What is the significance of the "unscheduled holiday" in Chapter 17 of The Giver?

By Chapter 17 we now see that every community member's time is scheduled fairly rigidly. There does not appear to be much individual choice about how to spend one's time. While children do have play time and relatively few obligations, adults are required to go to work and perform their expected duties. Everyone must be productive in service to the community. Days off are, of course, scheduled as well. 

The significance of the "unscheduled holiday" is two-fold: first, just like in our own world when we have an unexpected day off from obligations (like a snow day, for example), we get really excited because we can do something of our own choosing and usually something fun. Second, the wording, "unscheduled holiday," indicates something serious may have happened to warrant such an unexpected day off, which holds even more meaning in a society that strictly manages their time.

In The Giver by Lois Lowry, what does the unscheduled holiday signify?

In chapter 17 of The Giver by Lois Lowry, an unscheduled holiday is announced to the community. This is exciting for most citizens because they are not required to go to work or school. However, this holiday further illustrates the difference between Jonas and the rest of the community since he began receiving memories.

Jonas has not been taking his pills for weeks and is experiencing Stirrings, but he is also beginning to realize that the people around him do not really understand emotions. For example, Jonas refuses to play a game of good guys/bad guys with his friends. He recognizes this as a game based on the concept of war, and he cannot put aside the feelings he knows are associated with a real war. He attempts to explain the horrible things associated with war to his friends, but they cannot understand it and continue to play anyway.

Jonas also realizes that the feelings his family talks about (anger, sadness, etc.) are not deep emotions like the ones he has experienced because of his memories. The unscheduled holiday is supposed to be an exciting time for Jonas, but it only illustrates how his childhood innocence is being taken away because of the memories he is receiving. He no longer fits into a society that does not truly feel anything.

In Chapter 17 of The Giver, an unscheduled holiday is declared over the wall speaker in Jonas's home. Everyone looks at each other with surprise because unscheduled holidays almost never occur. Everyone in the community reacts with joy because not only are kids allowed to stay home from school, but adults are also not required to go to work. Children don't even have to fulfill service hours on unscheduled holidays. In an effort to continue mandatory services as needed on those days, though, substitute laborers take the place of those on holiday. The substitute laborers are given a different day for a holiday instead. The services that need to be kept up during an unscheduled holiday are the following: ". . . nurturing, food delivery, and care of the Old" (130). Consequently, Jonas goes outside to meet up with his friends and finds them playing a game of war.