2016 Bank Holidays in UK

These are the bank holidays that are celebrated in the United Kingdom in 2016 and these days are considered as off days all across the country.

All of these holidays are chosen because of the country’s traditions, culture and history. Also, if one of these holidays lands on a day that is already a day off, then the holiday is moved to the next day that is considered a working day.

This is a full list of the bank holidays for 2016 in the United Kingdom along with a comprehensive description about the various customs and traditions.

• New Years Day – This holiday is celebrated as the New Year is just about to start and the Big Ben clock tower is turned on so it can chime midnight and announce the coming of the New Year. On this day there is an abundant flow of champagne and plenty of fireworks that people enjoy while they are waiting for the New Year to start. Also, in some parts it is a tradition and ritual to have First Footing or to sing “Auld Lang Syne”.
• Day after New Year’s Day – This day is also called Hogmanay in some areas of the country and it is the day when people spend time with their friends and family. Also, there are plenty of elaborate parties and other activities that are organized on this day. Also, Fireball Swinging and First Footing are followed on this day as some of the traditional rituals.
• Pancake Tuesday – This holiday is also called Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday and is the last day of the 40 day period that is called Lent. During this time the people observe fasting and this holiday is associated with consuming high caloric foods, which typically includes pancakes, which is where this day gets its name from. Also, in some areas of England various mob football games are set up and played on this day. There are also pancake races where the participants race from a starting line to the finishing line carrying a frying pan that contains a pancake, which must be flipped up and down at the start and finish line of the race.
• St David’s Day – On this day tribute is paid to St. David, who is the patron saint for Wales. On this day it is common tradition to pin a daffodil or a leak to one’s clothes and people attend services at churches. They also read about the live of St. David and participate in choir concerts.
• Mothering Sunday – This holiday is on the 4^th Sunday during the Lent period, which is where the people visit the churches where they were baptized or used to attend when they were children. They also reunite with the people that live in the town and this is also another day that people respect motherhood. They also know their mothers love or those they consider to be a mother figure.
• St Patrick’s Day – On this day the Feast of St. Patrick is held and he is Ireland’s patron saint. The celebrations include parades that feature Irish music.
• Good Friday – On this day the Christian followers mourn the fact that their lord and savior, Jesus Christ was crucified. People attend the various special church services and it is a common tradition to avoid eating meat on this day and instead have fish. It is also tradition to have some hot cross buns, which are marked with a cross on the top.
• Easter Monday – This is the day when the Christian followers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and it is a day for happy celebrations. This marks the last day of the 4 day Easter holiday in the UK and this is the period when many families go on vacation. Also, on this many people participate in sport matches, Morris Dancing, Easter bonnet parades and egg rolling competitions. Since the 18^th century another tradition has been a bottle kicking competition in various parts of the country.
• St Georges Day – This is also known as the National Day of England and it commemorates the day that Saint George, who is England’s patron saint, died. He is also thought to be a martyr as he was killed by a dragon while trying to rescue the princess and on this day there are traditional dances and parades to mark the holiday.
• Early May Bank Holiday – This is the 1^st Monday in May and in the UK is used to celebrate the start of summer. However, today the holiday is more associated with workers rights.
• Spring Bank Holiday – This holiday has been a statutory one in the country since 1971, which replaced the Whit Monday holiday, which is the Monday directly after Pentecost. In some towns there are various fairs that are planned and the women dress up in their best at an attempt to win the Well Dressing Queen crown and men compete by seeing who can throw bales of straw the highest. Close to  Gloucestershire the tradition is to roll a huge circle of cheese down the hill with people racing after it and this day is basically a day to celebrate the warmer temperatures.
• Father’s Day – On this day people show their respect and love to their fathers or those they see as father figures. They also acknowledge their contributions, support and love.
• Battle of the Boyne – On this day the Battle of Boyne that occurred in 1690 is remembered in the eastern areas of Ireland. On this day many walks and parades are organized and people who are participating wear dark or black colored clothing.
• August Bank Holiday – This is a holiday that announces that the summer months are coming to a close and that autumn is just around the corner. People enjoy the various outdoor activities for one of the last times since they can’t enjoy them during the cold months. Also, in London a multicultural carnival is planned and it is called Notting Hill Carnival.
• Guy Fawkes Night – This is also called the Bonfire Night and it is for remembering the ancient occasion when the Houses of Parliament was planned to be destroyed by some Catholic followers in 1605. However, the plan had been foiled and on this day people set off fireworks and light bonfires to remember it.
• St Andrews Day – This day is the day for the Feast of Saint Andrews, who is the patron saint for numerous different countries.
• Christmas Day – On this day the Christian followers celebrate the birthday of their Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. They put up holiday lights and festive decorations, including Christmas trees and they attend family reunions and prayer services. In the UK this holiday is one that is celebrated with much fun and with family and friends.
• Boxing Day – This is the day right after Christmas and back in the days the employers would give their employees various gifts of clothing, food and money. This name comes from the fact that the employers used boxes to pack the gifts in and traditionally people enjoy numerous sporting events on this day, including fox hunting before it was banned. However, in the modern days the sporting events that are extremely popular include football and horse racing.

List of 2016 Bank Holidays in UK