EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS
Tired of only a handful of public days off work each year? Read on, fellow European...
EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS
Every member state of the European Union has statuatory holidays. Some of these are common across the EU, such as Christmas Day and Labour Day/May 1st. Others are uniqiue to one country, such as Clean Monday in Greece. Some EU states have more public holidays than others, seen as rather unfair. The down-side is that if these holidays happen to fall on either a Saturday or Sunday, the day is forfeited as a public holiday. Only Great Britain gives days in lieu, usually the next Monday and/or Tuesday.
So with ever closer integration and forthcoming expansion, it seems sensible to consider entitling all EU citizens to ALL public holidays within the EU. The advantages are considerable, -its fairness, the promotion of cross-cultural understanding and the encouragement of appreciating our European identity. The prospect of 109 public holidays would be received with the total approval of all citizens of the EU.
The introduction of these proposals would mean the modest addition of extra public holidays, hitherto unrecognised on as such within the EU. The addition of these days would of necessity, mean the fixing of days that are at present "moveable feasts" , although this would not prevent the purists celebrating on the traditional day should they so wish. See note below.
1.To endorse the new EU statuatory holidays, May 9 Europe Day would be formally established as a holiday.
2. In order to relefect the multicultural and relgious diversity of the EU, the three following important days would be also be recognised as EU statuatory holidays and would become fixed days:
February 7 Yuan Tan -Chinese New Year's Day [officially fixed as always the first Monday in February]
September 28 Rosh Hashannah -Jewish New Year's Day [officially fixed as always the last Monday in September]
May 15 Al Hijarah -Moslem New Year's Day [officially fixed as always the third Friday in May]
The introduction of these new statuatory holidays provides the opportunity to fix dates for Lent, Easter, General Prayer Day and Pentecost.
Easter Sunday is taken as the fixed point.
Good Friday: always the second Friday in April, with Easter Sunday. Monday and Tuesday following.
Clean Monday, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday: always the the last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, in February. (The exception to this could be affected by the day on which February 29 falls in a Leap Year). (NB: Lent traditionally begins 40 days before Easter).
General Prayer Day: always the second Friday in May.
Pentecost Sunday [Whit Sunday]: always the fourth Sunday in May, with Pentecost Monday [Whit Monday/Holy Ghost Monday] following. (NB: Pentecost is traditionally 50 days after Easter).
The fixing of these days would not prevent anyone celebrating according to their traditional calendars, dates and customs, but only these new dates are officially recoginsed as public holidays throughout the EU. Any time taken off work, would be from personal holiday allowances.
To recognise the four nations that make up the United Kingdom, the following days would be introduced, each one with its particular sigificance. Magna Carta Day in England is a proposal currently under serious discussion.
March 1 St David's Day
April 25th St George's Day
June 15th Magna Carta Day
July 14 Orangeman's Day
November 5 Guy Fawkes Day
November 30 St Andrew's Day
It is likely that other states in the EU might wish to see new dates added also.
Yuan Tan first Monday in February [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ]
Clean Monday last Monday in February [ 21 22 23 24 25 26 28] [GR / CY ]
Shrove Tuesday last Tuesday in February [ 22 23 24 25 26 27 29]
Ash Wednesday last Wednesday in February [ 23 24 25 26 27 28 ]
Good Friday second Friday in April [ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ]
Easter Sunday determined by Good Friday [ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16]
Easter Monday determined by Good Friday [ 11 12 13 14 15 16 17]
General Prayer Day second Friday in May [ ??? ] [DN]
Al Hijarah third Friday in May [ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 ]
Pentecost Sunday fourth Sunday in May [ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28]
Whit Monday determined by Pentecost Sunday
Spring Bank Holiday last Monday in May [ 24 25 26 27 28 29] [ GB ]
June Holiday first Monday in June [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7] [ IRL]
August Monday first Monday in August [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ] [GB ]
Summer Bank Holiday last Monday in August [ 25 26 27 28 29 30 31] [ GB ]
Rosh Hashannah last Monday in September [ 24 25 26 27 28 29 30]
October Holiday last Monday in October [ 24 25 26 27 28 29 30] [ IRL ]
When any of the statuatory days fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the immediately following Monday (and Tuesday, when the two holidays are consecutive), will be taken in lieu. This is a change to the current practice in some EU states.
