Introduction:
The first day of spring has come along and two weeks of pure freedom have arrived, I want to teach people the history of how these breaks have been integrated into our society. Have you ever wondered how we got breaks? This blog will be surrounding this question.
Ancient Societies:
Ancient societies that were known for their agriculture such as the Mesopotamia in Egypt, were crucial parts in developing breaks. This is because their rhythms of planting and downtime corresponded with the seasons. The way they lived their lives was entirely dependent on the seasons. This was heavily fueled by spiritual beliefs.
Middle Ages
Similarly, in the Middle Ages with feudal systems encouraging tiring labor for serfs, breaks provided peasants with relief from their work. Serfs would look forward to these breaks that were marked by religious festivals and seasonal breaks.
Industrialization
Following the amazing pieces of different machinery in the Industrial Revolution, lots of controversial changes were added to people’s lives. These included child labor, longer working hours, lowered pay, less protection in work environments, and no breaks. This led groups called labor unions to start movements and protest for their worker rights. One union that was especially important in this era was the Knight of Labour. This group opted for an 8-hour work day along with abolishing child labor and seasonal breaks. The protests and worker strikes eventually led to us having breaks every season to this day.
Modern Era (Summary)
Through lots of past struggles, seasonal breaks have been an important and crucial part of our lives. While the duration of these breaks may vary from the others, it is important to appreciate the downtime that these breaks give us to recover. Some ways we can be grateful for this time given to us are by spending time with family and friends, taking a walk, and of course, relaxing.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_break
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/knights-of-labor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union