please empty your brain below
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we've been lucky this year as, although i don't work for the EU, we do take their holidays. september and october look rather bleak this year, but hey-ho, we really can't complain.
zed | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 8:06 a.m. | #
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Scotland is a bit more complicated than that, because local authorities can set their own public holidays. For example, Victoria Day is a public holiday in Edinburgh, but not Glasgow.
Forest Pines | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 8:36 a.m. | #
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Part of me wants more bank holidays, as free time is always better than work time; however, part of me likes having less than the rest of Europe as it means we have something to complain about.
Andy | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 8:50 a.m. | #
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*regards the word 'less' at the end of the second paragraph with suspicion*
Blue Witch | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 9:18 a.m. | #
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I didn't realise that it was as long ago as 1978 that MayDay was returned to us in England. Or that it was only in 1974 that NYD became a BH.
Blue Witch | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 9:20 a.m. | #
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i think we shouldn't work any monday and have week-ends of 3 days, like this past one. It does wonders for me!
sole | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 9:21 a.m. | #
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I was surprised to see Germany only having 9 in your list. My employer has an office in Germany and I work with quite a few people over there - and they are *always* having public holidays. So much so that itr's a bit of a jokey talking point. I'm wondering whether you've listed just the national ones there and perhaps not taken into account the rgional ones - e.g. our office is in Bavaria (which thinks itself an independent country anyway), but I bet if you overlaid the Bavarian holidays with the German national ones you'd get a better picture.
And re your point about Americans possibly not going over the top with trifling Christian festivals: just because they have a couple of days less than us on these occasions doesn't mean they don't "go over the top" celebrating them; in many different ways more so than here ...
Jag | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 9:51 a.m. | #
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Am I being dim, or do your USA squares add up to 10 rather than 9?
dg writes: Oops, I accidentally added an additional holiday in August. It's gone now.
Henry | 02.05.06 - 9:56 a.m. | #
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the USA should have one in october for columbus day...and while thanksgiving (in november) is only officially one holiday, most people take two-three days off anyway. same thing for christmas (easter less so) - people take more days off than are officially holidays.
i'm being pendantic.
dg writes: apparently Columbus Day isn't a public holiday, even though most banks take the day off (apparently)
veronica | 02.05.06 - 10:13 a.m. | #
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The cold makes you work harder which is why Northern Hempisphere countries tend to be more developed. I think we should celebrate the fact that we're not lazy and need loads of days off!
AC | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 11:06 a.m. | #
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re the German holidays: indeed, Germany has more public holidays in general, and certain Catholic areas (Bavaria[Bayern] being the 'luckiest') getting 2 or 3 more than where I live (Hessen where we get 10). The downside is that when the designated date falls on a weekend, well, tough sh't, you've had your day off. 2004 was particularly cruel as 4 of the 5 fixed days (May 1st, Oct 3rd, Dec 25th and 26th, plus Jan 1st 2005) fell on the weekend. (Source: http://www.ferien-und-
feiertage....\\_hessen\\_13.html )
Wayne | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 12:08 p.m. | #
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Bank holidays being almost always on Monday causes havoc for teachers / lecturers, as the classes timetabled for Mondays get shortchanged in total teaching hours for the term.
On the other hand, the 4-day US Thanksgiving long weekend where people have to take a holiday day is not so good for them, as they tend to get far fewer days of holiday than we do.
fdr | 02.05.06 - 12:35 p.m. | #
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An important thing to note about holidays in the USA is that a significant number of people in full-time employment are only entitled to one or two weeks' holiday per year*. That's a big price to pay in exchange for a fairly even distribution of public holidays.
*And don't get me started on those employers who hire as many staff as possible at "heavy part time" appointment levels (something like 30/32 hours per week) to avoid giving them full-time benefits.
The Dunce | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 1:02 p.m. | #
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I'm so moving to Spain...
