There was a time in our history when a public holiday was in fact the commemoration of a holy day. In days when the peasant's nose was kept to the grindstone, or in the furrow, the idea of allowing workers to celebrate events of a commemorative or religious significance was something of a safety valve. With the adoption of a less religious viewpoint, and a less serious regard for church festivals and the anniversaries of saints, the notion of the national bank holiday, when people could enjoy some leisure and indulge in some feasting, took hold.
The original bank holiday was for those individuals who worked in the institution, and the Bank of England originally allowed 33 days for celebrating certain saints and events, although in 1834 the number was reduced to four - Good Friday, Mayday, November 1 and Christmas Day. An Act of 1871 added a few more national holidays.
Growing demand for recreation and festivities, and commercial considerations, added vastly to the popularity of public holidays. We now witness the extension of what were once isolated days into longer periods, and have needed to compensate those individuals whose services cannot be dispensed with, holiday or no holiday. The whole picture seems to have become confused.
The necessity of public holidays is not obvious, since all employed persons enjoy an allowance of annual leave when they may relax. We no longer have to depend upon the saints to grant us leisure. Meanwhile, it is an indisputable fact that thousands of people are let loose on the roads and in places of entertainment on the same day, with the result that chaos and overcrowding may become uncomfortable.