# Bank holidays



## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

It's Easter bank holiday weekend in the UK which means that a lot of us (not everyone) gets a four day weekend for free. We get 8 days in the UK like this. 25/26 December. 1 January. Spring bank (March), Easter Friday/Monday, May day and one at the end of August.

People complain that it's not enough. Some people have suggested we get St Georges day off too which is in April and often close to Easter - that's not the best time to add a new day.
As a music fan I think we could celebrate the birthday of a great British composer - Elgar in June - nice for the summer or Benjamin Britten in November which would be a nice prelude to the christmas holidays while not being too close.

I know they get more national holidays in other countries but I think they get shorter paid leave to take when they like. Thailand gets something like 18 national days but they don't get much flexibility. I get 22 days to take when I like - (not enough!)

Which national holiday would you add and how many holidays do you have in your country?


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I don't know how many we have, but I would like my birthday to be a national holiday


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I wouldn't mind getting a 4-day weekend for Easter. I took Friday off as a "floating" Holiday. I think for many or most in the US, it's a normal 2-day weekend.


----------



## Guest (Apr 4, 2015)

Another Brit here.
I'd have a Bank Holiday for the NHS.


----------



## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

MoonlightSonata said:


> I don't know how many we have, but I would like my birthday to be a national holiday


My birthday is actually today. If mine were a bank holiday it would have to be shifted to Tuesday after Easter Monday. A 5 day weekend would be nice but maybe a bit greedy.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

In the UK we may or may not have as many days off as other countries in total but we do seem to have a longer Christmas break plus we aren't obliged to take a month off in August as is compulsory with many European companies. I think the May Day, Spring and August bank holidays are insignificant in isolation and should be added to each other and moved to some time in Autumn as it would make for a nice later-in-the-year equivalent of the Easter holiday.


----------



## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

I think we have the fewest: Jan. 1, Feb. 24 (Independence Day), Good Friday, May 1, June 23 (Victory Day), June 24 (Midsummer), Aug. 20 (Re-Independence Day!), Dec. 24-26.

That's 10 in total. I know that in many places (US, Canada), holidays that fall on a weekend are "carried over" to the following Monday. Not here! Good Friday is the only holiday we can count on. :lol:


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

A Bank Holiday to mark Burns' birthday (January 25th) would be nice, because it would give us something to look forward to after Christmas, and it would be good for people in England to celebrate Scotland too and show that we love them. Or St Andrew's Day, 30th November, because it would give us a break before Christmas got really hectic. 

But if one was wanted in the warmer weather, what about 'Rose & Thistle Day', in June?  We could have a specially brewed beer called Rose & Thistle with which we toasted each other's health.


----------



## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

Kivimees said:


> olidays that fall on a weekend are "carried over" to the following Monday. Not here! Good Friday is the only holiday we can count on. :lol:


Wow! that's terrible! There'd be riots here if they tried to take our free monday off! I'd riot for sure!


----------



## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

Ingélou said:


> A Bank Holiday to mark Burns' birthday (January 25th) would be nice, because it would give us something to look forward to after Christmas, and it would be for good people in England to celebrate Scotland too and show that we love them. Or St Andrew's Day, 30th November, because it would give us a break before Christmas got really hectic.
> 
> But if one was wanted in the warmer weather, what about 'Rose & Thistle Day', in June?  We could have a specially brewed beer called Rose & Thistle with which we toasted each other's health.


I like that. Beer and sunshine are such a great combination. Beer, sunshine and music would be even better but it wouldn't be a day off for the musicians then.


----------



## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

Wait? You guys actually get holidays off? All we ever do is close early on some holidays...


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Ingélou said:


> A Bank Holiday to mark Burns' birthday (January 25th) would be nice, because it would give us something to look forward to after Christmas, and it would be good for people in England to celebrate Scotland too and show that we love them. Or St Andrew's Day, 30th November, because it would give us a break before Christmas got really hectic.
> 
> But if one was wanted in the warmer weather, what about 'Rose & Thistle Day', in June?  We could have a specially brewed beer called Rose & Thistle with which we toasted each other's health.


Nice idea about the beer, but I bet it would have to be rebranded as Thistle & Rose north of the border - think of the Royal Coat of Arms:


----------



## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Here in America we have many National Holidays but its pretty selective on which days you get to have off. Like for example we have the obvious New Years, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. day, Memorial day, and probably more. But depending on what you do or the business depends on if you have the day off. It also depends on if you are a student how many days you get off. Its all over the place. I honestly feel students have way to many days off.


----------



## Guest (Apr 5, 2015)

pianississimo said:


> Wow! that's terrible! There'd be riots here if they tried to take our free monday off! I'd riot for sure!


Me too!
When I was a civil servant we got a half day off for Maundy Thursday. Now that's specialist!


----------



## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Only in Malta, land of public holidays...

Thursday 1st January 
New Year's Day​
​
Tuesday 10th February ​
Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck
​
Thursday 19th March	​
Feast of St. Joseph
​
Tuesday 31st March 
Freedom Day
​
Friday 3rd April	​
Good Friday
​
Friday 1st May	​
Worker's Day
​
Sunday 7th June ​
Sette Giugno
​
Monday 29th June	
​Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul
​
Saturday 15th August	​
Feast of the Assumption
​
Tuesday 8th September 
​Feast of Our Lady of Victories
​
Monday 21st September ​
Independence Day
​
Tuesday 8th Decemeber	​
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
​
Sunday 13th December ​
Republic Day
​
Friday 25th December	
​Christmas Day


----------



## pianississimo (Nov 24, 2014)

But probably that's all you get. I'd far rather have the 8 days we get tacked onto the holidays we get to take when we want. Often there are few concerts at Easter and in the summer. I'd rather take them off to have the time for more useful reasons.

That said, I did enjoy the lazy morning knowing I have no piano lesson today and no work tomorrow. 
We're in the season of bank holidays now with a couple more to come before summer. It's only when you've run out of holidays and summer and it's three months until xmas that you protest about the number of holidays.


​Feast of Our Lady of Victories sounds good. We could have that. It's just after the schools go back and the traffic is rubbish again. It's a good time for a bonus monday off.


----------



## kishi (Mar 29, 2015)

My birthday is on the 4th of July, unfortunately (or not) I'm not American so it's not a public holiday.
I never understood bank holidays but I'm not complaining.


----------

