noun
servants' holiday on the 16th of the 1st and 7th months
Archaic term for a traditional holiday when live-in servants were allowed to return home. Observed on January 16 and July 16 in the old lunar calendar.
江戸時代、奉公人は藪入りの日に実家へ帰ることが許された。
In the Edo period, servants were allowed to return to their family homes on the day of yabuiri.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 藪 (thicket) and 入り (entering) may refer to the idea of servants 'entering the thicket' (i.e., going out into the countryside) on their day off.