England - Traditional Holidays
Bank holidays, είναι οι επίσημες αργίες κατά την διάρκεια των οποίων οι τράπεζες παραμένουν κλειστές. Oι επίσημες αργίες είναι 8: 2 τα Χριστούγεννα (25 & 26 Δεκεμβρίου), 1 ανήμερα την Πρωτοχρονιά, 2 το Πάσχα (Μ. Παρασκευή και Δευτέρα του Πάσχα), και 3 Δευτέρες - η πρώτη και η τελευταία Δευτέρα του Μαΐου, και η τελευταία Δευτέρα του Αυγούστου. Έτσι, οι περισσότερες αργίες είναι στην ουσία τριήμερα, και όσες τυχόν πέσουν σαββατοκύριακο μεταφέρονται σε Δευτέρα-Τρίτη για να γίνουν τριήμερο ή τετραήμερο.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Tuesday | New Year's Day |
| 29 March | Friday | Good Friday |
| 1 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 6 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 27 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 26 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 25 December | Wednesday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Thursday | Boxing Day |
Το σχολικό έτος στην Αγγλία έχει διαφορές με εκείνο της Ελλάδας. Οι καλοκαιρινές διακοπές είναι λιγότερες και έχουν 3 εβδομάδες κατά τη σχολική χρονιά όπου τα σχολεία είναι κλειστά (half terms). Αυτές χωρίζονται σε 3 περιόδους Φθινόπωρο, Άνοιξη και Καλοκαίρι, (Autumn - Spring - Summer school half term dates) ενώ οι ακριβείς ημερομηνίες διαφέρουν ανάλογα με την περιοχή.
Δείτε παρακάτω τις γιορτές των Άγγλων ανά μήνα. Οι υπόλοιπες περιοχές της Μεγάλης Βρετανίας διατηρούν επίσης τις αργίες των Άγγλων αλλά και κάποιες επιπλέον δικές τους - Δείτε παρακάτω αναλυτικά.
JANUARY
1 January - New Year’s Day
1 January - The New Year's Day Parade London (over 10 000 performers travel around London offering impressive dancing, acrobatics, cheerleading and musical acts)
5 January - Twelfth Night (Christian)
6 January - Epiphany (Christian)
12 January - Plough Monday (the start of the new farming year)
15 – 17 January - Straw Bear Festival at Whittlesey
FEBRUARY
2 February - Candlemas Day (Christian)
3 February - Chinese New Year
14 February - St Valentine's Day (a Christian festival associated with love and romance)
MARCH
Pancake Day (a Christian carnival on the eve of Ash Wednesday to start Lent, which is a time of fasting and devotions)
5 March – St Piran’s Day Cornwall
8 March - The Great Spitalfields Pancake Race
9 March - Ash Wednesday (the start of lent)
14 March - Commonwealth Day
APRIL
1 April – April Fool’s Day (traditionally the day of practical jokes and trickery)
3 April – Mothers’ Day
3 April - Simnel Sunday
17 April - Palm Sunday (Christian)
21 April - Maundy Thursday (Christian)
21 April – The Queen’s birthday
22 April - Good Friday (Christian)
23 April – St George’s Day (a church festival)
24 April - Easter Sunday (Christian)
25 April - Easter Monday (Christian)
25 April - Hop Monday
30 April – 2 May – Rochester Sweeps Festival
MAY
1 May - May Day
2 May - Early May Bank Holiday
30 April - 2 May - Rochester Sweeps Festival
24 May – Empire Day
29 May – Oak Apple Day (the birthday of Charles II)
30 May – Spring Bank Holiday
30 May – Cheese Rolling (in Gloucestershire)
JUNE
2 June - Ascension Day (Christian)
2 June – Coronation Day: Gun Salute
12 June – Pentecost / Whitsuntide (Christian)
19 June – Fathers’ Day
JULY
5 July - Tynwald Day (the national holiday of the Isle of Man)
15 July - St. Swithun's Day
TBC - Swan Upping (a census of swans on the River Thames)
AUGUST
1 August - Lammas Day
1 August - Yorkshire Day
26 – 28 August - Reading Festival
27 – 29 August - The Glenn Miller Festival (the largest jazz, swing and Jive festival in the United Kingdom)
28 – 29 August - Notting Hill Carnival
29 August - Late Summer Bank Holiday
SEPTEMBER
4 September – 8 November - Blackpool Illuminations
5 September - The Great River Race, London
TBC - Heritage Open Days (free entry to several National Trust properties)
OCTOBER
11 October - Apple Day
11 October - Trafalgar Day
17 October - Punky Night (children sing through the streets and at residential doors)
31 October - Halloween
NOVEMBER
1 November - All Saints Day (Christian)
1 November - London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
2 November - All Souls Day (Christian)
5 November - Guy Fawkes
5 November - Lewes Bonfire Night
11 November – Armistice Day
13 November - Remembrance Sunday
14 November - The Prince of Wales' birthday
20 November - Stir-up Sunday (last Sunday of the Christian Church Year)
27 November - Advent Sunday (Christian)
DECEMBER
TBC - Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
24 December - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas Day (Christian)
26 December - Boxing Day
26 December - St Stephen's Day
31 December - New Year’s Eve
Special bank holidays
There are laws that allow the dates of bank holidays to be changed, or other holidays to be declared, for example to celebrate special occasions.
There is a a special bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday has been moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012.
Substitute days
When the usual date of a bank or public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a 'substitute day' is given, normally the following Monday. For example in 2009, Boxing Day was on Saturday, 26 December, so there was a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.
There are different bank and public holidays in different parts of the UK.
England and Wales share the same holidays .
Scotland: There are seven permanent bank holidays across the whole of Scotland. Christmas Day and Good Friday are public holidays. There are also other public or local holidays which can be determined by local authorities, based on local tradition. Since 2007, St Andrews Day has also been a permanent bank holiday. Businesses and schools are not necessarily closed on Scottish bank holidays, and the Scottish banks follow the English and Welsh bank holidays for business reasons.
In Northern Ireland, apart from the permanent bank holidays and public holdays they also celebrate St Patrick's Day and the Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
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