Good Friday is NOT a public holiday in the US?

Um, why?

I understand you have separation of church and state and all that, and I'm not even a Christian any more. But I cannot fathom the logic in this.

I love the four day weekend over Easter.

 

no, we get sunday off.

 

We get Mediocre Thursday off.

 

Why don't you get Yom Kippur off? I always get Yom Kippur off. Where's the logic in THAT Katana?

 

It's just...strange. Nothing is open down here on Good Friday, it's one of the few days of the year you can rely on having off from work. And no complaints of religious sort at all as I guess we just like

 

Well, we get July 4th off every year for Independence Day, but that's a holiday you have to earn as a country, so you guys probably wouldn't know about that.

 

You must live in a different state. Here in IL, we have to work on Mediocre Thursday, but we do get Half-Way Decent Wednesday off.

 

I do know about 4th of July, that's when the Steam sale is on, right?

 

Ross, don't be absurd. While the United States is home to the largest Jewish population in the entire world, there are no Jews in Australia. Could you imagine an Australian Jew?

"oy vey, mate, me boomerdredel got caught in me payos! now 'ow'll i get me gefiltefish on the barbie in time for the schlamiels at shabbat?!" *plays waltzing mathilde on chalil*

 

You mean like some kind of Australia Day?

And I can't even begin to imagine what a hassle it'd be if we all got Good Friday off. You can take it off as a religious holiday if you so desire, but a total shutdown? On a friday? Ugh.

 

There are people who work on Good Friday and there are businesses open, like petrol stations for instance. But the vast majority have a four day weekend and it's great.

And as we had ANZAC Day, for some states it was five days. But not mine, I had to take a day off.

 

It's not a federal or national holiday per say, but a lot of companies do observe it regardless.

 

Some businesses open on Good Friday and risk a fine, since their income from being one of the only shops open that day far exceeds any fine.

 

Austria is an very Catholic country (center of the Holy Roman Empire, after all) and we don't have GF off.

 

I think I just heard Jello sob from all the way on the other side of the country.

 

Good, it's been a while since I made Jay cry, he was due.

 

Really? I thought Austria had GF off... We do, anyway, and a 4-day weekend rules.

 

I had good friday off.
But it wasn't such a good day.

 

So I heard some places don't celebrate Easter with the eating of hot cross buns.

What?

 

I celebrate every week from January to April with the eating of hot cross buns. Tasty.

 

Woah.

 

Dude! You just made me completely and utterly nostalgic!

Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons;
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!


Ahh...Mother Goose.


Oh. On topic. Other than Christmas, we don't have any expressly religious holidays (I wouldn't call Thanksgiving religious, per se). The thing is, of our 10 or so Federal holidays, I think we only share two (Christmas and New Year's Days) with the rest of the world. The US has a bunch of three-day weekends built into the Federal Calendar (in fact, Congress passed a law just for the purpose).

Bottom line: I see your Good Friday 3 day weekend and raise you Washington's Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day.

 

It has to be said that the combined Easter/Anzac 5 day weekend was too much public holiday for me. Too much free time for gorge on bun/choc/wine, triple threat!

Too much of something is bad enough, too much on nothing is just as tough - Spice Girls FTW

 

4 day weekend. We also have New Year's Day, Labor Day, Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney/etc Cup day, Queen's Birthday, Australia Day, and ANZAC Day (plus 4 days off at Christmas.)

 

How is it 4 days? Saturday, Sunday, and another day (Friday or Monday). That's 3 days. Where's the fourth? Or do you get Monday off in addition to Friday?

Also, I didn't include New Year's Day and Christmas in my list since we share those. That said, you get four days off for Christmas? Nationally? Nice. I have to concede that battle. We get one. We don't even recognize Boxing Day. What is wrong with my country!?