months with higher volumes of airline passengers have a higher rank (from the lowest to the highest: 1–12) in each year and country.

Correlations between the duration of holidays and the volume of air travel by month, 2010–2018. ( a ) Domestic and international travel, ( b ) domestic travel, and ( c ) international travel, based on the air travel statistics collated by this study from openly available data sources. ( d ) International air travel data based on passenger bookings, obtained from the Official Aviation Guide. The monthly volume of air travel was transformed as the rank. Months with higher volumes of travellers have a higher rank (from the lowest to the highest: 1–12) in each year and country/territory/area. The colour of each tile means the proportion of months in each air travel rank over the total number of months in each category of the duration of holidays across the world. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (ρ) and p values are provided to assess the relationship between the duration of holidays and the volume of air travel.

However, only limited data of air travel statistics across multiple years were available for countries in Africa, South America, West and Southeast Asia (Fig.  5a ). To overcome this limitation, an extra dataset of global international air travel covering almost all countries from 2015 to 2019 were obtained from the OAG (Fig.  5b ). We found that this dataset highly correlated with the statistics of international airline passengers assembled in this study (Fig.  5c ). The OAG dataset also showed a clear seasonal pattern and there were more people travelling during the period of longer holidays, i.e., July – August across the world and December – January in the southern hemisphere (Figs.  9 and 10 ). A significant Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was also found between international travel and holidays across the world (Figs.  7b and 8d ).

Average rank of international air travel by month and country/territory/area in the 2015–2019 period. International air travel data were based on passenger bookings, obtained from the Official Aviation Guide. The regions without data are filled with grey colour.

Seasonal patterns of holidays and international travel for air passengers across 223 countries/territories/areas from 2015 to 2019. ( a ) Days of holidays in each month. ( b ) The seasonality of holidays, presented by the average number of days of public and school holidays in the same period across years. ( c ) The rank of monthly volume of international air travellers, obtained from the Official Aviation Guide. Months with higher volumes have a higher rank (from the lowest to the highest: 1–12) in each year. Months without data are coloured white. ( d ) The seasonality of air travel, presented by average rank of traveller counts for the same period across years. Each row in the heatmap represents a country/territory/area, sorted by the latitudes of their capitals from North to South.

Usage Notes

The archive provides ready to use time series at daily, weekly and monthly temporal resolutions and at national spatial scales. This compilation of datasets can facilitate a variety of uses across settings, from quantifying and predicting seasonal population movements, to modelling disease transmission dynamics and interventions, as well as air traffic predictions and estimation of their socioeconomic impact. For example, using the holiday datasets assembled in this study, a recent research has explored how a set of broadly available covariates can describe the seasonal dynamics of population movements in Kenya, therefore enabling better modelling of seasonal mobility across low- and middle-income settings 41 . They found that Kenyan mobility peaked in August and December, closely corresponding to school holiday seasons, and the holiday was found to be an important predictor in the model. Additionally, we can quantify the contribution of holidays on seasonal population mobility derived from traditional or new data sources, e.g., mobile phone call detail records and internet check-in location history data, and statistical and mathematical models using holiday data can be built to predict future mobility across space and over time. Moreover, understanding and predicting human movements using these data should ensure other relevant covariates are used, e.g., temperature and tourism activities. For instance, summer is the most popular season for mobility in most countries in Europe due to two factors: i) the summer months, and particularly August, are those when most people or families traditionally go on holidays, when many activities are closed (e.g., education) or have reduced activity (e.g., manufacturing); ii) the warm temperatures are a very important pull factor for holidays in the majority of these regions. Nonetheless, there are some exceptions. The winter season is popular in some alpine regions due to favourable natural conditions for winter sports/activities, such as skiing. Lastly, domestic and international travel restrictions and social distancing policies aimed at containing outbreaks will likely significantly alter mobility patterns, regardless of climate and holiday factors, and should therefore be accounted for in any models using these data 25 , 42 .

Of note, week numbers in the weekly time series datasets were calculated by year and contain a week 0 for some years; the days of that week should therefore be included in the last week of the preceding year. Further, some countries combine public holidays with weekends to create 3-day or longer holidays, and these holidays may have a stronger impact on mobility than single-day holidays. Lastly, working days or the weekend are not identical across the globe. For example, Nepal has a six-day working week from Sunday to Friday, and the weekend in many Middle East and North Africa countries occur on Friday and Saturday. These country level nuances and timings of holidays with weekends should be accounted for where possible when performing single country analyses.

