when did mayday become a bank holiday in uk?

Answer 1

In 1978, the first Monday in May in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the last Monday in May in Scotland, became additional bank holidays. (The first Monday in May was already a Bank Holiday in Scotland)

Answer 2

May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day.

May 1 was a traditional springtime holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures, and many elements of these holidays are still celebrated on May 1 today, such as prancing around the Maypole.

see link for 13 silly facts about May Day

"May Day" also refers to various socialist and labor movement celebrations conducted on May 1, unrelated to the traditional celebrations, to commemorate the Haymarket Riot of Chicargo in1886 and the international socialist movement generally. The latter event is an important holiday in Communist countries.

Bank holidays have been recognized in English Law since 1871. The name "Bank Holiday" derives from the fact that the Banks were shut and so no trading could take place. Even though banks are still closed on these days many shops now remain open. Traditionally on a Bank Holiday many businesses are closed to enable the workers to have a holiday, and anyone who does work on a Bank Holidays usually gets paid extra - "time-and-a-half" or even "double time," negotiated for them by the Trades Unions.

In England and Wales there are six official bank holidays: New Year's Day, Easter Monday, May Day (but ironically this is not necessarily May 1st), Spring and Late Summer Holidays at the end of May and August respectively, and Boxing Day. There are also two common law holidays on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Guy Fawkes' Day has been celebrated by Parliamentary Decree since 1606 but it is not a Bank or public holiday.

Prior to 1834, the Bank of England observed about thirty-three saints' days and religious festivals as holidays, but in 1834, this was drastically reduced to just four: 1 May, 1 November, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.

In 1871, the first legislation relating to bank holidays was passed when Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act 1871 which specified the days as in the table set out below. Sir John was an enthusiastic supporter of cricket and was firmly of the belief that Bank Employees should have the opportunity to participate and attend matches when they were scheduled. Included in the dates of Bank Holidays are therefore dates when cricket games are traditionally played between the villages in the region where Sir John was raised. Scotland was treated separately because of its separate traditions; for instance, New Year or Hogmanay is a more important holiday there.