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 2020
July 2020
August 2020
National Sisters Day
Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
International Youth Day
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 it's kind of considered as being analagous to Valentine's Day in the west.
Summer Bank Holiday (England and Wales)
September 2020
World Gratitude Day
Yom Kippur (Jewish)
October 2020
Canadian Thanksgiving
Mother-In-Law Day
British Summertime Ends - clocks go back 1 hour
November 2020
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 all saints, whether well-known or 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. Cool piece of trivia: a Singapore event in 2009 saw 45,000 yellow flowers being given away.
Thanksgiving USA
Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, with many other observances of the holiday celebrated on this and various other dates during the same time of year around the world.
Black Friday
The Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the USA which has become renowned as day for extensive sales throughout retail outlets.
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is a marketing construct designed to encourage online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving with the promise of slashed prices for bargain-hungry consumers.
Saint Andrew's Day - Patron Saint of Scotland
Saint Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day and is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle.
December 2020
Hanukkah begins (Jewish)
A traditional eight day Jewish holiday, often viewed as a Jewish alternative to Christmas.
Winter Solstice (Shortest Day)
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 2021
January 2021
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.
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 2021
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.
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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 2021
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.
