A blue law is a type of law designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of a day of worship or rest. In the US, most blue laws have been repealed, declared unconstitutional, or are simply unenforced; though prohibitions on the sale of alcoholic beverages or prohibitions of almost all commerce on Sundays are still enforced in many areas. Blue laws often prohibit an activity only during certain hours and there are usually exceptions to the prohibition of commerce, like grocery and drug stores. In some places, blue laws may be enforced due to religious principles, but others are retained as a matter of tradition or out of convenience.
Many European countries, such as Germany, ban most Sunday shopping. In Saudi Arabia, eating in public during the daytime is prohibited during the holy month of Ramadan.
Read more about Blue Law: History, Canada, Chile, Cook Islands, Tonga and Niue, Vanuatu, Norway, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United States
Famous quotes containing the words blue and/or law:
“Buz, quoth the blue fly,
Hum, quoth the bee,
Buz and hum they cry,
And so do we:
In his ear, in his nose, thus, do you see?
He ate the dormouse, else it was he.”
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637)
“Law without education is a dead letter. With education the needed law follows without effort and, of course, with power to execute itself; indeed, it seems to execute itself.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)