Did Ancient People Have a Two-Day Weekend? How Many Days Off Did Officials Get Annually? The Leave System Was More Comprehensive Than Imagined

Modern office workers are accustomed to a two-day weekend, eagerly anticipating the weekend every Friday. However, if you time-traveled back to ancient China and became an official, there would be no fixed Saturday and Sunday holidays. Although ancient China did not have a modern concept of a 'two-day weekend,' officials were not working year-round. From the Han dynasty's 'one day off every five days for rest and bathing' to the Tang dynasty's adoption of the 'xunjia' system, the imperial court also established additional holidays for New Year, Winter Solstice, Hanshi Festival, as well as Tianjia (farming break) and Shouyijia (clothing preparation break). According to scholars' reconstruction of the basic framework of the Tang dynasty's 'Jia Ning Ling,' the total number of days off—combining xunjia, festival holidays, tianjia, and shouyijia—reached 114 days. The ancient officials' leave system was far more comprehensive than many imagine.

Did Ancient People Have a Two-Day Weekend? The Han Dynasty Already Had 'One Day Off Every Five Days'

Of course, ancient times did not have a fixed 'two-day weekend' like today's Saturday and Sunday. However, as early as the Han dynasty, officials already had a formalized leave system.

The Tang dynasty encyclopedia 'Chuxue Ji' recorded when summarizing previous systems: 'Han Law: Officials get one day off every five days for bathing, meaning rest and washing.' This meant officials could take a 'xiu mu' (rest and bathe) every five days, which later generations often referred to as the 'one day off every five days' system for Han dynasty officials.

The term 'xiu mu' comes from 'mu,' which originally meant washing hair and bathing. Over time, 'xiu mu' gradually became the term for officials' leave.

The Tang Dynasty Switched to 'Xunjia'! One Day Off Every Ten Days

By the Tang dynasty, the fixed rest system for officials had changed.

Volume 82 of the 'Tang Huiyao' records that in the third year of Yonghui under Emperor Gaozong of Tang, due to 'peace throughout the land and simplified duties,' it was decreed that 'on every xunjia, officials are permitted not to conduct official business, allowing all officials to rest and bathe.' This meant that on xunjia days, officials could suspend normal work and rest for one day.

In ancient times, a month was roughly divided into the first, middle, and last ten-day periods, so 'xunjia' was equivalent to one day off every ten days—about three times a month and approximately 36 times a year.

Bai Juyi, during his tenure as an official in Suzhou, wrote 'Jun Zhai Xun Jia Shi Ming Yan Cheng Zuo Ke Shi Jun Liao,' which provides a very specific description. He wrote 'gong jia yue san xun' (three official breaks per month) and used 'one day' to reward the hard work of the preceding 'nine days,' perfectly reflecting how xunjia had become part of officials' daily lives.

Therefore, if we must compare it to a modern system, the Tang dynasty's fixed day off was not a two-day weekend but more like 'one fixed day off every ten days.'

But counting only xunjia underestimates the total number of holidays Tang officials could enjoy annually.

How Many Days Off Did Tang Officials Get Annually? The 'Jia Ning Ling' Framework Totals 114 Days

In addition to 'xunjia,' Tang officials had numerous festival holidays.

Scholar Liu Xiaofeng, who studies the Tang dynasty's seasonal festival system, based on the reconstructed 'Jia Ning Ling' of Tang by scholars such as Inaba Tesho, has outlined the basic leave system of the Tang dynasty. Festival holidays totaled 48 days, including seven days each for New Year and Winter Solstice, as well as holidays for Hanshi, Summer Solstice, and La Festival, along with various other seasonal breaks.

Adding the monthly three xunjia breaks—approximately 36 days annually—brings the total to 84 days.

Moreover, the 'Jia Ning Ling' framework included two long holidays with strong agricultural society characteristics: 'Tianjia' and 'Shouyijia.'

