Easter Holiday Dates

[HG]

Has anyone else noticed that the dates of Spring Vacation are 28th March to the 12th April?

The 12th of April is EASTER SUNDAY!! They surely don't expect us to go back to St A's on that day do they?! And the next day's a bank holiday!! I'm pretty sure the professors won't want to teach on a public holiday...

Who on Earth scheduled these dates?!

[RandomMusings]

Something along these lines happens every year. I don't think we've actually been properly on holiday for easter in any of my years here yet. It is odd as there seems to be less and less celebration of easter up here (apart from Tesco who obviously start stocking the mini/creme eggs from the 5th Jan!)

I seem to remember that most schools cancel classes on Easter Monday - but the odd one seems not to, so best to check early if you're worried.

[HG]

Thanks for replying!! :-)

I just cannot believe it! It seems so strange to completely disregard Easter Sunday and Monday! I mean, most people value any extra days off - they certainly don't volunteer to work on them. Whoever decided on these dates really does need to check a calendar beforehand!

I also think it's quite disrespectful given that it's a religious holiday. Even if you're not Christian, I'm sure you'll agree that people who do want to celebrate it shouldn't be pressured into ignoring it (by having to travel and attend lectures etc.) simply because someone arranged the dates badly.

[Timata]

Easter Monday isn't technically a public holiday in Scotland, so classes don't really have to be cancelled. Last year Easter didn't fall at the same time as the holiday at all, and I remember travelling back to St. Andrews on Easter Sunday in first year. Its pretty normal

[What?]

That'll be why they call it Spring Break instead of an Easter Holiday.

It allows for standardisation of holidays making forward planning easier I'd imagine.

[What?]

That'll be why they call it Spring Break instead of an Easter Holiday.

It allows for standardisation of holidays making forward planning easier I'd imagine.

[Thalia]

Well, if they're being disrespectful cos it's a religous holiday, then can we get time off for all religious holidays? Not everyone is Christian and celebrates Easter and I'm sure the university have some kind of policy where you're allowed to take days off for religious celebrations - i'm guessing that's what those who celebrate things other than Easter and Christmas have to do.

[RedCelt69]

What Thalia said.
If a term-day clashes with the observance of one of your religion's days of observance, ask your tutor for copies of any notes for the lecture(s) you've missed (if they're not posted to WebCT). If you missed a tutorial, explain the reason for your absence and you won't be penalised. Or, a least, you shouldn't.

[Guest]

It is odd but I suppose I'm used to it by now. It seems to be a Scottish thing, I can remember when I was in school people having exactly the same complaints. One year my family holiday had been and gone a good couple of weeks before Easter itself (in school it was referred to as an Easter holiday).
I may be wrong on this but I think we also used to go in for Good Friday.

[ct3012]

It's a bit of a Fife thing as well, the school holiday here always fall around easter, but rarely has easter weekend at the end of the holiday - officially, it's Spring Holiday. The only schools that got Easter Monday off were the Catholic ones, because occasionally I had it off whereas the secular schools were in. There isn't any sort of official council holiday (at least that I'm aware of) here though, it depends on individual businesses on how they go about it.

EDIT: Good Friday isn't a holiday either here unless you're at a Catholic school. Although we never got it off in secondary, there's just a mass to attend.