Saint's Days as public/legal holidays

[Captain Socks]

Where are Saint's days public holidays? I know that St. Patrick's Day is a holiday in the Republic of Ireland, and I think Newfoundland. I've also heard that St. Joseph's day is a holiday in Malta. Where else are saint's days public holidays? I'd assume mostly in majority Catholic countries.

[Bagistan]

St. Stephen's Day (August 20) is a major holiday in Hungary.

Additionally, December 26 is known as St. Stephen's Day in several countries (Italy, Luxembourg) and is often a public holiday. In these cases, however, one might suspect Stephen wouldn't have been as celebrated if his day weren't the day after Christmas Day.

[Captain Amazing]

Originally Posted by Bagistan

St. Stephen's Day (August 20) is a major holiday in Hungary.

Additionally, December 26 is known as St. Stephen's Day in several countries

Different St. Stephens, btw.

[GorillaMan]

As of this year, St Andrew's Day in Scotland. (And St Patrick's is a holiday in N Ireland as well.)

[Captain Socks]

What about St. George's Day in England?

[GorillaMan]

Originally Posted by Captain Socks

What about St. George's Day in England?

Nope, nor St David's in Wales. The creation of the holiday in Scotland was done by the Scottish Parliament.

[Chez Guevara]

This Wikipedia entry gives a list of holidays by country, any Saint's Days being annotated as such.

Obviously this isn't as good as a list of Saint's Days with annotations of where those days are holidays.

[Captain Socks]

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday in some Caribbean island, I forget which one. Why?

[Hari Seldon]

St. Jean-Baptiste (June 24) is THE major holiday in Quebec. A week later is the Canadian national holiday, which the Quebec tries to avoid celebrating going so far as to make it the day that all leases expire unless they have an explicit expiration date written in because they are for less than a year. This means that (nearly) everyone who is moving is moving on that day. Utterly bizarre and Quebeckers see nothing wrong with having a statutary "moving day" .

[vetbridge]

Originally Posted by Captain Socks

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday in some Caribbean island, I forget which one. Why?

Why do you forget, or why is it a celebrated holiday? The islands are Montserrat and St. Croix. An explanation:
http://gocaribbean.about.com/od/spec...ricksCarib.htm

[Captain Socks]

Originally Posted by vetbridge

Why do you forget, or why is it a celebrated holiday? The islands are Montserrat and St. Croix. An explanation:
http://gocaribbean.about.com/od/spec...ricksCarib.htm

: pacing: Why did I forget? Why did I forget?!?

[Hypnagogic Jerk]

Originally Posted by Hari Seldon

St. Jean-Baptiste (June 24) is THE major holiday in Quebec.

Yeah, but the statutory holiday is officially called the Fête nationale du Québec.

A week later is the Canadian national holiday, which the Quebec tries to avoid celebrating

It is celebrated in Quebec.

This means that (nearly) everyone who is moving is moving on that day. Utterly bizarre and Quebeckers see nothing wrong with having a statutary "moving day" .

Not bizarre, it makes it simpler to find a place to stay if many people move at the same time as you. (I think that here in Sherbrooke you may easily find leases starting at other times, though, because it is a student town and people often have to leave for a work term.)

[elmwood]

Originally Posted by Captain Socks

Where are Saint's days public holidays?

Try predominantly Catholic cities.

In Buffalo, New York, at one time city employees were allowed to take their choice of St. Joseph's Day, St. Patrick's Day or Dyngus Day (Easter Monday) off.

[Captain Socks]

How are Saint's Days celebrated in Catholic enclaves of the U.S., like Little Italy or South Boston?

[matt_mcl]

The Spanish national holiday, October 12, is Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the patron saint of the Hispanic world, as well as the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the new world.

[Captain Socks]

Is St. Jean-Baptiste celebrated in French-Canadian areas of the Northern U.S., like Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine?

[Nava]

July 25 (St James, patron of Spain) was a National Holiday in Spain until this year. Other national holidays that were taken off the calendar by the previous bout of Socialist government include Sts Peter and Paul (June 29) and Corpus.

