This coming Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S. and Spring Bank Holiday in the U.K. One of things I love about Filofax diaries is that they show the holidays for many countries, and I'm fascinated when multiple holidays to fall on the same day. There's usually a connection. In this case, there isn't.
For most American workers, it's the first holiday of the year since New Year's Day (unless their employer observed Presidents' Day in February). It started out as a day to honor fallen Civil War soldiers and now includes all American war casualties. As with all holidays, the true meaning is being lost in the name of frivolity and commercialism.
Traditionally, the day is marked by local parades, cookouts (hot dogs and hamburgers grilled and eaten outdoors), and the year's first trip to the beach or pool. Retailers, especially car dealerships, often have big Memorial Day sales to encourage people to spend the day off spending money.
Solemnly, the day should include a visit to veterans' graves, and leaving flowers there. Supermarkets sell ready-made bouquets for this purpose, often in red, white, and blue. In a moving ceremony, the President lays flowers on the Tomb of the Unknowns. Oh, and if you have a flag, you should fly it at half-mast, as shown here.
I couldn't find anything about the reason for the Spring Bank Holiday. Perhaps the Spring and Summer Bank Holidays started out as a way to get a day off from work while the weather is nice.
And that's something we could all use a lot more of!
I agree that the international holidays are great features of the Filofax (or any other calendar). I like being reminded of all we have in common. It helps if the holidays don't take up too much space and aren't too boldly printed, so that I can see them and read them but not be distracted by them.
ReplyDeleteDo you have Easter Holidays in the states? Like Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays?
ReplyDeleteHi Silver - Those days are not public holidays in the U.S. Some very devout Catholics may ask for Good Friday off, but it's a matter of using an individual vacation day.
ReplyDeleteI attended Catholic school as a child, and we had to attend classes on Good Friday. But we'd stop at noon to go to Mass.
That's interesting Inky. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public Holidays here in Australia. A four day long weekend. Pretty much all the shops are closed on Good Friday and they only trade Sunday hours on the Monday I think. We have a most of our public holidays in the first half of the year with not many in the last half.
ReplyDeleteHi, Can I just say I post anonymously but only because I havent got round to getting an identity, but I'm not the negative anonymous, I'm the one that posted about Timesystems and size re slimline/pocket etc.
ReplyDeleteOn this topic I just wanted to say the origin of this Bank Holiday in the UK is Whitsun which is something to do with Pentacost and is counted a certain number of days after Easter, but the meaning has been lost over time, I guess particularly if you don't attend church regularly. Someone else might know more.
Meanwhile I must get myself an identity - how do I do that?
Keep going Inky, this blog is great.
Hi Anonymous - Thank you for the comment. I will use it as inspiration for a Whit Monday post tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYou can do one of 2 things: Click the button next to Name/URL. A space will open up to type your name (real or whatever you want to call yourself).
Or, you can go to www.blogger.com and create an account. If you do that, you can log in and it will remember your name until you log out.
I've only recently discovered your Blog. There's some great stuff - well done!
ReplyDeleteWhitsuntide is one of those holidays that appear in international Filofax pages. It comes from the Christian festival of Pentecost, celebrated on the Sunday which falls on the 50th day after Easter. The name Pentecost comes from a Greek word which means 'fiftieth'.
Pentecost became a favourite day for baptism - known as White Sunday, because people were baptised dressed in white. White Sunday became Whitsun! Whisuntide is the week following Whitsunday.
In the UK the Bank Holiday was always the Monday in Whitsuntide. However, a few years ago, the May Day Bank Holiday was introduced here. As Easter (and therefore Whitsun) varies from year to year, there was the possibility that, in some years, May Day and Whitsun bank holidays woul follow closely together. As a result, May Day Bank Holiday is always the first Monday in May and the Spring Bank Holiday always the last Monday in May. It had to renamed as it no long always coincides with Whitsuntide. This year is a good example as Pentecost (White Sunday) is not until 31st May.
Hope this helps!
Tim - Yorkshire UK