Religion is a social institution, it's connected to culture. Should people not get paid days off if it's in their culture to attend funerals or weddings of family members? Where do you draw the line between hobby and culture?
You should get your paid days off to do whatever you want to do with them. I didn't object to that. If you read the rest of the thread, you'll see that I misunderstood the initial post and thought to OP was simply slipping out early. OP confirmed that it was in fact part of a paid time off allowance; what I would call part of someone's vacation or holiday time.
Where do you draw the line between hobby and culture? They're not exclusive. Something can be both hobby and culture. Just you, on your own, with no interaction with other humans? Hobby. Involves someone else? Both. Can something be culture without being a hobby? Sure. Eating, for example (but if you like eating competitively, and practice your technique and subscribe to "Big Mouth Monthly", its hobby too).
