Special Dates
Our calendar is a great way to remember what holidays and days off to look forward to. Here are some of the important (perhaps flower related) events and holiday dates which we'll come to in the coming months...
Special Dates for 2023
December 2023
Hanukkah Begins
A eight day Jewish holiday observing traditions and celebrating through song and food. Often viewed as a Jewish alternative to Christmas in secular societies due it's occurrence around the festive season.
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is commonly known as the shortest day of the year, opposite to the summer solstice which is the longest day.
Boxing Day
The day after Christmas, Boxing Day as a holiday has its origins in the UK. A popular misconception about the origin of this holiday is that it's the day when we all put our presents back in their boxes. Boxing Day actually was traditionally a day off for servants, a day when they would receive a 'Christmas Box' (present) from their master.
Hogmanay - Scotland
Hogmanay is the Scottish equivalent of New Year's Eve. Here in Edinburgh the annual street party is particularly famous, drawing visitors from all around the world for concerts, fireworks and other festivities. If you're looking for flowers to bring to a Hogmanay Party, we would recommend the Highland Fling Bouquet.
Special Dates for 2024
January 2024
New Year's Day
A celebration of the first day of the year as recognised by the modern Gregorian calendar. Traditional celebrations and observances include family gatherings and making new years resolutions.
Blue Monday
A marketing construct that has become something of a modern folk belief in the northern hemisphere as 'the most depressing day of the year'. Certainly this very long and very cold post-Christmas period that we might call January can be a slog for many people, so cheering up yourself or others with a little gift is not the worst idea.
Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Welsh Valentine's Day)
A celebration of Dwynwen, the Welsh saint of lovers, Dydd Santes Dwynwen is an annual celebration which is kind of considered as being analagous to Valentine's Day.
Robert Burns Night
An annual celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns' birthday. Burns Night tends to be celebrated with a Burns supper with a traditional meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, and maybe a wee dram of whisky to wash it down. Burns night traditions include a recital of the Burns poem Address to a Haggis once the haggis has been brought through and presented upon the dinner table.
February 2024
Rose Day (India)
Rose Day is a special day celebrated in India that marks the beginning of the Valentine's Week. Roses are a symbol of love and are often given as a gift to loved ones on this day.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is one of China's most significant and widely celebrated holidays. Popular flowers and floral decorations associated with Chinese New Year include plum blossoms, kumquats, calamondins, narcissus, bamboo, sunflowers, eggplants and chom mon plants.
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is often commonly referred to as Pancake Day. The origins of the pancake eating tradition can be traced to the Christian tradition of gorging before the fasting period of Lent.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a religious holiday which marks the first day of Lent for many Christian denominations.
Random Acts of Kindness Day
"In a world where you can be anything, be kind." A day on which to encourage spontaneous gestures of kindness - what's not to love about that?! Random Acts of Kindness Day originated in California in the early 80s when the author Anne Herbert coined the phrase "practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty."
Floral Design Day
A celebration of the the art of floral design. Floral design can encompass many different things, from hand-arranged gift bouquets to floral decoration for events such as weddings. The occasion originates from the USA and was designated for the 28th of February to coincide with the birthday of Carl Rittner, the founder of the Rittners School of Floral Design in Boston.
March 2024
Saint David's Day, Patron Saint of Wales
This day celebrates the life of the Welsh patron Saint David. It is often symbolised by pinning a daffodil or leek to your clothes.
International Women's Day
International Women's Day aims to educate, raise awareness, call for change, lobby for equal pay and fundraise for female-focused charities
Commonwealth Day
Commonwealth day is the annual celebration of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It was originally established as Empire Day by Queen Victoria at the end of the nineteenth century and is now a time when people come together to learn from each other and celebrate their achievements. Every year a new theme is chosen to celebrate on Commonwealth Day. The 2020 theme is "Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming"
Ramadan Begins (Muslim)
Dates may vary.
Saint Patrick's Day, Patron Saint of Ireland
Saint Patrick's Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a special day and national holiday in Ireland that is celebrated every 17th of March. This day celebrates one of Irelands patron saints, St Patrick. St Patrick's Day is celebrated in many cities and towns in Ireland, where parades and festivals are held.
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the findal Sunday of Lent, and commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. It is often celebrated in Christian Churches with processions where members carry branches of palms
Good Friday
British Summertime begins - clocks go forward one hour
Easter Sunday
April 2024
April Fools Day
April Fools day is an annual tradition where we get to play practical jokes and pranks on our unsuspecting family and friends. Should we fool them, it is customary to shout "April Fools!"
Ramadan Ends (Muslim)
Siblings Day
Siblings Day is a special date when we celebrate all our brothers and sisters. Why not send your brother or sister a quick message or get together with them for a meal.
