Public holidays in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Introduction This is a list of public holidays in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean consisting of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. Date  Name  Notes January 1  New Year's Day  Public holiday is on 2 January if 1 January is a Sunday; public holiday is on 3 January if 1 January is a Saturday March or April  Good Friday  March or April  Easter Monday  3rd Monday in April  Queen's Birthday  (Elizabeth II's actual birthday is April 21) May 21  Saint Helena Day Saint Helena May or June  Ascension Day  Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha ''only'' May or June  Whit Monday  May or June  Ratting Day  Tristan da Cunha ''only'' (date varies each year) August 14  Anniversary Day  Tristan da Cunha ''only'' Last Monday in August  August Bank Holiday  ''not'' observed in Tristan da Cunha December 25  Christmas Day  The public holiday may be on a different day — see Boxing Day#Date December 26  Boxing Day  If the 26 December is a Sunday, then Boxing Day is held on 27 December; the public holiday may be on a different day — see Boxing Day#Date
Local custom and variance Saint Helena has a total of 9 public holidays, Ascension Island a total of 10 days, and Tristan da Cunha a total of 11 days.St. Helena's feast day is celebrated as the island of Saint Helena was discovered on the feast day and is named in her honour; it is a public holiday on St Helena only. Ascension Island was discovered on Ascension Day in 1503; it is celebrated on that island and also in Tristan da Cunha. In the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, Anniversary Day celebrates the day on which the islands were formally annexed to the British Empire in 1816.Ratting Day is a local observance on Tristan da Cunha island and its date is declared annually by the Chief Islander; it can be moved at short notice depending on weather conditions.
Christian observance The territory has a largely Christian population and two further dates are therefore locally notable in the calendar: Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday (the Pentecost), both of which (along with their associated public holidays of Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Whit Monday) vary each year.
See also *Public holidays in the United Kingdom*Bank holiday
External links * Saint Helena Public Holidays 2011
References