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