Spring Bank Holiday

Compared to other European countries, the UK has relatively fewer public holidays. Usually, these public holidays are also referred to as "bank holidays" because banks close and suspend all transactions during the holidays. There are two bank holidays in the UK, which are Monday in the final week of May - Spring Bank Holiday and Monday in the final week of August - Summer Bank Holiday.

Since 1871, there have been bank holidays in England. The name 'bank holiday' originates from the period when banks are closed and all transactions are suspended. Nowadays, although banks are still closed these days, many shops are still open as usual.

When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute day is given, usually the following Monday. So there is no 'compensatory leave' for holidays in the UK, which may be slightly different from other countries in this regard.