Holidays in Great Nortend

Holidays in Great Nortend are days which are established or recognised by the law for the commemoration of certain events, persons or causes. Great Nortend has one of the highest number of public holidays in the world. In total there are 29 public holidays, all which can be broadly classified as Christian in nature. They are referred to by their associated feast days, or “holy days”, on the Church of Nortend calendar.

Traditions

Holidays, or “red letter days”, are recognised by the customary law as being days of religious observance. No transaction in trade or legal process can occur on a holiday, and are deemed to occur on the day after. Furthermore, there are many cultural traditions associated with holidays throughout the year, often blending agricultural or pre-Christian customs or beliefs with Christian observances.

Not all holidays observed in Great Nortend are deemed public holidays, which entail the compulsory cessation of unnecessary servile toil. Notably all Sundays are public holidays. Additionally, the Holy and Especial Days Act, 36 Cath. II, which superseded the 1893 act of the same name, determined twenty-five days as being full public holidays. These are :—

• Michaelmas Day, or New Year's Day
• Christmas Day
• Saint Stephen's Day
• Saint John the Evangelist's Day
• Childermas Day
• Circumcision of the Lord
• Epiphany Day
• Candlemas Day
• Lady Day, or the Annunciation
• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• Easter Day
• Easter Monday
• Easter Tuesday
• Hock Monday
• Ascension Day
• Whitsun Day, or the King's Official Birthday
• Saint John the Baptist's Day, or Midsummer Day
• Saint Edmund
• Saint Christopher
• Saints Peter and Paul
• Visitation of Mary
• Marymas Day, or the Nativity of Mary
• All Hallows' Day
• Roodmas, or the Invention of the Holy Cross
• Assumption of Mary
• Trinity Sunday
• Corpus Christi

The same act also prescribed numerous half holidays on additional holy days which entitle workers to attend the noon high mass from 11 a. m to 1 p. m.

Half holidays

Half holidays are holidays given on certain holy days that give workers the right to attend a morning church service before going to work and are determined by Royal Proclamation annually and include Lady Day (considered to be the first day of the year), St George's Day, Ascension Day, St John's Day, St Martin's Day, Michaelmas, All Souls' Day, St Lucy's Day, Feast of the Circumcision, Epiphany, Candlemas, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and all Ember Days.

Concurrence

Additional holidays are not created when two or more holidays coincide, including when a holiday coincides with a Sunday, the latter being a bank holiday.

Other celebrations

Other days celebrated, though not being holidays per se, include May Day, Whitsunday on which the occasion of the King's Birthday is celebrated, St Peter and Paul's Day, St James's Day, Lammas, Harvest Sunday, Hallow Sunday, St Nicholas's Day, Plough Monday and Easter Sunday. Some are bank holidays by virtue of their falling on a Sunday.