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It was a Monday. That much was clear. I’d decided at some point that on this particular Monday I was going to make a fresh start, get up early, shake off whatever kinda hangover it was that cursed my morning that day, and get out and get some work done.
Cutting the ribbon on Spanishness Day [...]
Written by Travel News on September 9th, 2009 with
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It was a Monday. That much was clear. I’d decided at some point that on this particular Monday I was going to make a fresh start, get up early, shake off whatever kinda hangover it was that cursed my morning that day, and get out and get some work done.
Cutting the ribbon on Spanishness Day (October 12)
To be Frank – which, y’know, sometimes can work for me too – I don’t know where I was, somewhere in Europe – could’ve been Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Monaco, Andorra, France, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Faroe Islands (well named, they’s far alright), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Iceland even, but it definitely wasn’t Ireland, cos, well, they were having a bank holiday and that feels kinda different.
Nup, its not a big deal where I was, as these countries were all flying the same public holiday flag that day, and a new one to me it was – White Monday (give or take a few letters for local spelling and pronounciations), seems it was seven weeks since Easter Monday. It’s the kinda holiday idea that you could base entire calendars and holidays seasons on. “345 days since Christmas” could see you get an early holiday in December. Or if you need something in July – how about… well you pick the holiday of your choice and do the maths…
Fact is, a holiday is something you go on, most people save up for it, go on a tour, y’know get out and about, p’r’aps with some of that “travel” thing in mind. But a public holiday doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have or take a holiday. Conundrum that one. Like a continent can be an island, but an island ain’t necessarily a contintent, unless of course you’re from Terror Australis, but the point being it’s more about relative size and how much you got going on around it for it to be a real holiday.
And in the “getaway and go bush” lexicon, then the day that the Holy Spirit entered the disciples (White Monday) is more at the interpretative dance end of the “go out there and enact” style holidays, like f’r instance Valentine’s Day, Easter or Picnic Day (August 3).
Yep that’s right, Picnic Day. Almost up there with Melbourne Cup Day (holiday for a horse race, November 3) in terms of festive spirit, ‘cept you don’t need to watch a bunch of nags on the telly, Picnic Day is the first of my examples of reasons to travel for a public holiday, like go to that country and holiday with their public, cos there’s nothing quite like knowing you are one of millions relaxing just the right way.
Now just a note before we get all carried away – you could have a fair bit of fun doing some ‘National Day’ hopping, just like going from birthday party to birthday party where you catch the hosts at their best and all full of local spirit.
Extreme picnicking on St Picnic's Day
You could also really get in touch with a feeling – like Watermelon Seed Spitting Week (June 25-28), National Accordion Awareness Month or alternatively National Aphasia Awareness Month, which depending on what fancies your tickle could have you simultaneously silently being appreciative and aware of accordions, but really, truth be told, you don’t have to travel to do that kinda thing, and there’s no guarantee when you get there, that the locals would be supporting the spirit 100%. But Picnic Day, well it’s the law, so you hafta do it…
So, back to Picnic Day: its more than just God’s way of reminding us all of the value of checked blankets and wicker baskets – Picnic Day is just as much a way of embracing the wonders of drinking beer, outside, under the sun, with the kids. A marvelous combination instilled in law by the Northern Territory government (charged with the important role of tending the greatest place in the world, ever) to ensure that Territorians all over get their Required Annual Intake (RAI) of picnicking goodness.
Official NT holidays – Happy Borroloola Show Day!
Now imagine the sheer pleasure of planning your next holiday around public holidays – there’s some great ones to choose from. How about getting off that plane and arriving in the midst of a pre-organised relax-o-rama, don’t think of it as “the shops are shut, everything’s closed, what will we do?” type social panic situation.
Nup, it’s more like, for that one day, the public is polarized to your relaxation intentions. Get your bags and let’s have a little cruise round the world.
If Revolution Day sounds maybe a little bit dangerous to you, then perhaps arriving in Guatemala a week early for Spanishness Day (October 12) could be just the ticket for you. It’s hard to say whether public demonstrations of some kind of jamon-a-thon would be what you would find, but sure to know Guatemala embraces Spanish stuff on this auspicious calendrical occurrence.
Now despite the fact that its known that Sri Lanka has the largest number of public holidays, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they are any wackier than most, offer better shopping or present the ideal place to move to if you are leisure conscious. New public holidays are added regularly, but the downside is that as its in the tropics, rain can halt play quite easily. Not a bankable day off there at all, should you have to arrive unannounced then its likely the general public may be ready to relax on a newly announced public holiday as well.
In the town of Bourton on the Water, in the wee green Cotswolds of sunny England, the locals get into their best coloured pullovers (or jumpers if that be your thing) on the 4th Monday of August, all in preparation to play football in the river of course. Now it would seem that In Bourton on the Water fr the past 70 years that although it isn’t officially demarcated as Wear Your Best Coloured Pullover And Play Football In The River Day (WYBCPAPFITR Day for the economically minded), it can be relied upon that if you turn up on the nominated Monday with a pigskin under your arm and a pullover then you can be sure of a good game of footie.
Getting ready for WYBCPAPFITR Day
More of a theme day than a public holiday, but it sets the tone well for a coupla beers down the pub later on, that’s to be sure. To quote a local – “The effort of playing in water is tiring so the game is not the normal 90 minutes in length, but despite its brevity (15 minutes each way), hundreds of people come to line the banks and cheer on their respective teams. Sometimes, if the ball comes their way, onlookers get splashed, but on this normally sunny weekend, no-one really minds.”
We’ve also spoken before of the general “lose-the-plotness” and get-all-sillyness of Midsummer’s Eve in the Scandanavian regions. Frog dances, fish and schnapps and kissing in the woods anyone? And that’s just the start of it. P’r’haps a lifestyle more than just a public holiday.
A final way to ensure that you are in the right place for public holiday success, would be to start your own republic, much like Mayor Haristano in Java, or Owen Fenton in Yorkshire, England, or just a variety of the new micronations that are popping up round the world. Like the famous Leonard Casley who founded the Principality of Hutt River in 1970.
As soon as you have taken care of all that bureaucratic nonsense like starting a currency, and getting the infrastructure working, you can then set about naming public holidays as you choose – and wait for those tourists to flock in! National Simon Says Day could solve a whole bunch of “what to do” style problems at once! As long as you don’t plan on being a despotic dictator you can have all the fun you want, so why not get busy, make your own fun and set about declaring your own home-made micronation public holiday day today!
Written by Travel News on September 9th, 2009 with
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