December 8th (feast of the Annunciation) and August 15th (not sure what it's called in English and feeling too lazy to look it up... the Ascent of Our Lady to Heaven in body and soul) are national holidays. Most regional and local holidays in Spain are saint's days. Many are hidden under other names, for example March 19, Feast of St Joseph, Artisan, is now officially "Father's Day" except in Valencia where they still claim that Fallas are "around St Joe's"; but if you get a calendar pre-1976, they're shown under the saint's name.

St John the Baptist's Eve is a very important and not always official holiday in many locations in Spain. I've never seen Barcelona more dead than in a St John's Day... you see more people around in August!

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by GorillaMan

As of this year, St Andrew's Day in Scotland.

It's only a voluntary thing though.

[GorillaMan]

Originally Posted by Struan

It's only a voluntary thing though.

What do you mean by this? If you mean that it's like other bank holidays, in that it's not a true public holiday, then yes. But it has the same status as, say, the May Day bank holiday, doesn't it?

[Malodorous]

Originally Posted by Captain Socks

How are Saint's Days celebrated in Catholic enclaves of the U.S., like Little Italy or South Boston?

Boston uses "Evacuation Day" as a secular excuse to celebrate St Pattis day, as it coincides with the end of the Siege of Boston.

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by GorillaMan

What do you mean by this? If you mean that it's like other bank holidays, in that it's not a true public holiday, then yes. But it has the same status as, say, the May Day bank holiday, doesn't it?

It doesn't seem to have the status of a bank holiday. From this article published a couple of days ago

But a report published today by the Scottish Executive to mark the milestone revealed there would only be an optional half-day holiday restricted to civil servants.

Admittedly, that's a piece from a politically slanted article, but the facts chime with what I've heard on local radio reports. It's posturing basically.

[GorillaMan]

Originally Posted by Struan

It doesn't seem to have the status of a bank holiday. From this article published a couple of days ago

The key is in the first sentence: "Alex Salmond was today accused of watering down a key pledge to make St Andrew's Day a full public holiday." He didn't do this, he pledged to make it a 'full national holiday', as twenty seconds with Google confirms. A meaningless term, probably deliberatly used becaused of the common confusion between the meanings of 'bank' and 'public' holidays. The Scotsman is either feigning ignorance for a bit of socialist-bashing, or making a big mistake itself. (For reference, it's a bank holiday.)

[Hypnagogic Jerk]

Originally Posted by Captain Socks

Is St. Jean-Baptiste celebrated in French-Canadian areas of the Northern U.S., like Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine?

Could be. I know that francophones all across Canada celebrate it. It's only in Quebec that it has official status (under another name), though.

[sugar and spice]

The New York City alternate side parking holiday calendar includes, among other Catholic holy days, All Saints Day and the Feasts** of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. Not full public holidays, but having owned a car in NYC, I can tell you that a street cleaning suspension is not an insignificant event.

**both feasts of Mary, see Nava's post

[Cunctator]

Originally Posted by Nava

December 8th (feast of the Annunciation) and August 15th (not sure what it's called in English and feeling too lazy to look it up... the Ascent of Our Lady to Heaven in body and soul) are national holidays.

You're getting a bit mixed up. The feast on 8 December is the Immaculate Conception of the BVM. The Annunciation is on 25 March (nine months before Christmas).

The feast on 15 August is known in English as the Assumption of the BVM.

[Kyla]

The Orthodox LOVE Saint's Days. People here celebrate their Name Days (the Saint's Day for the saint you're named after) just like birthdays. It's a big deal. Consequently, Saint's Days that consist of common names are festive affairs. The only Saint's Days that are actual national holidays in Bulgaria, though, are St. George's Day (May 6, the Day of the Bulgarian Army) and St. St. Kyril and Metodi Day (May 24, Alphabet Day).

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by matt_mcl

The Spanish national holiday, October 12, is Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the patron saint of the Hispanic world, as well as the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the new world.

Patron saint of the entire Hispanic world? I've got a few well-muscled Mexican friends with tattoos of the Virgin of Guadalupe who would like to have a few words with you, alone!