Celebrating Holidays are Important

These past few days, we celebrated 2 consecutive holidays. The Ninoy Aquino
day and National Heroes day, August 21 is an important holiday in Filipino history.
Created in 2004, this day forever commemorates the life and legacy of a beloved hero
of freedom. Filipinos remember the ultimate sacrifice that Ninoy Aquino made for the
people of the Philippines. Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. was an influential and
inspirational Filipino political figure who fought for independence and a free democracy.
After serving prison time for his opposition to then President Ferdinand Marcos, Aquino,
who had gone into exile upon his release; planned on reentering Filipino politics.
Tragically, he was assassinated upon returning to the islands in 1983. Filipinos
remember Aquino’s famous words, “The Filipino is worth dying for.” August 26, is a
national holiday that honors all the heroes of the Philippines, including those whose
names have been forever lost to history.

Both of these occasions are meant to pay homage to all the Filipinos who fought
valiantly for peace, freedom and democracy; whose works and deeds contributed to the
shaping of our country. But do many of us know the real essence of these kinds of
celebrations? Amidst all the festivities, are most people even aware of what they are
supposed to be celebrating?
Unfortunately, it seems that we Filipinos have very little historical consciousness. For
most of us, the important thing is not what these heroes did in the past. It is that we did
not have to go to work. The historical event is totally inconsequential. And its only effect
on the nation is that we lose a day’s work.

Holidays are the most awaited time of the year. We yearn for holidays to take a
break from our monotonous routine and make numerous plans for the same. These are
important as they help in maintaining a balance between our personal and professional
life. Holidays are also time to relax and focus on one’s physical as well as mental
health. It is important for student like me because I feel happy and take it as a joy to
celebrate something I want. No more school lessons , no more homework and no more
teacher. For grown ups it brings sheer relaxation from work pressure and studies. That
is why it is relevant for today’s generation to still celebrate holidays, enable for us to
have time to ourselves and to respect different special occasion in our country.