Essexgirl | 02.05.06 - 5:50 p.m. | #
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As Witchy suggests... the word "less" at the end of the second paragraph should be "fewer" surely... what with a day being a discrete entity and all 
NiC | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 6:42 p.m. | #
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You left out my dear homeland Canada. I love the place. Some years ago it became a hot political topic that there was this break between Christmas and Easter and "Something Had To Be Done". February was picked as the soriest month of the lot, and after much debate the every popular "Family Day" was enacted just because (in some, not all provinces, the Quebecois hated the idea as everyone English liked it).
BoyOnTop | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 7:07 p.m. | #
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Very, very interesting post, DG.
Nevertheless, as far as Spain is concerned, it must be remembered that the service sector -especially, tourism- is very strong in this country and obviously the people who work in hotels, restaurants or other tourist facilities don't have a day off when the rest of the people do.
Pepe
Madrid, Spain.
Pepe | 02.05.06 - 9:40 p.m. | #
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If a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the French take off the Friday/Monday to make a 4 day weekend. They call it "faire le pont".
Lucky sods.
Adrian | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 9:54 p.m. | #
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Ahh yes, bank holidays. I don't get these off but I do get 6 days holiday to compensate... for .. um... 8 bank holidays.
*sighs*
Gordon | Homepage | 02.05.06 - 10:05 p.m. | #
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The Dunce is correct. I think the US has the worst vacation plans among the industrialized nations...
...unless you are a Massachusetts state government employee. You get paid time-and-a-half on Sundays, and you get Patriots Day and Columbus Day added in there.
Patriots Day is a traditional New England holiday. Oh, and everybody in Massachusetts gets paid time-and-a-half if you work on Sundays.
Nugget Blogger | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 1:28 a.m. | #
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Oh, and what about Japan or Korea?
Nugget Blogger | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 1:29 a.m. | #
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Blimey, Japan's got today off. And tomorrow. And Friday!
And then no days off until July.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 1:49 a.m. | #
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Belgium has 14. Lots of Catholic, linguistic, monarchist and war memorial days.
Uroskin | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 6:55 a.m. | #
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uroskin, not forgetting when the belgians, like the french, 'faire le pont', or whatever. i forgot to look at my calendar at work to see exactly how many days we get (including EU holidays) but it's something bordering on the ridiculous.
i'm not going to complain though - it's robert schuman day next tuesday - w00t!
zed | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 7:44 a.m. | #
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May I rant about the Netherlands' poor amount/distribution of public holidays? Lacking any sort of celebration of independence day or war veterans celebration (Memorial Day is a public holiday once every 5 years; last year it fell on a religious holiday and we didn't get any compensation for that), most of the Dutch holidays are religious ones. A total of only 7 days. And all but xmas and New Year's fall in the period of Mar-Jun. It sucks. Plus, the bastards don't give us compensation when the holiday falls on the weekend, so in the last 2-3 years, with xmas and New Year's and Queen's Day in the weekend, we've been gypped as much as 3 days per year. I totally think they should just make some bank holidays later in the year; Aug and Oct would work well. Some argue that we get enough holiday time anyway, so what does it matter, but it's nice to have a forced day off.
m | Homepage | 03.05.06 - 12:10 p.m. | #
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In Massachusetts, Suffolk County and the City of Boston also get Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day as official holidays-schools and government offices closed and some commercial establishments including banks. Evacuation Day, the day the British left Boston(sorry), is March 17 by a coincidence. Bunker Hill Day is in June.
Serious Trains
Anonymous | 04.05.06 - 12:48 p.m. | #
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The US has it better than you indicate, at least those observing Federal Holidays. Not everyone gets these holidays, though, particularly Columbus Day and Veteran's Day.
Buck | Homepage | 05.05.06 - 11:10 p.m. | #
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Definitely could do with some more public holidays - October would be good as it's a long long time from August to Christmas and I'm not allowed time off during term time. A couple of days in October to admire the changing of the seasons depicted in the colours of the autumn leaves before the trees are laid bare and miserable by winter
Alice | 15.05.06 - 1:52 p.m. | #
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