Celebrations & Holidays Category
Summer Solstice
Sunrise on the day of the Summer Solstice ranges from about 3.35am to 4.45am north to south…
New Year’s Day
The start of a new year has been set variously at 1st January, 1st March and 25th…
Plough Monday/Sunday
Before industrialisation, Plough Monday was a popular event in farming communities on the first or second Monday…
Burns Night
Robert (Rabbie) Burns (1759-96) was born in Ayrshire to tenant farmers, but found he had a gift…
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. On this day Jesus reputedly washed his disciples’ feet…
Bank Holidays
Until the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, the idea of taking a day off with pay for…
National Sandcastle Competition
North Devon is blessed with many long, sandy beaches, three of which have played host to the…
Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilees
Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) had four official Jubilees, the most of any British monarch. The previous longest-reigning…
Winter Solstice – Yule
The Winter Solstice takes place on or adjacent to 21st December and is the day with the…
Advent calendars
Advent is a 4-week period in the Christian calendar starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas or…
Good Friday
Good Friday is the Christian commemoration of the death of Jesus by crucifixion. It is also the…
Trooping the Colour
The visibility of a distinctive regimental flag is of great importance on a crowded battlefield, as is…