Bank holidays in England
The Observation Of A Few Bank Holidays In England
While many bank holidays in England are the same as those observed in other countries, there are a few that aren't as well known to people outside of England. The following holidays listed below are accompanied by an explanation of what each one is and the dates of observation.
May Day - the first Monday in May
Traditional celebrations for May Day include dancing around a Maypole, Morris dancing, and the crowing of a May Queen. Many of the festivities start during the weekend and carry over onto the following Monday. This day is then observed by places of business and schools. There aren't any special foods or people associated with this day, but there are some people who dress up to perform Morris dancing. This type of dancing occurs between a group of men and women and has been passed on for hundreds of years.
Dancing around the Maypole doesn't require a costume of any sort and this is usually performed by the villagers. Each villager taking part in the dancing has a ribbon that is attached to the very top of the tall Maypole. The villagers take turns dancing in a specific pattern to plait the ribbons around the pole.
Summer Bank Holiday - the last Monday in August
This holiday is used to make the end of summer and beginning of fall. In London, this is when the Notting Hill Carnival takes place. It was originally brought about by the people who emigrated from the Caribbean to the UK. Even though it originally began as a protest to poor working conditions, racism, and inadequate housing conditions, it is now a multicultural celebration that attracts millions of people.
Boxing Day - the first weekday after Christmas
This holiday traditionally was a day when the Christmas box was opened and shared with the poor. The Christmas box was a simple clay or wooden container that had gifts provided by various people. It was basically an alms box that was placed in a church on Christmas day. Each person attending church would drop something in the box and then these items would get distributed on Boxing Day to the poor of the village.
Today, many schools gathering gifts for Christmas boxes and then sends them to poor countries. This is also one of the few bank holidays in England where hunting took place. There were many Boxing Day hunts involving horse riders in red and white gear, accompanied by foxhounds. Hunts with dogs were banned in 2005.
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