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Catholic or protestant : Since pre-historic times in Europe, festivities (bonfires, offrerings) were marking the beginning of longer hours of daylight with fires and ritual. The Roman festival of Saturnalia lasted several days in December (gambling and offerings). Germanic tribes also celebrated mid-winter (drinking and rituals). The Bulgarian (with Koleduvane) and the Polish (with Gwiazdka) perpetuate this tradition. Jesus of Nazareth was probably born in springtime (Reformists favour autumn). But in the 4th century, December 25th was chosen for the celebration of his birth by Pope Julius I (Bishop Liberus is also mentioned in 354 A.D.). Thus, a Christian element was introduced in the long-established mid-winter festivals. Before 1582, the Papal States and other Italian city states celebrated New Year’s Day on Christmas Day.

Secular holiday : Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would traditionally receive gifts known as a Christmas box from their masters, employers or customers. Due to historical reasons, depending on the year, Boxing Day can be celebrated BEFORE Christmas

Secular holiday : The world's most widely celebrated holiday, New Years was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties. Paid holiday when falling on Saturday or Sunday

School holidays : Www.education-ni.gov.uk
official calendar gazetted by the Education Department
all study programs are aligned with the requirements of the Bologna Process
Number of teaching days: 185
Average classe size: less than 20
School day duration: 6:30 hours
2022 PISA ranking: #14 with 494 score
Schooling is mandatory till age 18
number of instructional hours per year in lower secondary education: 700
schools close on Saturday
school uniforms required

We carry confirmed dates till Aug 2024; Further dates are projected dates based on previous years

Please note that authorities may take last-minute decisions; please double-check if this information is vital to you


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Contact [email protected] to purchase a file containing confirmed calendars of 550 countries and regions.

Culture : Burns Night or Burns Nicht or Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns(1759–1796), author of many Scots poems.

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Culture : Saint David (Welsh: Dewi Sant, c. 500 – c. 589) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and a relatively large amount of information is known about his life. He is traditionally believed to be the son of Saint Non and the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, king of Ceredigion. He was made a saint during the Welsch resistance to the Normans.

cards/flowers : Mother’s day has evolved in many countries in different ways. This is because mother’s day has different origins in different countries and therefore occurs on different days in the year. One school of thought claims that this day emerged from the custom of mother worship in ancient Greece. Mother worship which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of gods, and Rhea, the wife of Cronus, was held on March 15 to March 18 around Asia Minor. They insist that this custom spread around the world. Mothering Sunday is the celebration of motherhood in the United Kingdom. It is also known as Mid-lent Sunday, Rose Sunday and Laetare Sunday. It originally comes from the Victorian practice of allowing servants to return home to visit their mothers on this day. In the United States, Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819 - October 17, 1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet. Howe’s Battle Hymn of the Republic was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and quickly became one of the most popular songs for the Union during the American Civil War. After the war she focused her activities on the causes of Pacifism and women’s suffrage. In 1870 she was the first to proclaim Mother’s Day, with her Mother’s Day Proclamation. Called "Mothering Sunday" in the UK

Secular holiday : He was born in Britain and was captured by Celts and taken to Ireland as a slave. When fifteen, he escaped and made his way back to Britain. Later he became trained as a monk, and returned to Ireland. Mainly thanks to Patrick's influence, Ireland had an age of literacy while the rest of Europe plummeted into the Dark Ages. (shagtown.com)

Secular holiday : He was born in Britain and was captured by Celts and taken to Ireland as a slave. When fifteen, he escaped and made his way back to Britain. Later he became trained as a monk, and returned to Ireland. Mainly thanks to Patrick's influence, Ireland had an age of literacy while the rest of Europe plummeted into the Dark Ages. (shagtown.com)

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Catholic or protestant : The First Council of Nicaea (a gathering of bishops in the early days of Christianity) wanted to find a day to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. This commemoration had to be linked to Jewish holiday traditions, since the last supper of Christ was believed to be a Jewish Passover meal. But the Jewish calendar is based on lunar and solar cycles, so the Easter celebration had to follow the same calendar.

Special Events : At 1:00 am local times

Catholic or protestant : Not a paid holiday

cards/flowers : As the story goes, in 1564, France was one of the first nations to make January 1 officially New Year's Day, instead of the last week of March which was previously observed. In 1582, the Pope followed suit. Those who went on celebrating April 1st were mocked. As the zodiacal sign was the fish, The French placed dead fish on the backs of one another. Traditions vary from country to country.

Catholic or protestant : In the year 325, the Council of Nicée determined a date fo Easter. Full Moon would fall the 14th day of a moon month (1). Easter would be marked by the dominical letter(2)and the epactus(3). With the establishment of the equinox ne variatur on March 21, algorithms where elaborated to attribuate a date for Easter whatever the year.
Time between two consecutive new moons: 20 days 12 hours 44 minutes 2.8 - Gives a letter code for the year's calendar Age of the moon on January 1st, minus one unity, 0 being the new moon's age.

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Sports events : Www.belfastcitymarathon.com/ 2024 edition confirmed

Secular holiday : The Bank of England observed about 33 saints' days and religious festivals as holidays, but in 1834 this was reduced to four May 1 (May Day), November 1 (All Saints' Day), Good Friday and Christmas Day. In 1871, the Bank Holidays Act 1871 was introduced. It stated that no person was compelled to make any payment or to do any act upon a bank holiday which he would not be compelled to do or make on Christmas Day or Good Friday. 100 years later the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 was passed, specifying the majority of the current bank holidays, although New Year's Day and May Day were not introduced throughout the whole of the UK until 1974 and 1978.

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