These analyses and data are subject to some limitations. Firstly, not all data are accessible from official websites or other publicly available sources, especially the holidays in the first half of the 2010–2020 period. We therefore interpolated data for these time periods based on reoccurring holidays across years, where possible. However, it is possible we did not accurately reflect those changes due to the replacement of holidays on the weekend by moving them from weekend to workday. Secondly, we calculated median dates for the beginning and end date of school holidays nationally, which might not represent the actual duration of school breaks at subnational or local levels. Additionally, many schools have the flexibility to adjust their school terms dates, e.g., adding inset days or as a result of snow days, but our datasets will likely not reflect these changes, as they occur organically through individual schools, events or jurisdictions. Thirdly, only air traffic data were collated to understand the seasonality of human movements and potential applications of the public and school holiday datasets. Other traditional data sources such as travel surveys, combining with data from novel sources, e.g., mobile phone data, social media, and internet check-in data, might be valuable in more accurately capturing human mobility across various temporal and spatial scales. In future research, these data sources can be used to better examine driving factors of human mobility, including identification of public and school holidays, public health interventions, natural disasters, and climate changes, among others.

Code availability

R version 3.6.1 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) was used to manage data and perform analyses in this study. The code used to generate datasets and plots is available for download from the repository on GitHub at https://github.com/LaiShengjie/Holiday .

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the statistical offices and data providers for providing openly available relevant data making this research possible. This work was principally funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (grant numbers: OPP1134076, INV-024911). S.L. was also supported by grants from the National Natural Science Fund of China (81773498) and the National Science and Technology Major Project of China (2016ZX10004222–009). A.J.T was supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1106427, OPP1032350, OPP1134076, OPP1094793), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Wellcome Trust (106866/Z/15/Z, 204613/Z/16/Z). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.

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S.L., A.S., J.S., and A.J.T. conceptualized the study. S.L. designed and coordinated the study, undertook data collection and assembly, drafted the manuscript. A.S., J.S., C.R., A.D.C., G.R., P.K., D.W., M.B., N.W.R., and W.S. aided the technical validation of datasets, commented and revised on the manuscript. A.J.T. aided drafting the manuscript and conceived the study. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices

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From religious and patriotic observances to celebrations of ethnic pride, explore the history of Easter, Passover, New Year's Day, Veterans' Day, Memorial Day and much more.

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Seasonal holiday injuries: A research roundup

Holidays are a time for celebration, but also a source of injuries. Several research studies examine both common and uncommon types and sources of seasonal holiday injuries, which usually peak on the week after Thanksgiving and continue until the end of the year.

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by Naseem S. Miller, The Journalist's Resource December 20, 2023

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/home/seasonal-holiday-injuries-a-research-roundup/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

Winter holidays bring celebrations, family traditions, light decorations, special foods and delicacies, and indoor and outdoor activities.

But they can also bring injuries and health problems. Research shows a range of injuries in kids and adults stemming from swallowing Christmas ornaments and decorations, falling from a ladder when putting up lights — or falling from Santa’s lap , suffering burns from touching the candles on a menorah or from biting into a hot deep-fried donut. In some, binging on alcoholic drinks can induce atrial fibrillation, leading to a condition known as “holiday heart syndrome.”

Each year, nearly 18,400 people visit emergency rooms because of accidents with Christmas decorations, according to USAFacts , a non-profit organization that provides U.S. data and reports, using data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The peak of those injuries is usually the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

To be sure, compared with other holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Halloween, Christmas has a lower number of injuries, a 2010 study found . But seasonal holiday injuries and health issues make headlines each year.

Earlier this month, a Michigan woman suffered significant burns after her robe caught fire at a church’s Christmas event, reported Hometown Life , a Gannett-owned publication. “Someone put a candle in the wrong place,” the fire chief told the news outlet. A 9-year-old boy suffered injuries after falling from a float in the West Alabama Christmas Parade, according to WVUA 23 News . And ABC News ran an explainer about holiday heart syndrome.

For journalists looking to inform their audiences about health-related holiday topics, we’ve gathered several studies. They’re listed in order of publication date.

