Bank Holiday

A Bank Holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and also in the Republic of Ireland. Although there is no legal right to time off on these days, the majority of the population not employed in essential services (e.g. utilities, fire, ambulance, police, health-workers) receive them as holidays; those employed in essential services usually receive extra pay for working on these days. Bank holidays are so called because they are days upon which banks are (or were) shut and therefore (traditionally) no other businesses could operate. Legislation allows certain payments to be deferred to the next working day.

Scotland

A number of peculiarities apply to bank holidays in Scotland. Firstly, it is noteworthy (and a considerable surprise to many) that Good Friday is not a bank holiday there, though Easter Monday is observed by many. Also, although they share the same name, the Summer Bank Holiday falls on the first Monday of August in Scotland and the last elsewhere in the UK.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

More importantly, bank holidays have never assumed the same importance in Scotland. Whereas they have effectively become public holidays elsewhere in the UK, in Scotland there remains a tradition of public holidays based on local tradition and determined by local authorities. To complicate matters further, in 1996, Scottish banks made the business decision to harmonize their own holidays with the rest of the UK. Thus bank holidays in Scotland are neither public holidays nor the days on which banks are closed!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~