Scots have been enjoying their bank holiday weekend in the sun as the good weather has finally descended on the country.
With experts urging us to meet up with our pals and family outdoors amid the coronavirus pandemic, many people have flocked to beer gardens and parks over the past few days.
Today is the fifth bank holiday that Scots have been able to enjoy in the year so far - with previous ones including the likes of New Year’s Day and Good Friday.
National holidays have been in the lives of people across the UK since the late 19th century.
The term ‘bank holiday’ was established to signify the days of the week that the banks were closed for trading to catch up on accounts and tidy up bookkeeping.
But now people use bank holidays to enjoy going to the shops, going out for dinner or meeting up with loved ones during the three day weekend.
Businesses such as the Post Office, government offices and departments, and banks keep their doors closed during bank holidays.
The days can often impact the opening hours of the business that do remain open, with earlier closing times in place across some supermarkets and shopping centres.
Public transport operators generally switch to a Sunday service for the day.
May 31 is certainly not the final bank holiday of the year - in fact, there is still four to go before the year is out.
Below is a list of all the bank holidays coming up for the rest of the year and the ones pencilled in for 2022.
2021
August 2 - Summer bank holiday
November 30 - St Andrew’s Day
December 27 - the Monday following Christmas Day
December 28 - the Tuesday following Boxing Day
2022
January 3 - the Monday after New Year’s Day
January 4 - substitute for January 2
April 15 - Good Friday
May 2 - Early May bank holiday
June 2 - Spring bank holiday
June 3 - Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
August 1 - Summer bank holiday
November 30 - St Andrew’s Day
December 26 - Boxing Day
December 27 - Tuesday after Christmas Day
