Tu B'Av (Hebrew: ט"ו באב, the fifteenth of the month Av) is a minor Jewish holiday. In modern-day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love (Hebrew: חג האהבה‎, Hag HaAhava), similar to Valentine's Day.^[1][2] It is considered a very desirable date for Jewish weddings.

According to the Talmud, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would dress in white garments and go out to dance in the vineyards. (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Ta'anit 30b-31a) ^[3] That same section in the Talmud states that there were no holy days as happy for the Jews as Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur.^[4] The holiday celebrated the wood-offering brought in the temple (see Nehemiah 10:35). Josephus refers to it as the Feast of Xylophory ("Wood-bearing").^[5]

Guru Purnima (IAST: Guru Pūrṇimā, sanskrit: गुरु पूर्णिमा) is a festival traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists.On this day, disciples offer puja (worship) or pay respect to their Guru (Spiritual Guide). It falls on the day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh (June–July) of the Shaka Samvat, Indian national calendar and Hindu calendar. Traditionally the festival is celebrated by Buddhists in the honor the lord Buddha who gave His first sermon on this day at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India. While Hindus celebrate it in the honour of the great sage Vyasa, who is seen as one of the greatest gurus in ancient Hindu traditions, and a symbol of the Guru-shishya tradition. Vyasa was not only believed to have been born on this day, but also to have started writing the Brahma Sutras on ashadha sudha padyami which ends on this day, hence their recitations as a dedication to him, are organised on this day, which is also known as Vyasa Purnima.^[1][2][3]

The festival is common to all spiritual traditions in Hinduism, where it is dedicated to the expression of gratitude towards the teacher by his/her disciple.^[4] Hindu ascetics and wandering monks (sanyasis), observe this day by offering puja to the Guru, during the Chaturmas , a four month period during the rainy season, when they choose seclusion, and halt at one selected place; some also give discourses to the local public.^[5] Students of the Indian classical music, which also follows the Guru shishya parampara, celebrate this festival, around the world.^[6]

In the province of Quebec, Canada, the Construction Holiday is the most popular time for summer vacations.

In 1970, Quebec legislated an annual holiday for the construction industry which begins the 2nd last Sunday of July every year lasting for a period of 2 weeks, and the holiday came into effect officially in the summer of 1971. Many Quebecers outside the construction industry also take their holidays during these two weeks, and it is the busiest time of year for the province's tourism industry, with a surge of up to 40% in activity at some sites.