El Salvador
In
The United Kingdom and Ireland

As in the United Kingdom, "Bank Holidays" are subject to change every year according to the day on which they "fall" on the calendar. "National Days" are not celebrated in the same extent as National Days are in a number of other countries. Only St Patrick's Day in Ireland and Northern Ireland and St Andrew's Day in Scotland are taken as an official holiday. All the other national days are normal working days. To find out more about your entitlement to public holidays, please check the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997

A bank holiday is a public holiday in Ireland and the UK. There is no right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential services (e.g. utilities, fire, ambulance, police, health-care workers) receive them as holidays; those employed in essential services usually receive extra pay for working on these days. Bank holidays are so called because they are days upon which banks are shut and therefore (traditionally) no other businesses could operate. When an "bank holiday" falls on a weekend, the date of the bank holiday is postponed and declared for a following weekday. This new date is termed a 'bank holiday in lieu' of the actual anniversary day. In this way, public holidays are not 'lost' on years when they coincide with weekends (which will already be a day off for many people).

Many Irish celebrate New Year's night in their favourite Pub. Only in some of the bigger towns are fireworks used for the New Year's celebrations.

New Year's day marks the end of the long Christmas/New Year break with most people returning to work the next day.

In some parts of the south of Ireland there is a custom called the "New Year's Swim". In the morning of the New Year many people dive into the cold sea, but only for a few minutes. This event is generally covered in great detail by the local newspapers and by TV.

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Born in Britain, he was carried off by pirates and spent six years in slavery before escaping and training as a missionary. The most famous story about St. Patrick, is him driving the snakes from Ireland.

The St. Patrick's Day festivities take place from March 15 until March 18 (4 day period) and it is Ireland's biggest annual festival. The day is marked by the wearing of shamrocks (a clover-like plant), the national emblem of both Northern Ireland and Ireland. For more information, please visit the following website: Saint Patrick's Day Festival

Some of the secular customs celebrated on this days are:

Many family house holds would prepare their homes for Easter Sunday by doing what would be better known as "spring cleaning" to prepare the house for blessing by the local priest which is a religious ceremony that dates back hundreds of years.

On Good Friday people would attend confessions asking for forgiveness, have their hair cut, nails trimmed and would also shop for new clothes to be worn to Easter mass.

Eggs would not be eaten during the time of Lent and would be presented to the Irish household on Good Friday but not eaten until Easter Sunday. Eggs would have been painted with different colours and designs but have been replaced with Chocolate Easters Eggs for the children.

Holy Saturday would be a day that Irish people take a vow of silence but also attend a special ceremony to have their Holy water blessed but would also attend the Easter Vigil which usually starts at 10pm with the Church decorated in purple coloured banners to celebrate the arrival of the King. All lights in the Church are extinguished at 11pm with a new flame being presented to the altar of the church which is a Paschal Candle, a symbol of the Risen Christ and the celebrations of the Holy Flame.

Easter Sunday in many homes is very similar to any other Sunday or religious day in Ireland. Families get together dressed in their new clothes and would attend mass together in their local church.

After attending mass on Easter Sunday everyone would make their way back home to start the Easter feast which is usually made up of servings of potatoes, vegetables, meat, stuffing, bread and anything else that makes up a good proper Irish feast.

Please note that "Good Friday" is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day.

Sometimes called Halloween holiday or Oíche Shamhna in Gaelic, meaning "Samhain Night"

Throughout the Halloween holiday, people dress up as creatures from the underworld (e.g., ghosts, zombies, witches and goblins) and light bonfires, and enjoy spectacular firework displays. Houses are frequently adorned with turnips carved into scary faces. Games are often played, such as bobbing for apples, where apples, peanuts and other nuts and fruit and some small coins are placed in a basin of water. Sometimes they enjoy a traditional Halloween meal consisting of Colcannon with coins wrapped in grease-proof paper mixed in, and a slice of barbrack (fruit bread) cake.

Given the majority of the population is Roman Catholic, Christmas is a time of religious celebrations around the and it is celebrated with family, attending Mass at Christmas and a feasting on a traditional dinner consisting of turkey, ham, chicken, stuffing, potatoes, brussels sprouts and various vegetables.

People decorate Christmas trees, and light a "welcoming candle" next to the window as symbol of hospitality, meaning that the homeowner of the house would welcome the "Holy Family" -unlike the inn keeper in Bethlehem who bore guilt of having them turned away-. Also, people exchange presents.

An Irish Christmas dinner consists of turkey, ham, chicken, stuffing, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and various vegetables

• Labour Day (May Day), on the first Monday in May

• June Holiday, the first Monday in June

• August Holiday, first Monday in August

• October Holiday (sometimes called Halloween holiday or Oíche Shamhna in Gaelic, meaning "Samhain Night"), the last Monday in October.