Research roundup

Enjoy the Holiday Spirit, Not the Holiday Heart Ali Syed, Benjamin D. Seadler, David L. Joyce. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, January 2023.

Alcohol is typically part of holiday celebrations and gatherings in Western society. Short-term alcohol use in excess and binge drinking are linked with memory loss, impaired judgment, unintentional injury, violence and driving under the influence.

But a less commonly known consequence of binge drinking is alcohol-induced atrial arrhythmia, known as “Holiday Heart Syndrome,” which was first described in the 1970s, the authors write. (In the United States, 5% to 10% of new atrial fibrillation diagnoses are related to alcohol abuse.)

Symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, anxiety, weakness and chest pain.

The authors note that the exact biochemistry of the syndrome is unknown, but the correlation between atrial fibrillation and binge drinking is “undeniable.”

Avoiding A Crisis at Christmas: A Systematic Review of Adverse Health Effects of ‘Chrishaps’ Caused by Traditional Hazard Sources and COVID-19 Ursula Wild, David M. Shaw, Thomas C. Erren. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, February 2022.

This study aims to find out “which hazards have been scientifically associated with old Christmas essentials such as decoration, gifts, menus, and Santa himself, as well as new challenges associated with COVID‐19?”

The authors examined the findings of 30 studies, most of which were case reports or retrospective analyses, which are types of studies that examine data collected in the past.

The various hazards of Christmas included allergic reactions to poinsettias, Christmas trees and candles; swallowing of Christmas decorations; and falling from ladders, roofs and furniture. In one case , a patient had a supposed case of cyanosis — a condition where the skin, lips and nails turn blue — after receiving a blue bed linen as a Christmas gift.

Christmas dinners can also pose risks, such as higher cholesterol levels and weight gain, the authors write. Also, “two other risks from eating were documented: abdominal pain after eating without chewing and eating a piece of Christmas cake together with a plastic robin ,” which was part of the cake decoration, they write.

Pediatric Ingestions of Christmas Past, Present, and Future: A Review of Holiday Trends, 1997 to 2015 Patrick T. Reeves, Jayasree Krishnamurthy, Eric A. Pasman and Cade M. Nylund. Clinical Pediatrics, February 2019.

The authors use National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data from 1997 to 2015, focusing exclusively on cases of children, up to 17 years old, who went to an emergency department due to ingesting Christmas decorations, including ornaments, bells and candles during December and January.

There were an estimated 22,224 such cases over the period studied. Children aged 2 and younger accounted for 84% of the cases. Almost 96% were either treated and released or examined and released without treatment.

The peak of such injuries occurred during the Christmas week.

 “Future advocacy efforts might focus on improving social awareness, parental education, or even federal oversight with regard to these possibly dangerous decorations,” the authors write.

“Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful”: Severe Injury Secondary to Falls While Installing Residential Christmas Lights Michael R. Driedger, et al. Injury, January 2016.

The study examines the health outcomes of 40 patients in Canada who were admitted to a level 1 trauma center from 2002 to 2012 with severe injuries suffered due to falling while installing Christmas lights. The researchers found this activity can result in life-altering injuries.

In total, 95% of the patients were men with a mean age of 55. Most of the falls (65%) were from ladders and 30% of the patients fell from a roof.

The most common injury was to the head and torso. About 43% of the patients had spine injuries.

“Given the heights associated with this activity, as well as the often hazardous weather conditions, adherence to safety precautions is essential,” the authors write.

Seasonal Foreign Bodies: The Dangers of Winter Holiday Ornamentation Andrew T. Trout and Alexander J. Towbin. Pediatric Radiology, October 2014.

Children can suffer minor or severe injuries if they swallow winter holiday decorations and ornaments. These injuries mostly occur in children under 5.

In this “pictorial essay,” the authors provide radiology images of a wide range of holiday ornaments they’ve seen in children, including whole glass baubles, large and small, metal hooks used to hang ornaments on trees, small plastic ornaments, individual Christmas lights and Hanukkah decorations, including spinning tops and foil-wrapped coins.

Radiologists play a key role in identifying these foreign bodies in children, the authors write.

“Around the winter holidays, ornaments and decorations can become a source of foreign bodies for pediatric patients, and familiarity with the appearance of these seasonal foreign bodies can be helpful in their identification,” they write.