When more than one national holiday falls on the same day no additional day will be taken in lieu.
January 01 New Year's Day [ all EU ]
January 02 New Year Holiday [ RO / SLO ]
January 05 Eve of Epiphany [ S ]
January 06 Epiphany [E / GR / D / I / A / SF / RO / CS / SK / LT / CY ]
February 07* * Yuan Tan [ new EU ]
February 08 Culture Day [ SLO ]
February 10 Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck [ M ]
February 16 Independence Day [ LT ]
February 24 Independence Day [EE]
February* * Clean/Ash Monday [ GR / CY ]
February* * Shrove Tuesday [ P ]
February* * Ash Wednesday [all EU ]
February 28 Andalucia Day [ E Andalucia ]
March 01 St David [ new EU (GB Wales) ]
March 03 National Liberation Day [ BG ]
March 11 Re-instatement of Lithuanian Independence [ LT ]
March 15 National Day [ H ]
March 17 St Patrick [ IRL ]
March 19 St Joseph [ E / M ]
March 25 Greek Independence Day & The Feast of the Annunciation [ GR / CY ]
March 31 Freedom Day [ M ]
April 1 Greek Cypriot National Day [ CY ]
April* * Palm Sunday [ LV ]
April* * Maunday Thursday [ E / DN ]
April* * Good Friday [ GB / NL / P / E / GR / DN / IRL / D / A / S / SF / CY / EE / M ]
April* * Easter Sunday [ GR / SF / B / BG / CY / DN / H / SLO ]
April* * Easter Monday [ GB / F / NL / L / P / E / GR / DN / IRL / D / B / I / A / S / SF / RO / BG / CY / H / SLO ]
April* * Easter Tuesday [ CY / GR ]
April 16 Basque National Day [ E ]
April 23 St George [ new EU (GB England) ]
April 25 / Liberation of Italy Day [ I ] / Liberty Day [ P ]
May* * second Friday in May General Prayer Day [ DN ]
April 27 Day of Uprising Against the Occupation [ SLO ]
April 30 Queen's Birthday [ NL ] Valborg's Eve [ s ]
May 01 Labour Day [ all EU ]
May 02 Labour Day [ SLO ]
May 03 Constitution Day [ PL ]
May 05 Liberation Day [ NL ]
May 06 St George's Day & Bulgarian Army Day [ BG ]
May 8 Victory in Europe Day [ F ] Liberation Day [ CS / SK ]
May 9 Europe Day [ new EU ]
May * * second Friday in May Common Prayer Day [ DN ]
May* * third Thursday in May Ascension Day [ F / NL / L / DN / D / B / A / S / SF ]
May* * Mother's Day [ LV ]
May* * third Friday in May Al Hijarah [new EU ]
May* * Whit Sunday [ DN / EE / NL H ]
May* * Pentecost Sunday [ F / NL / GR / D / A / S / SF / H / LV / EE / B / DN / L / CY ]
May* * Whit Monday [ L / DN / IRL / B / A / S / SF / H / F / D / NL / DN / GR ] Holy Ghost Monday [ CY ]
May 24 Day of Bulgarian Culture and the Cyrillic Alphabet [ BG ]
May* * last Monday May Spring Bank Holiday [ GB ]
May 29 Corpus Christi [ P / E / D / A ]
June* * first Monday June June Holiday [ IRL ]
June 02 Italian Republic Day [ I ]
June 05 Constitution Day [DN]
June 06 National Day of Sweden [ S ]
June 07 Sette Giugno [ M ]
June 10 Camões-Portugal Day [ P ]
June 12 Battle of the Boyne [ new EU (GB Northern Ireland) ]
June 13 St Anthony's Day [ P Lisboa]
June 14 Corpus Christi [ PL / A / D / L / P ]
June 15 Magna Carta Day [UK]
June 22 Midsummer's Eve [ S / SF ]
June 23 National Day of Luxembourg [ L ] Victory Day [ EE ] Ligo Day [ LV ] National Holiday [ A ]
Midsummer's Day [ S / SF ]
