reduce the heavy traffic and pressure on means of transport that would otherwise occur on these dates. By country Africa Nigeria In Nigeria, the longest holiday is from mid-July to second week of September for secondary schools and a longer duration within same period for tertiary institutions. Holidays are basically determined by schools and they start from June to early days in September. South Africa In South Africa, the main holiday usually lasts from early December to early or mid-January (4 or 6 weeks). There is an autumn break of up to 2 weeks in late March or early April, a longer winter break in late June and early July, and a spring break in late September or early October. South African schools and universities are all closed on all South African public holidays. In terms of Public Holidays Act if the holiday fall on a Sunday then the schools are closed the next Monday. Americas Brazil In Brazil, summer holidays start in early December and end in late January or early February. Winter holidays are generally the entire month of July. Some schools in the tropical north follow a different school year. The Brazilian Carnival is 40 days before Easter Sunday and those dates are not school holidays. Brazilian schools must have at least 200 school days. Some national and Catholic holidays are usually celebrated in 3 or 4 days, like Easter, Corpus Christi and Carnival. Canada In Canada, the school year typically lasts between 185 and 190 days. The summer holiday includes the months of July and August, with students returning to school in late August or early September, most commonly on the day after Labour Day. The winter break lasts for two weeks (sometimes a day or two longer), beginning on Saturday and encompassing Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The spring break is one to two weeks long depending on the city or province. Good Friday and Easter may or may not fall within spring break. The Thanksgiving break is a 3-day break that falls in mid-October. In Ontario, the school year is regulated to last at least 194 days, with up to seven of those days being professional activity days (P.A. days), for a total minimum of 187 instructional days. Spring break (commonly known as March Break) is the third week in March. Chile The school year is divided into semesters. The first semester runs