Jewish Holidays and Their Associated Medical Risks Jacob Urkin and Sody Naimer. Journal of Community Health, June 2014.

This study summarizes the findings from the existing literature regarding the health hazards related to celebrating Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Passover, Sukkot, Purim and Hanukkah.

The authors highlight several injuries related to Hanukkah, which lasts eight days — starting in late November or in December — and is observed by lighting candles on a candelabrum called a menorah.

“Most of the injuries in Hanukkah are related to burns in children who were carelessly handling lighted candles,” the authors note.

Children often receive foil-wrapped chocolate coins, or gelt, during Hanukkah. Another source of injury is children ingesting the foil covering gelt.

The most popular sweet during Hanukkah — deep-fried donuts called sufganiyot — can be a source of burns in the mouth.

“We assume that the reason for these injuries is that the fluid cream, jam or caramel at the center of the pastry tends to heat much quicker than the surrounding baked dough, especially when heated in the microwave oven. Then, without sensing its extreme heat at the center, the hungry subject will bite into burning hot fluid,” the authors write.

Epidemiology of Pediatric Holiday-Related Injuries Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments Anthony D’Ippolito, Christy L. Collins and R. Dawn Comstock. Pediatrics, May 2010.

The study investigates eight major holidays in the U.S. and finds that among children younger than 19, approximately 500,000 holiday-related injuries were treated at emergency departments between 1997 and 2006.

Labor Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Halloween were the holidays with the highest number of injuries per year overall. Christmas, in fact, had the least number of injuries.

Among the study’s other findings:

• Overall, boys sustained 62% of the injuries.
• Nearly 30% of injuries were in children younger than 5.
• The most common injuries were cuts, bruises, fractures and sprains.
• Nearly 66% of the cuts were to the face.
• The greatest proportion of deaths occurred around the Fourth of July and New Year’s.

“Parents should closely supervise children who are younger than 5 years on Thanksgiving and Christmas when the proportions of injuries were significantly greater among these younger children compared with the other age groups,” the authors write. “On New Year’s, those aged 15 to 19 years had a significantly greater proportion of injuries compared with all other holidays.”

The BMJ Christmas issue

The BMJ, a prestigious medical journal, has a well-established annual Christmas issue that includes a mix of light-hearted features and peer-reviewed research. Below are highlights from this year’s issue:

• One study makes the case for the Barbie doll to expand her range of medical and scientific professions.
• Another study draws a link between a new Doctor Who episode shown during the holidays, especially Christmas Day, and lower death rates in the following year across the UK.
• To the relief of coffee drinkers, a study finds that coffee machines are not responsible for spreading disease in hospitals.
• A small study finds putting a chair beside a patient’s bed in the hospital room nudged physicians to sit during the visit, which in turn resulted in higher patient satisfaction.
• If you’re a fan of the Great British Baking Show, you’ll appreciate this study, which examines the health benefits and harms of Christmas recipes on the show. Results: you can have your cake and eat it too.
• And if you’re popping the cork on a sparkling wine bottle on New Year’s Eve, be careful, because cork eye injuries can be significant, according to this study . It takes 0.05 seconds for the cork to travel from the bottle to your eye, the authors write. They also share a useful guide for opening a bottle of sparkling wine.

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2023 Holiday Outlook and the U.S. Consumer

As the holiday shopping season kicks off seemingly earlier each year, the focus is on retailers and their strategies for adapting to the ever-evolving consumer landscape.

During this webinar CFRA’s Director of Equity Research, Ken Leon, Moderator, and Equity Analysts Arun Sundaram, CFA, CPA, and Zachary Warring did a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the U.S. consumer and CFRA’s outlook for the 2023 holiday season and beyond.

The webinar will also delved into key factors influencing consumer spending in a climate of economic uncertainty. Additionally, our retail experts offered an in-depth look at the current retail landscape, discussing how macroeconomic challenges like elevated inflation, high interest rates, dwindling savings, and weakened consumer confidence are shaping consumer behavior.

Our discussion examined a broad spectrum of retailers, from big-box stores like Walmart and Target to department stores like Macy’s, off-price retailers including TJX Companies, and apparel/footwear retailers like Nike and Lululemon.

