Easter Monday 2020 Celebrations in UK

Is Easter Monday a Public Holiday in the UK?

Easter Monday in the UK is a public holiday in many of its parts and provinces according to Holidays 2020. To be precise, folks of England, Northern Ireland and Wales are granted a day off on this particular day. At the same time, it happens to be a regular day for the Scottish folks. Public institutions and organizations in the above mentioned countries remain closed on this day. Those shops and stores which are open also do not follow a regular routine.

Background of Easter Monday in the United Kingdom

For the followers of Christianity, Easter is undoubtedly one of the most important days. As mentioned above it is celebrated to mark the day when Lord Jesus resurrected from his crucifixion(which took place on Good Friday). Hence, this festival is commemorated with great joy and fervour. Meanwhile, the day which follows Easter Sunday is also celebrated quite prominently in many parts of the world including the UK. In the previous times, the celebrations lasted for a period of one week. It was in the nineteenth century that the one day started to get reserved for the celebrations of Easter Monday.

Easter Monday came into existence from the festival Hocktide, which was celebrated during the medieval era. Its origins can be traced back to the eleventh century when two day long celebrations took place on Mondays and Tuesdays immediately after Easter Sunday. Many legends are also prevalent about this day. One of them states that the men of a particular town would tie up the women and demand a kiss, in order to free them.

Another one suggests that men had to lift the women of the town a couple of times and also carry them for a particular distance, so as to acquire a kiss from them. All of these used to take place on Easter Monday and Tuesday. In the current era, Hocktide festivities are carried out in the town of Hungerford, situated in Berkshire. In this particular place, where the Hocktide celebrations occur, the central activities reserved to take place on the Tuesday after Easter.

Public Life on Easter Monday in UK

As it has been mentioned before, Easter Monday marks the last day of the four day long festivities which begin with Good Friday. For many folks, it is the day to come back from their vacations and make preparations for their upcoming days of the week. While many others see it as a welcoming day off to make the most of a joyous day of spring. This doesn’t mean that no celebrations take place on this day. Many parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland organize egg rolling competitions. The significance of eggs with regards to Easter is no mystery to anyone.

At the same time, Easter bonnet parades, exclusive sports matches and traditional Morris dancing fairs are also commonly spectated on the day of Easter Monday. In Biddenden, which is situated in Kent, special cakes are distributed among the common public in memoriam of a pair of conjoined twins who lived until the age of 34 only. Also, in Leicestershire, there are two villages known as Hallaton and Medbourne which organize a bottle kicking match on the day of Easter Monday, to mark the end of Easter celebrations. This tradition came into existence in the eighteenth century, but the local folks believe that its roots can be traced back to the pagan times.

Easter Monday Observances

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Easter Monday Celebrations in Other Countries

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