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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
Bank holiday - what kind of holiday?
Hello,
The expression "bank holiday" confuses me a bit. It seems that a bank holiday is a national holiday, but a national holiday doesn't have to be a bank holiday, right? The basic definition of a bank holiday is that it is a day, when banks are closed. In England there are to be six bank holidays. However, there seems to be no independence day among those days. Aren't banks closed on the independence day in England/GB? This expression is not used in the USA, right? Besides, a bank holiday is both a national holiday and a public holiday, but what makes one holiday a bank one, public one or national one?
In short, what's the difference between a bank holiday, a national holiday and a public holiday? I suspect some of them are broader terms and some of them narrower ones. If they mean more or less the same, why have different names?
Food for thought.
The expression "bank holiday" confuses me a bit. It seems that a bank holiday is a national holiday, but a national holiday doesn't have to be a bank holiday, right? The basic definition of a bank holiday is that it is a day, when banks are closed. In England there are to be six bank holidays. However, there seems to be no independence day among those days. Aren't banks closed on the independence day in England/GB? This expression is not used in the USA, right? Besides, a bank holiday is both a national holiday and a public holiday, but what makes one holiday a bank one, public one or national one?
In short, what's the difference between a bank holiday, a national holiday and a public holiday? I suspect some of them are broader terms and some of them narrower ones. If they mean more or less the same, why have different names?
Food for thought.
Top answer
"Bank holiday" is not used in the US. We have national holidays when the government offices are closed. ) Other businesses (like the stock markets and banks) are generally closed on national holidays.
- "Bank holiday" is not used in the US.
- We have national holidays when the government offices are closed.
- ) Other businesses (like the stock markets and banks) are generally closed on national holidays.
- Companies do not have to give workers these holidays, so stores may be open on these holidays.
- England was never colonized and subsequently fought off the occupier, so it does not have an Independence Day as the United States does.
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2 Answers
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"Bank holiday" is not used in the US.
We have national holidays when the government offices are closed. (No mail delivery!) Other businesses (like the stock markets and banks) are generally closed on national holidays.
Companies do not have to give workers these holidays, so stores may be open on these holidays.
England was never colonized and subsequently fought off the occupier,
We have national holidays when the government offices are closed. (No mail delivery!) Other businesses (like the stock markets and banks) are generally closed on national holidays.
Companies do not have to give workers these holidays, so stores may be open on these holidays.
England was never colonized and subsequently fought off the occupier,
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Thank you Alphecca! I didn't even realize that GB doesn't have an independence day - I assumed every country has, even if it is far-fetched
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