The session detailed:

• Current sector recommendations (Consumer Staples and Consumer Discretionary)
• An analysis of the U.S. consumer using data on retail sales, inflation, wage and job growth, unemployment, consumer debt, and sentiment.
• In-depth insights and investment views on various retailers, including Walmart, Target, Macy’s, TJX Companies, Nike, Lululemon, and others.

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FG extends public holidays for Eid-El-Fitr celebrations to Thursday

Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo

The Federal Government has extended the public holiday for the Eid-El-Fitr celebration to Thursday, thereby declaring one additional day as work free day.

This disclosure is contained in a press statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, Dr Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, on Tuesday morning, April 9, 2024.

This may not be unconnected with the recent statement by the Sultan of Sokoto and the President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, declaring Wednesday, April 10, as the day for Eid-Fitri.

According to the statement, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, who congratulated the Muslim Ummah for a successful completion of a month of spiritual rejuvenation, reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (GCFR) firm commitment to providing a safe and prosperous Nigeria for all to thrive.

What the Federal Government is saying

The statement reads,

• ‘’ The Federal Government has approved Thursday 11th April, 2024 as an additional public holiday to celebrate this year’s Eid -El-Fitr.
• ‘’The Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, while congratulating the muslim Ummah for a successful completion of a month of spiritual rejuvenation, reiterates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (GCFR) firm commitment to providing a safe and prosperous Nigeria for all to thrive. ’’

In case you missed it

• The Federal Government had yesterday (Monday, April 8), declared Tuesday. April 9, and Wednesday, April 10, 2024, as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
• According to a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, Aishetu Ndayako, on Sunday, April 7, 2024, the declaration was made by the Minister Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
• The minister in the statement congratulated all Muslims for the successful completion of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.
• Tunji-Ojo called on them to imbibe and practise the virtues that entail kindness, love, tolerance, peace, good neighbourliness, and compassion, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

Nigerian government to amend laws to ease aircraft recovery in lease violations

Taxes paid by traders, mechanics nearly doubled in 2023 amidst inflation and multiple taxation concerns, chike olisah.

Chike was a banker with over 11 years experience in retail and commercial banking, risk management, treasury portfolio management and relationship management. He also acquired some experience in financial management and do have some special interest in investment analysis and personal finance. He had stints with financial institutions like the former Intercontinental Bank and Fidelity Bank.

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FG declares Tuesday, Wednesday public holidays

Fg declares friday, march 29 and monday, april 1 as public holidays.

In other words, the rest of the week because nobody is going to come in on Friday…Eid Mubarak!!

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National Siblings Day is a celebration born of love — and grief

Maria Godoy

While not an official holiday, National Siblings Day on April 10 has gained momentum on social media in recent years. Diana Haronis/Getty Images hide caption

While not an official holiday, National Siblings Day on April 10 has gained momentum on social media in recent years.

Every April 10 for several years now, many social media feeds are transformed into a virtual family album of sorts, as friends and acquaintances post photos to mark National Siblings Day.

But unlike many of the unofficial holidays that clutter the calendar year — from Talk Like a Pirate Day to National French Fry Day — National Siblings Day is neither frivolous nor commercially motivated. Instead, it is a holiday born of profound love — and loss.

Special Series

The science of siblings.

As NPR's Science Desk explores the science of siblings , we decided to reach out to Claudia Evart, the woman who conceived the holiday. She grew up with an older brother and sister. They were her first best friends, her support and her mentors, she says.

The origin story of National Siblings Day

Tragically, both of Evart's siblings died at young ages in separate accidents. Her sister, Lisette, was just 19 when she was killed in a car accident, alongside their father. Evart was 17. Fourteen years later, Evart's brother, Alan, died after hitting his head in a fall.

"You always think they'll be there," she says. "And I took them for granted, and I didn't realize how much they meant to me. Until you lose them, [then] you realize what you lost. "

In 1995, a decade after Alan's death, Evart says she was celebrating her own birthday in late March when she was struck by an overpowering sense of sadness and loneliness. "I came to the realization that I would never again celebrate my birthday with my beloved siblings . "

The Science of Siblings Series

At the heart of this cozy coffee shop lies a big sister's love for her little brother.

"It's the most powerful relationship you ever have in your life," she says, adding, "It's a very hard thing to lose your siblings. The void is just so intense."

