Lepopäivät

Lepopäivät is Finnish for rest days. The term denotes periods designated for rest and recuperation, and it is used across different contexts to refer to planned breaks from work, training, or exertion. It is not a single holiday or festival, but a generic concept applied in schedules and plans.

Etymology and form: The word combines lepo, meaning rest, with päivät, the plural of päivä, day. Thus lepopäivät literally translate to “rest days.”

Usage and contexts: In sports and fitness, lepopäivät are scheduled days off between workouts or competition blocks to promote recovery and prevent overtraining. In medical or rehabilitation contexts, lepopäivät may be prescribed to allow healing or to reduce strain. In work, education, or travel planning, lepopäivät can refer to days off, breaks in a timetable, or informal pauses in activities. The term emphasizes the purpose of rest rather than a specific date.

Relation to other terms: Lepopäivät sits alongside related Finnish terms such as viikkolepo, the weekly rest period mandated by workplaces and law, and vapaapäivä, a general day off. While lepopäivät describe rest days, viikkolepo and vapaapäivä refer more specifically to recurring or scheduled time off.

See also: viikkolepo, vapaapäivä, lepo.