Bank or Public Hol?

[Prudie]

is today a Bank or Public holiday?

[fadeout73]

Bank.

[sir.prize]

Bank Holiday - term which is colloquially used for public holidays which are not officially bank holidays, for example Good Friday and Christmas Day.

[Baldric]

Directgov says 'Bank'

[sir.prize]

Directgov says Public.

Quote: There are different bank and public holidays in different parts of the UK. There are currently six permanent bank holidays in England and Wales and an additional one in 2012. Christmas Day and Good Friday are public holidays.

[Prudie]

Yes I've checked now and directgov does say public. Mildly interesting as I bought a parking ticket in town along with lots of others but the machine said 'free on Sundays and Bank Holidays'.So I suppose it wasn't free.

[Baldric]

Baldric says;
I stand corrected sir.prize, didn't read down the page far enough, it's PUBLIC.

[sir.prize]

So why are the banks closed on Good Friday? Daft isn't it!

[Prudie]

Exactly!

[dotty.]

so what is easter sunday then? cos our store is closed on sunday, the same as christmas day. as are most large stores

[petal54]

but now required to pay parking charge in carparks on B/H's

[Nibble]

Today (Good Friday) is a public Holiday, as is Monday (Easter Monday) as below..

http://www.year-plann...2-public-holidays.htm

[ABerrant]

It depends on location...
England, Wales and N.Ireland = Public holiday
Scotland = Bank holiday

In the 19th Century English banks traditionally closed on Sundays and those weekdays hosting the two most holy of Christian holidays - Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Legislation was enacted in 1871 to give banks four further days closed to business and these extra days are officially known as Bank Holidays. The legislation for Scotland included Christmas Day and Good Friday to allow Scottish Banks to close on those days where previously they had not.

Subsequent legislation has increased the number of holidays.

[Buenchico]

Most of the answers above seem to assume that the terms 'bank holiday' and 'public holiday' are mutually exclusive. They're not!

In England & Wales all 8 (or, this year, 9) such holidays are actually 'public holidays', of which there are two types. Christmas Day and Good Friday are 'common law holidays', whereas the rest are 'bank holidays'. (So Easter Monday is BOTH a public holiday AND a bank holiday).