Evart says she created National Siblings Day both to honor her own siblings' memories and to encourage widespread recognition of the unique bond between siblings. It's on April 10 every year because that is Lisette's birthday. "We have Mother's and Father's Day. Why not have your siblings recognized?"

While National Siblings Day isn't a federal holiday, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have all issued letters recognizing the day, according to the Siblings Day Foundation , which Evart founded.

The author, Maria Godoy (second from right), with her sisters (from left): Monica Hanson, Elena Lynn and Olga Czekalski. Her daughter, Lily Hakim, is in front. The Event Photo Group hide caption

The author, Maria Godoy (second from right), with her sisters (from left): Monica Hanson, Elena Lynn and Olga Czekalski. Her daughter, Lily Hakim, is in front.

Evart says she'd like to see people mark the day by taking the time to cherish their siblings. "Whether you're reliving childhood memories, planning an outing or simply spending quality time together, let's make this day special. Reach out to your siblings, near and far, and let them know how much they mean to you."

As for those photos and heartfelt messages that will likely flood social media again this year? "It's the greatest thing," she says.

In that spirit, I will close with a shamelessly earnest message of my own: Monica, Olga, Elena, thank you for being the best sisters I could ever ask for.

More from the Science of Siblings series:

• The order your siblings were born in may play a role in identity and sexuality
• In the womb, a brother's hormones can shape a sister's future
• These identical twins both grew up with autism, but took very different paths

What is Eid al-Fitr? What to know about the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan

As Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims are getting ready to commemorate the month of fasting, spirituality and reflection.

Eid Al-Fitr, Arabic for “the celebration of breaking the fast," is expected to fall on or around Wednesday, April 10, this year. The holiday starts once the crescent moon signifying the start of the month of Shawwal in the Islamic Hijri calendar is spotted.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and spend time in self-reflection and prayer.

What is Eid al-Fitr?

Eid al-Fitr marks the first day Muslims return to their regular lifestyles . In fact, it's forbidden to fast on this day.

"God has given us that one special day for us to celebrate our ability to get through that one month," Khalid Mozaffar, director of communications and outreach at the American Islamic Association in Frankfort, Illinois, told USA TODAY. 

What do Muslims do on Eid al-Fitr?

The Eid prayer is a cornerstone of celebration. Muslims will congregate in their local mosques in the early hours of the first day of Eid to perform this prayer.

Muslims are also obligated to pay Zakat al-Fitr, a mandatory charity of food that must be given before the Eid prayer.

Every Muslim who can afford to do so is required to donate what is roughly a plate of food.

The donations help people celebrate Eid no matter their financial situation, Tareq Alkhudari, a Kuwaiti human rights activist, told USA TODAY.

Since it's difficult for many people to give an actual plate of food, many Muslims may choose to donate to charity organizations, like Islamic Relief , that have estimated the cost of a plate of food, which will feed those in need on their behalf.

How else do they celebrate?

Eid celebrations all across the globe vary, but it's not uncommon for families to get dressed up in their best clothes, have a nice small breakfast together and spend the day visiting relatives and friends.

Muslims will wish each other "Eid Mubarak, " or a blessed holiday.

Family members exchange gifts or money, sometimes called "Eidi". It's also not uncommon for community members to give out "eidi" to the young children in their communities.

The holiday is celebrated across the globe and different cultures have their traditions and customs for the joyous occasion, including unique dishes and sweets made just for the celebration.

Contributing: Maria Jimenez Moya

Holidays and Observances in the United States in 2023

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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7 facts about americans and taxes.

Spring reliably brings a whirlwind of number-crunching and form-filing as Americans finish their tax returns. Altogether, the IRS expects to process more than 160 million individual and business tax returns this season.

Ahead of Tax Day on April 15, here are seven facts about Americans and federal taxes, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys and analyses of federal data.

Ahead of Tax Day 2024, Pew Research Center sought to understand Americans’ views of the federal tax system and outline some of its features.

The public opinion data in this analysis comes from Pew Research Center surveys. Links to these surveys, including details about their methodologies, are available in the text.

The external data comes from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the IRS Data Book . Data is reported by fiscal year, which for the federal government begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30. For example, fiscal 2024 began Oct. 1, 2023, and ends Sept. 30, 2024.