Tianjia was scheduled in May, related to farming activities; Shouyijia was in September, tied to seasonal cooling and preparing winter clothing. Each holiday lasted 15 days, totaling 30 days.

Therefore, according to the basic framework reconstructed by scholars:

Festival holidays 48 days + Xunjia 36 days + Tianjia 15 days + Shouyijia 15 days = 114 days.

In other words, Tang officials had a remarkably substantial number of institutional holidays.

Ancient Leave Wasn't Just Fixed Days Off! There Were Also Leave Rules for Family Deaths

Ancient officials' holidays were not limited to fixed public holidays.

The 'Tang Huiyao' records that in the first year of Zhenguan under Emperor Taizong of Tang, when the younger sister of Yan Lide, an official of the Shao Fu Jian, passed away, he was originally entitled to 20 days of leave under the law. However, since his work was unfinished, someone petitioned for only three days. Emperor Taizong believed that sibling affection could not be deprived and insisted on granting the full legal leave, assigning someone else to take over his duties.

This historical record is noteworthy because it shows that Tang dynasty 'leave' was not only for festivals. There were corresponding regulations for major life events such as the death of a relative, and the number of leave days even varied depending on the familial relationship.

In other words, although ancient times did not have modern terms like 'special leave' or 'bereavement leave' found in today's labor laws, the imperial court already had institutional mechanisms to handle officials needing temporary leave for personal major events.

Song Dynasty Officials Also Had Fixed Leave! 'Wen Chang Za Lu' Records 76 Days Annually

By the Song dynasty, fixed and festival holidays remained quite abundant.

Northern Song's Pang Yuanying's 'Wen Chang Za Lu,' Volume 1, directly records: 'The Ministry of Rites grants holidays totaling 76 days annually,' meaning the holiday system managed by the Ministry of Rites totaled 76 days per year. The historical record then details the holidays: New Year, Hanshi, and Winter Solstice each had seven days, along with various holidays of different lengths for Shangyuan, Summer Solstice, Zhongyuan, Xiayuan, Duanwu, Qixi, and Chongyang, and the monthly first, middle, and last ten-day breaks were also retained.

'Wen Chang Za Lu' also contains records like 'all offices suspend duties,' indicating that on certain holidays, central government offices would halt routine operations. However, the records also distinguish whether a holiday was 'not sitting' or if business was conducted in the rear hall, so it cannot be simply assumed that all 76 days were like today's civil servants having completely no work—'national holidays.'

This again illustrates that although the ancient holiday system was already quite detailed, it cannot be equated entirely with today's two-day weekends and national holidays.

Ancient Times Had No Two-Day Weekend, But 'Holidays' Were More Institutionalized Than Imagined

So, in conclusion, did ancient people have a 'two-day weekend'?

The answer is: No.

Ancient China did not arrange officials' regular holidays based on the modern 'seven-day week,' so there was no fixed Saturday and Sunday rest—the modern two-day weekend.

However, it is equally incorrect to assume that ancient officials worked year-round without rest.

The Han dynasty already had the recorded system of 'one day off every five days'; the Tang dynasty changed to 'xunjia' as a fixed holiday, allowing one day off every ten days, and additionally arranged numerous festival holidays as well as seasonal long holidays like tianjia and shouyijia. According to the reconstructed basic framework of the 'Jia Ning Ling,' the total institutional holidays amounted to about 114 days. The 'Wen Chang Za Lu' of the Song dynasty also clearly recorded '76 days annually' of holidays.

More importantly, the ancient holiday system was not just about 'which day you don't have to work.' Even for special circumstances like the death of a relative, there were legal provisions for leave.

Therefore, although ancient officials did not have today's familiar two-day weekend, the government had already developed a rather complete set of leave rules covering fixed regular holidays, festival holidays, and personal leave for private matters. Modern office workers constantly calculating 'how many days of leave remain this year'—a similar concern had already entered the bureaucratic system over a thousand years ago.