12 July, Northern Ireland

People in Northern Ireland annually celebrate Orange men's Day to commemorate the Battle of Boyne, which occurred on Ireland’s east coast in 1690. It is a bank holiday on or after July 12 and often features marches. This day is known as "Orange men's Day", "Orange Day", "the Glorious Twelfth" or just "the Twelfth".

What do people do?What about the public life? Schools, public offices, many businesses and organizations, and some stores are closed. Public transport services may run on their regular or special holiday timetables.

Background

Up Helly Aa

refers to any of a variety of fire festivals held in Shetland, in Scotland, annually in the middle of winter to mark the end of the yule season

In Lerwick, the capital of Scotland's Shetland Islands, a fire festival named Up Helly Aa is held every January to mark the end of the yule season. Local participants called guizers celebrate their Norse heritage, dressing in Viking gear and marching through town with battle axes and torches as they drag a ceremonial Viking longboat. At the end of the procession, the guizers hurl their torches onto the longboat and set it ablaze. After the flames die down, guizers sing the traditional song "The Norseman's Home" before a night of partying.

Flames engulf a viking longboat as it is set on fire during the Up Helly Aa fire festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland, on January 29,

2013.

Participants dressed as Vikings prepare to participate in the annual

Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, on January 29, 2013.

A young participant dressed as a Viking prepares for Up Helly Aa in

Lerwick, on January 29, 2013.

Participants, guizers, dressed as Vikings prepare for Up Helly Aa in

Lerwick, on January 29, 2013.

Young Jarl Squad vikings shout as they march through the streets on the morning of the Up Helly Aa fire festival in Lerwick, on January 29,

2013.

Members of the 2013 "Jarl Squad" during the Up Helly Aa procession

on the Shetland Islands, on January 29, 2013.

Members of the Jarl Squad light torches during Up Helly Aa, on

January 29, 2013.

The Jarl Squad starts throwing torches at the longboat during Up

Helly Aa in Lerwick, on January 29, 2013.

A members of the Jarl Squad watches the longboat burn, on January

29, 2013.

Flames engulf the dragon's head of the viking longboat as it burns during the Up Helly Aa fire festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands,

Scotland, on January 29, 2013.

The Queen's Official Birthday

The second or third Saturday in June (England)

Holidays and Notable Special Days in Great Britain .

January 1st New Year's Day

5th Twefth Night February 1st Candlemas Day 14th Valentine's Day March 1st St David's Day

(Wales National Day) 17th St. Patrick's Day

(Ireland's Special Day) March/April Shrove Tuesday Lent Mothering Sunday Maundy Thursday Easter

May 1st May Day June Trooping the Colours Wimbledon Tennis Tournament July Swan Upping August Notting Hill Carnival September Harvest Festival October 31st Halloween November 5th Bonfire Night 11th Remembrance Day 30th St Andrew's Day

(Scotland's National Day)

December Advent 25th Christmas 26th Boxing Day

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