UK Bank Holidays 2010
Bank Holidays 2010 for UK, England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland

Check out the Bank Holidays 2009 for the UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland & Scotland).

The UK and Wales have the same Bank Holiday dates but Scotland has 2 extra bank holiday dates (2nd of January and St Andrew’s Day), Northern Ireland also has 2 extra bank holiday dates (St. Patrick’s Day & Battle of the Boyne).

The extra bank holiday dates for Scotland & Northern Ireland are highlighted in Orange.

On Good Friday there are a number of different traditions that take place.
For starters Good Friday is a Bank Holiday and is the start of a extra long 4 day weekend as Easter Monday is also a Bank Holiday date too.

Some Christians have a day of fasting on Good Friday. Fasting is where you don’t eat and is done to recognise and remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for everyone with his crucifixion on Good Friday.
Many don’t eat nothing throughout Good Friday but tend to eat less. Fish also tends to be eaten instead of meat.

Another Christian activity is a procession of witness. This is the carrying of a cross through the streets and into Church, it symbolises the walk Jesus made before he was crucified on the cross.

At some point in the day, quite often around 3pm in the afternoon a service will be held in Church as this is around the time of the day that Jesus died.

The traditional food to eat on Good Friday is Hot Cross Buns. The reason hot cross buns are popular and eaten is because of the pastry cross that is on top of the buns which represents the cross that Jesus was crucified on.
The song that accompanies them is:
“Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns,
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns.”

For anyone who wants to know when is Good Friday 2009 the answer is Friday 10th April.

The day of Good Friday is a bank holiday and is 2 days before Easter Day. Some people follow Good Friday traditions on this day. For other dates related to this visit the Easter 2009 page.

* = Substitue Bank Holiday as 26th falls at the weekend
** = Substitue Bank Holiday as 25th falls at the weekend

Boxing day is on the 26th December.

It is the day that follows Christmas day and is another bank holiday. If Boxing Day falls on a weekend day then the Boxing Day bank holiday will be carried forward to either the Monday (if it falls on a Saturday) or to the Tuesday (if it falls on a Sunday or if Christmas Day is a Sunday). The reason it can be either the Monday or the Tuesday all depends on if Christmas Day also falls on a weekend or not, if so then the bank holidays are added on to the start of the following week so that everyone receives the extra days off.

In the shops many Christmas Sales start on Boxing Day as they try to sell off all the extra stock that they have left over from the run up to Christmas. The Boxing Day sales are very popular and many shops are packed out as shoppers try to get some bargains.

Boxing day is also now a huge sporting day, with football and rugby fixtures all taking place, predominantly between local teams so as to avoid long distance traveling for teams and fans.

Christmas Day is on the 25th December.

This is not just a bank holiday over in the UK but through out the world Christmas Day is a bank holiday.

Christmas day represents the day that Jesus was born and this is the reason we have Christmas. However Christmas has become very commercialised now and many people only see it as a day for giving and receiving presents.

If Christmas Day falls on a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday) then the bank holiday will be carried forward to the Monday.

The countdown to Christmas Day is advent. Many people get an advent Calender or advent Candle that counts down the days to Christmas.

Christmas Day is followed by Boxing day which is another bank holiday.

The Summer Bank Holiday in on the last Monday of August in England, Wales & Northern Ireland and is on the first Monday of August in Scotland.

The Summer Bank Holiday represents the end of summer and over the bank holiday weekend some places have annual events. In London the Notting Hill Carnival takes place.

This bank holiday was originally started in 1871 according to the Bank Holidays Act. 100 years later the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 had this bank holiday moved form the first Monday in August to the last Monday in August for England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Scotland kept the date as the first Monday of August.

Spring Bank Holiday is on the last Monday in May.

In the UK there is a few places that have special activities that happen on the Spring Bank Holiday for example on Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, a large round cheese is rolled down the hill and people race down following it. The first person to cross the line wins a Double Gloucester cheese that weighs 8lbs.

In 2002 in the UK however it was moved to 4th June which was to follow an extra bank holiday on 3rd June that was added to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Originally Spring Bank Holiday started as the monday after Pentecost, this is also known as Whitsun or Whit Monday. The reason it changed dates was with the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. After a 5 years trial from 1965 to 1970 of moving the bank holiday to the last Monday in May this is where it has resided since.

Early May Bank Holiday is also known as “Bank Holiday Weekend”.

May Bank Holiday is always on the first Monday in May giving everyone an extended weekend break.

The 1st of May is known as May Day, and over the May Bank holiday there is quite often May Day celebrations with Morris Dancing, Maypole dancing and the crowning of the May Queen.