June 24 Midsummer's Day [ EE ] St John's Day [ LV ]
June 25 National Day [ SLO ]
June 29 Feasts of Sts Peter & Paul [ M ]
________________________________
July 05 Arrival of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day [ CS / SK]
July 06 Jan Hus Day [ CS ] Coronation of Grand Duke Mindaugos [ LT ]
July 14 Bastille Day [ F ] Orangeman's Day [ GB ]
July 15 St Rosalia's Day [ I Palermo ]
July 21 Independence Day [ B ]
July 25 St James [ E ] Galicia Day [ E Galicia ]
August* * first Monday August Holiday [ IRL ]
August 15 Assumption [ F / L / P / E / GR / B / I / A / PL / SLO / M / CY / D ]
August 20 St Stephen's Day [ H ] Re-Independence Day [ EE ]
August 29 Anniversary of Slovak National Uprising Day [ SK ]
August* * last Monday Summer Bank Holiday [ GB ]
September 01 Luxembourg Kermesse Day [ L ] Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic [ SK ]
September 06 Day of the Union [ BG ]
September 08 Victory Day [ M ]
September 11 National Day of Catalonia [ E Catalonia ]
September 15 Our Lady of Seven Sorrows [ SK ]
September 19 St Genario's Day [ I Naples ]
September 21 Independence Day [ M ]
September 22 Independence Day [ BG ]
September 24 Nostra Senora Barcelona [ E ]
September* * last Monday in September Ros Hashanna [ new EU ]
October 01 Cyprus Independence Day [ CY ]
October 03 German Unity Day [ D ]
October 05 Republic Day [ P ]
October 12 National Day of Austria [ A ]
October 23 Remembrance Day [ H ]
October* * last Monday in October October Holiday [ IRL ]
October 28 Ochi Day [ GR / CY ] Independence Day 1918 [ CS ]
October 31 All Saints Eve [ S ] Reformation Day [ SLO / D ]
November 01 All Saints Day [ F / L / P / E / D / B / I / A / S / SF / PL / SK / LT / SLO ]
November 02 All Souls Day [ L / A ]
November 05 Guy Fawkes Day [ new EU (GB) ]
November 11 Remembrance Day [F / B / SLO ] National Day of Poland [ PL ]
November 14 German Day of Prayer and Repentance [ D ]
November 18 Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia [ LV ]
November 30 St Andrew's Day [ new EU (GB Scotland) ]
December 01 Independence Day [ P ] National Day [ RO ]
December 06 Spanish Constitution Day [ E ] Finnish Independence Day [ SF ]
December 07 St Ambrogio's Day [ I Milan ]
December 08 Immaculate Conception [ P / E / I / A / M ]
December 11 Imaculada [ E Seville ]
December 12 Imaculada [ E ]
December 13 Republic Day [ M ]
December 24 Christmas Eve [ DN / D / CS / SK / BG / P / S ]
December 25 Christmas Day [all EU]
December 26 Boxing Day [ GB / H / SK / LT / CY / S / NL / A / DN / EE ] St Stephen's Day [ I / L / A ]
Second Day of Christmas [ CY / EE / CS / BG / RO / PL / SF / D / GR / H / IRL ] Independence Day [ SLO ]
December 31 New Year's Eve [LV / DN / D ]
EU present membership [from January 1 2007]
: A Austria B Belgium D Germany DN Denmark E Spain F France GR Greece I Italy
IRL Ireland
L Luxembourg NL Netherlands P Portugal S Sweden SF Finland GB United Kingdom
BG Bulgaria CY Cyprus CS Czech Republic EE Estonia H Hungary PL Poland LV Latvia
LT Lithuania M Malta RO Romania SK Slovakia SLO Slovenia
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