2nd January (New Year Holiday) 2020

A Scottish holiday
2 January is a bank holiday in Scotland and nowhere else in the UK. It is listed in the Scottish schedule of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, alongside New Year's Day, Good Friday, the first Monday in May, the first Monday in August, St Andrew's Day and Christmas Day.

Why Scotland and not England
For a long stretch of Scottish history the reformed church discouraged Christmas, and Hogmanay took its place as the great midwinter festival. Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958, and Boxing Day not until 1974. The second day of the new year survived as the recovery day after Hogmanay and became a statutory holiday in its own right.

Hogmanay
The celebrations run from the evening of 31 December well into 2 January, with street parties in Edinburgh and Glasgow, fireball ceremonies at Stonehaven and the Flambeaux procession at Comrie. First-footing on the morning of 1 January is the reason the following day is needed at all.

Substitute days
As a fixed date it moves often. If 2 January falls on a Saturday or Sunday the holiday is taken on the next available weekday, which in some years means Scots get bank holidays on 3 and 4 January instead.

UK bank holidays 2020