A majority of Americans feel that corporations and wealthy people don’t pay their fair share in taxes, according to a Center survey from spring 2023 . About six-in-ten U.S. adults say they’re bothered a lot by the feeling that some corporations (61%) and some wealthy people (60%) don’t pay their fair share.

Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to feel this way. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, about three-quarters say they’re bothered a lot by the feeling that some corporations (77%) and some wealthy people (77%) don’t pay their fair share. Much smaller shares of Republicans and GOP leaners share these views (46% say this about corporations and 43% about the wealthy).

Meanwhile, about two-thirds of Americans (65%) support raising tax rates on large businesses and corporations, and a similar share (61%) support raising tax rates on households with annual incomes over $400,000. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say these tax rates should increase.

Just over half of U.S. adults feel they personally pay more than what is fair, considering what they get in return from the federal government, according to the same survey.

This sentiment has grown more widespread in recent years: 56% of Americans now say they pay more than their fair share in taxes, up from 49% in 2021. Roughly a third (34%) say they pay about the right amount, and 8% say they pay less than their fair share.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they pay more than their fair share (63% vs. 50%), though the share of Democrats who feel this way has risen since 2021. (The share among Republicans is statistically unchanged from 2021.)

Many Americans are frustrated by the complexity of the federal tax system, according to the same survey. About half (53%) say its complexity bothers them a lot. Of the aspects of the federal tax system that we asked about, this was the top frustration among Republicans – 59% say it bothers them a lot, compared with 49% of Democrats.

Undeniably, the federal tax code is a massive document, and it has only gotten longer over time. The printed 2022 edition of the Internal Revenue Code clocks in at 4,192 pages, excluding front matter. Income tax law alone accounts for over half of those pages (2,544).

The public is divided in its views of the IRS. In a separate spring 2023 Center survey , 51% of Americans said they have an unfavorable opinion of the government tax agency, while 42% had a favorable view of the IRS. Still, of the 16 federal agencies and departments we asked about, the IRS was among the least popular on the list.

Views of the IRS differ greatly by party:

• Among Republicans, 29% have a favorable view and 64% have an unfavorable view.
• Among Democrats, it’s 53% favorable and 40% unfavorable.

On balance, Democrats offer much more positive opinions than Republicans when it comes to most of the federal agencies we asked about. Even so, the IRS ranks near the bottom of their list.

Individual income taxes are by far the government’s largest single source of revenue, according to estimates from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The federal government expects to collect about $2.5 trillion in individual income taxes in fiscal year 2024. That accounts for nearly half (49%) of its total estimated receipts for the year. The next largest chunk comes from Social Security taxes (including those for disability and retirement programs), which are projected to pull in $1.2 trillion this fiscal year (24%).

By comparison, corporate income taxes are estimated to bring in $612.8 billion, or 12% of this fiscal year’s federal receipts. And excise taxes – which include things like transportation trust fund revenue and taxes on alcohol, tobacco and crude oil – are expected to come to $99.7 billion, or 2% of receipts.

American tax dollars mostly go to social services. Human services – including education, health, Social Security, Medicare, income security and veterans benefits – together will account for 66% ($4.6 trillion) of federal government spending in fiscal 2024, according to OMB estimates.

An estimated 13% ($907.7 billion) will go toward defense spending. Another 13% ($888.6 billion) will repay net interest on government debt, and 10% ($726.9 billion) will fund all other functions, including energy, transportation, agriculture and more.

Related: 6 facts about Americans’ views of government spending and the deficit

The vast majority of Americans e-file their taxes, according to IRS data . In fiscal 2022, 150.6 million individual federal income tax returns were filed electronically, accounting for 94% of all individual filings that year.

Unsurprisingly, e-filing has become more popular since the turn of the century. Fiscal 2000, the earliest year for which comparable data is available, saw 35.4 million individual income tax returns filed electronically (including those filed over the phone). These accounted for just 28% of individual filings that year.

By fiscal 2005, more than half of individual income tax returns (52%) were filed electronically.

Note: This is an update combining information from two posts originally published in 2014 and 2015.

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Top tax frustrations for Americans: The feeling that some corporations, wealthy people don’t pay fair share

Growing partisan divide over fairness of the nation’s tax system, public has mixed expectations for new tax law, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .