h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We in Canada have a holiday that holds no pretence what-so-ever to being formerly religious, or societal in origin. The Public servant's just parused through the calendar and said "Hey, There's no Holiday in August!!!!" And seeing as our public servents are unionized, they invented one and negotiated it into being (the rest of us, union or otherwise, soon adopted it, I mean hey -- its an extra day off). It is literally called "the August Long Weekend" (you try and get public servants, unionized or otherwise, to be any more creative...)

Ooh, I like it. It's even better than "bank holiday". Very blunt and to the point.

Ohh...
And a note of correction. It is also known by the slightly more cryptic name "August Civic Holiday".

We also recognise Labour Day. It is also a bitter-sweet day for most grade school kids in our country as it represents the last week-end of Summer Holidays for them. School invariable starts the following Tuesday. Whenever new calendars are purchased, these children invariable end up checking to see if the next September will (hopefully) start on a Tuesday.

Another Long Weekend we have is "The May 24" (pronounced "The Mae Too-Fore") I believe it was originally intended to celebrate Queen Victoria's Birthday (as it is also known a "Victoria Day", to some) but it was easier to remember it as the former. this name is derived from two facts.
- The weekend usually comes near or on May the 24th, and
- A "24" (pronounced "Too-Fore") is the slang name for a 24-pack of bottled beer, which invariabley finds its way into many activities related to this long-weekend (and most other long weekends for that matter)