Festivals, patron saints and special days in the UK
Updated ยท Based on the official handbook (3rd edition)
Chapter 4 of the handbook covers the customs and traditions of the UK. Questions often ask for a date or what a day celebrates. Here they are in one place.
Patron saints' days
Each of the four nations has a patron saint with a special day.
- 1 March
- St David's Day, Wales.
- 17 March
- St Patrick's Day, Northern Ireland.
- 23 April
- St George's Day, England.
- 30 November
- St Andrew's Day, Scotland.
Christian festivals
- Christmas Day, 25 December
- Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a public holiday, and many people who are not Christian also celebrate it.
- Boxing Day, 26 December
- The day after Christmas, also a public holiday.
- Shrove Tuesday
- Also called Pancake Day: the day before Lent, when pancakes were traditionally made to use up rich foods.
- Easter (March or April)
- Christians mark Jesus's death on Good Friday, which is a public holiday, and his rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.
- Mothering Sunday
- Three weeks before Easter. Children send cards or give gifts to their mothers.
Other religious festivals
- Diwali
- The Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It usually falls in October or November and lasts five days.
- Vaisakhi
- A Sikh festival.
- Eid al-Fitr and Eid ul Adha
- Muslim festivals.
Other traditions
- 31 December and 1 January
- New Year, celebrated in Scotland as Hogmanay.
- 14 February
- Valentine's Day. A popular tradition but an ordinary working day.
- 1 April
- April Fool's Day: people play tricks on each other until midday.
- 31 October
- Halloween. A popular tradition but an ordinary working day.
- 5 November
- Bonfire Night, which marks the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
- 11 November
- Remembrance Day, marking the end of the First World War at 11am on 11 November 1918.
Test what you've learned
Free practice questions with answers and explanations.