English Summer Holidays
Emmeline Pankhurst Day on July 14 may not be the best-known English summer holiday, but it is a day to honor the English activist who led the fight for women's right to vote in the early part of the 20th century. Britain's summer calendar is marked with other holidays unique to the island nation, some dating back centuries. Colorful holidays and days-long annual events make English summers a festive time.
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Bank Holidays
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Workers' holidays in England are known as bank holidays. Several take place in each season. In summer they are the first Monday in June and the first and last Mondays in August. These are public holidays, and they've been celebrated since 1871. They are called bank holidays because banks are closed for trading on these days. Britons head to the country or seaside, entertain friends and family and enjoy time away from work. Bank holidays are similar to three-day weekends in the United States.
Trooping of the Colors
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The Trooping of the Colors is the official birthday celebration of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the largest royal event each year and is held in June. The celebration is centered around a military parade and salute to the queen, when more than 1,400 troops from assorted regiments display their flags and salute her. The parade route begins at Buckingham Palace, passes along the Mall to Horseguards Parade and returns to the Palace. There the royal family gathers on a balcony to watch an aerial display by the Royal Air Force.
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Summer Solstice
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Midsummer's Eve is a celebration of the summer solstice. The ancient Celtic holiday is still celebrated in England, especially in Cornwall, the West Country and on Hampstead Heath in London. It is possible to attend a traditional solstice circle dance and watch the midsummer bonfires in some places. The hilltop bonfires are lit along a long stretch of the countryside. The dance takes place around the bonfires. Some charming superstitions remain in association with the holiday. Legend holds that any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve or Midsummer's Day will keep fresh until Christmas.
St. Swithun's Day
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Though not a public holiday, St. Swithun's Day is July 15. The day is marked by watching the sky for rain. Supposedly, though it has not held up in scientific research, if it rains on July 15 it'll keep raining for 40 days. If it shines that day, 40 days of sunshine will follow. The Saxon saint, known for building churches, was buried as he wished, beneath the sky. When monks moved his remains to a shrine inside the church, it rained for 40 days. So this English holiday has Britons on the lookout for rain.
Event Holidays
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Many summer holidays in Britain are not official holidays but are annual traditions with a holiday feel. An unusual one, the World Nettle Eating Championships, takes place in the middle of June in Dorset. There you can watch contestants vie to see who can eat the most stinging nettles in an hour. If your tastes are less bold, count the swans on the Thames River at the annual five-day July census called the Swan Upping. The elegant, five-day Royal Ascot horse-racing event takes place in June, and later in the month is the Henley Royal Regatta. This competitive rowing event on the Thames has been held each year since 1839.
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