Is today a bank holiday? Why 2 January is only a day off in Scotland
For many the 2 January signals the end of festivities and the reluctant return to work after the Christmas break.
After a stretch of two weekends, three bank holidays and what has become commonly known as Twixmas in between, some people will have had up to 10 days off work before getting back to the grindstone.
But there is one last hurrah for some with an extra January bank holiday bonus – we take a look at who benefits.
Is January 2 a bank holiday?
The 2 January is not a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but it is in Scotland.
This dates back to a Scottish tradition of prioritising New Year/Hogmanay celebrations over Christmas.
Hogmanay is a three-day feast from New Year’s Eve to 2 January, which probably has its roots in the Pagan midwinter festival.
A time when food from the harvest could be enjoyed and fire were lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and the coming of the lighter days in spring.
In 1647, parliament passed a law making the marking of the feasts of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun illegal because it was felt celebrations were becoming too debauched and moving away from their Christian meaning.
Presbyterians in Scotland had already banned Christmas in 1640 for a similar reason. But Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland were able to continue because they were seen as distinct from Christmas. It meant they began to take precedence over Christmas in Scotland.
The ban was eventually repealed by parliament in 1660 and scrapped in Scotland 26 years later. But Hogmanay retained its precedence over Christmas in Scotland as a result.
The 1871 Bank Holidays Act introduced the concept of bank holidays in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in 1973 2 January became an additional one in Scotland for Hogmanay.
Some joke that it provides an extra day to recover from New Year celebrations in Scotland.
When are the next bank holidays in the UK in 2024?
The next bank holidays in England and Wales will fall at Easter: Good Friday on 29 March and Easter Monday 1 April.
In Scotland, the next bank holidays are Good Friday on 29 March and then the spring bank holiday on 6 May.
And in Northern Ireland, the next bank holidays are Monday 18 March (for St Patrick’s Day), Good Friday on 29 March and Easter Monday on 1 April.
