Bank holidays hold an odd mixture of joy and pain in the hearts of the British. Lie-ins, rain sweeping over beaches, “six-packs of beer” as Blur once sang and traffic jams.
According to recent research from finance firm Mercer, England and Wales only have eight of these bank holidays a year to celebrate compared with a huge 18 in Colombia, 14 in Morocco and Spain and 12 in Brazil. Some of the public want St George’s Day, just passed of course, to be added to our list – but business leaders appear reluctant to support another day of empty offices, emails left unsent and meetings delayed. So if not St George’s Day, are there any other anniversaries or special events with which we can tempt our bosses to let us switch off our computer screens and celebrate? Here are seven of the most colourful national days-off around the globe for inspiration: (1) Albania Mother Theresa Day (October 19): The life of Albanian Mother Theresa, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated her life to the sick and poor, is celebrated by a day of mass and prayer. (2) Barbados Kadooment Day (August): This summer street festival celebrates the end of the sugar cane harvest. There is a “jump-up” to enjoy which is basically dancing through the streets to Calypso tunes. (3) Cambodia Royal Ploughing Ceremony (May): This is a day dedicated to predicting the weather and farming conditions for the rest of the year. Predictions are made based on which trays, containing rice, grass, corn, beans, water and wine, a group of oxen eat from. Read more about bank holidays:- Double bank holiday: The economic impact
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