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

Or introduce Eid closing as well?

It no longer makes any sense at all in maintaining Christian bank holiday closing in the UK in 2018. More people in the UK describe themselves as having no faith than having one.

Christian church attendances are falling.

Islam remains a religion pursued by a small minority of people but appears to be growing in popularity.

Christmas has little to do with religion for most people and Easter is more about chocolate than the resurrection (I wonder what proportion of the UK population know what Easter is about?)

Of course, I'm not suggesting that I miss out on days off. We can have other bank holidays such as National Buy Stuff on Credit That You Can't Afford Day. Or All You Can Eat Day.

PP.

I sometimes wonder if the church knows what Easter's about:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-35899023

Maybe they were paying homage to Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, a former bomber pilot.

Not Chris Stewart the former Genesis guitarist who wrote the travel book 'Driving Over Lemons'?

Simple enough, just go entirely nonsectarian and cancel all holidays based of the Christian roots of these countries. Then shops can be open and all people can work normal hours year 'round.

I think that there will always be some people who won't go shopping on religious holidays. That will be a big problem for some shopkeepers, and not much of a problem for the others. In any event, I don't mind most stores being closed on Easter, but if I want something to eat, there could be a problem if I'm on a long road trip and I'm hungry.

From where I'm sitting, the UK seems a fairly heathen sort of place in regard to holidays. Christmas and Easter are the only religious days off left, aren't they?

Here we have

New Year's Day (not religious)
Epiphany, in some (Catholic) parts
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Mayday (not religious)
Ascension Day
Whit Monday
Corpus Christi, in some (Catholic) parts
Ascension of the Virgin Mary, in some (Catholic) parts
3 October - National holiday, so not religious
31 October Reformation day, in protestant areas
All Saints Day, in some (Catholic) parts
Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Shops are not legally allowed to open on a Sunday or a public holiday and have limited opening hours. It's not that long ago that shops were shut on Saturdays from 2 pm, but recently they have been allowed to open until 10 pm on all weekdays, including Saturday. Only large supermarkets actually do this - others can't get the staff, or don't find it worthwhile.

The only country that is worse off is the Netherlands, have been told.

I agree that I don't see 2 days off a year as much of a problem - and the panic buying of bread and milk the day before is always amusing. It gives more of a chance for families to get together (although there are always some people who have to work, such as , police and the fire brigade, airline pilots, hotel staff and people in tourist attractions etc)

<BB<

...IT support duty managers

In the Netherlands we have:


New Year's Day
Easter Monday
Kings day
Liberation day (only government and schools)
Ascension Day
Whit Monday
Christmas Day and Boxing Day


Shop opening times vary, but a lot of stores have sunday opening as well (shorter hours than week days). Grocery shops normally open from 8am till 8pm on week days, other shops from 9am till 5:30/6pm.

I think that the amount of fixed (national) holidays is not the only factor that counts when comparing between countries. You should also look at the amount of unassigned holiday allowance people have. For me that is 27 days (regular / legal holiday) and 8-13 days of "ADV" (a system where you work slightly more than your contract hours and accumulate this as extra days off). I can also buy or sell days (maximum 10, this depends on employer). So between 35 and 50 days off.

For shopkeepers it is a totally different story. I expect they want days off as well.

"IT support duty managers" [Icy North]

If things get slow in your office, you can play tag, since you're IT.

Well, we pretty much are heathen (or were). Religion is on the wane.

There are plenty of other public holidays that we could adopt if we chose, which don't rely on a single religion in a multi-cultural society and spurious or notional dates.

New Year's Day
First day of Spring
First day of Summer
First day of Autumn
First day of Winter
Days commemorating the end of conflicts
Any number of national heroes days
Polling day could be a national holiday encouraging people to go and vote
And of course,
Towel Day

All of those things palpably exist unlike notional and movable dates like Easter. Easter (and Christmas) has nothing to do with me or my beliefs but I can't deny the existence of the first day of Spring.

PP.

I can deny Spring's existence if I'm shoveling snow from my driveway.

I’d like to see Bonfire Night as a holiday. Or maybe the first Friday in November. It would encourage folks to take part in this excellent tradition.

The Catholic church may feel just a little uncomfortable about that one.

PP.

Maybe they won't recognize the message. They only speak Italian, right?

Ok, a few popes get burned, but it's all in good taste.

Great idea – it'd give us a chance to get to Lewes for the street party – we could have the guess the float quiz live.

<BB<

I'd like a Churchill day or a Nelson day sometime between the August bank holiday and Christmas day. It's a long time without a public holiday..and we have the daft issue of Easter with two bank holidays,May day,Whitsun all within the period after Boxing day .

Let's spread it out a bit more..

Meanwhile, in Canada:

New Year's Day
Family Day (3rd Monday of February)
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Victoria Day (Monday on or following May 24th, Queen Victoria's birthday)
Dominion (Canada) Day (July 1st, birthday of the country)
Civic Holiday (1st Monday of August) *
Labour Day (1st Monday of September)
Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday of October)
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

Generally, fairly well spread out.

* The August bank holiday bears different names from province to province.