St. George's Day - Patron Saint of England
St George's Day is observed in various countries of which Saint George is recognised as the patron saint such as England, and regions of Portugal and Spain. The traditional Catalonian observation of this day involves the custom of boys giving girls a red rose and girls giving boys a book.
May 2024
May Bank Holiday
National Receptionists Day
International Mother's Day
For the dates of Mother's Day around the World please see our International Mother's Day Dates page.
International Nurses Day
Chelsea Flower Show
Spring Bank Holiday
The last Monday in May is the Spring Bank Holiday across the UK. Many businesses reduce their opening hours or close entirely.
World Blood Cancer day
On the 28th of May each year, many around the world show their support for people living with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and many other forms of blood cancer. Over 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK, and over 250,000 people are currently living with blood cancer.
June 2024
Pride Month
Pride Month is a commemoration of the hard-won rights and ongoing struggles of the global LGBT+ community. Held in June each year to honour the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York, it has become a colourful celebration of liberation and inclusivity.
Trooping the Colour
Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together in a display of military fanfare to mark the King's 'official' birthday. Held in June of each year since the reign of Edward VII, due to the untrustworthy nature of British weather at any other time of year.
Summer Solstice
The longest day of the year for the northern hemishpere of the Earth. In many areas of Scotland it will remain light until well after midnight.

British Flowers Week
British Flowers Week is New Covent Garden Market's annual, national celebration of the magnificent British floral industry.
July 2024
Wimbledon
World Chocolate Day
July 7th is thought to be the anniversary of the introduction of chocolate to Europe in the year 1550. A selection of different chocolates are usually available as optional extras with our bouquets, and can be added as part of the ordering process.
Clare Florist First Online Order
8th July 1996 was an historic day for the world of online flower delivery
International Friendship Day
A great excuse to treat a friend to a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Yellow is commonly considered the colour of friendship as it evokes the joy and cheerfulness that a good friendship provides.
August 2024
National Sisters Day
A tradition from the United States that enjoys an informal global celebration, a day each year to cherish and honour our sisters, no matter the distance.
Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
When the official UK Summer Bank Holiday moved to the last Monday of August in 1971, Scotland opted to keep the first Monday of August as their local bank holiday date. Confusingly enough however, the banks in Scotland do opt to stay open on this day, though some flower delivery services may be affected.
Qixi - Chinese Valentine's Day
Also known as Qiqiao Festival, the Qixi Festival celebrates the mythological union of the cowheard and weaver girl. It's an annual event which is observed on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, and is somewhat considered to be analagous to Valentine's Day in the west.
International Youth Day
A United Nations awareness day to highlight issues and challenges faced by youths across the globe. Clare Florist has a partnership with Theirworld, an organisation dedicated to ending the global education crisis. Theirworld designed one of our bouquets, and receive some of the proceeds of each sale.
Summer Bank Holiday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
The last Sunday of August is the Summer Bank Holiday for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Clare Florist flower deliveries will be suspended today, though we can typically still offer most deliveries on the day after the Bank Holiday.
September 2024
Blood Cancer Awareness Month
Over 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK, and over 250,000 people are currently living with blood cancer. Blood Cancer UK receive some of the proceeds of each sale of their specially designed Clare Florist bouquet.
International Day of Charity
Chosen as the 5th of September to commemorate the passing of Mother Teresa, this United Nations awareness day aims to provide a common platform for charitable organisations and activities across the world. Clare Florist have a range of bouquets designed in partnership with different charities.
World Gratitude Day
October 2024
Black History Month
National Teachers' Day UK
Yom Kippur (Jewish)
Canadian Thanksgiving
Mother-In-Law Day
British Summer Time Ends
The clocks go back one hour, marking the end of British Summer Time, or BST. You can expect the mornings to get a lot lighter, until they get darker again.
Halloween

November 2024
All Saints Day
Observed on the 1st of November each year, All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday which is honoured to celebrate the lives of saints, well-known and obscure.
Guy Fawkes Night
A commemoration of the day that Guy Fawkes was arrested as part of a plot to smuggle explosives into the House of Lords. Modern celebrations centre around fireworks displays and the burning of a Guy effigy on a bonfire.
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday is observed as a commemoration of the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. Observances include wearing of poppies, wreaths of remembrance poppies being laid on memorials, and a two minute silence at 11am.
Armistice Day
A day which commemorates the signing of the Armistice between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers which effectively ended military operations and hostilities in the First World War.
World Kindness Day
Originating in the late 1990s through the efforts of the World Kindness Movement, World Kindness Day is observed in many different countries worldwide, and is recognised as a day upon which individuals are encouraged to overlook boundaries, race and religion in a bid to promote widespread kindness. The day is often celebrated by sharing yellow flowers witrh one another.