There were the weekly Sabbaths. (Ex 20:8-11) On these days the people could concentrate their attention on God’s law and on teaching it to their children. Other days of holy convention or Sabbath were: the first day of the seventh month (Le 23:24) and the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month. (Le 23:26-32) The festival periods, and particularly certain days thereof, were observed as “holy conventions.” (Le 23:37, 38) These festivals were Passover and the Festival of Unfermented Cakes (Le 23:4-8); Pentecost, or the Festival of Weeks (Le 23:15-21); and the Festival of Booths, or Ingathering.​—Le 23:33-36, 39-43; see CONVENTION.

Jehovah commanded that his people ‘afflict their souls’ on the Day of Atonement, a day of “holy convention.” This meant that they should fast and should recognize and confess their sins as well as feel godly sorrow for them. (Le 16:29-31; 23:26-32) But no day holy to Jehovah was to be a day of weeping and sadness for his people. Rather, those days were to be days of rejoicing and declaring of praise to Jehovah for his marvelous provisions through his loving-kindness.​—Ne 8:9-12.

Jehovah’s holy rest day. The Bible shows us that God proceeded to rest from his creative works some 6,000 years ago, declaring the seventh “day” sacred, or holy. (Ge 2:2, 3) The apostle Paul shows that Jehovah’s great rest day is a long period of time, when he speaks of the day as still being open so that by faith and obedience Christians can enter into its rest. As a holy day, it is a time of relief and rejoicing for Christians even in the midst of a weary, sin-stricken world.​—Heb 4:3-10; see DAY.