Each year on 5th July, the Isle of Man celebrates Tynwald Day. This is the national day of the Isle of Man, when members of the Island’s Parliament (Tynwald) meet in a traditional open air ceremony to “promulgate” (speak out loud in Manx) new laws and receive petitions from members of the public who have a grievance they want to raise. Tynwald Day dates back to the Island’s Viking history and is a time of celebration for everything Manx. There is a traditional Tynwald Fair which usually includes Manx music and dancing, as well as stalls and family activities. You can learn more about Tynwald Day by watching this video from Culture Vannin.
In recent years, to mark the changing population of the Isle of Man, where more than 150 different nationalities are now represented, the One World Centre has run a Global Village on Tynwald Day with food, music and dance from around the world, as well as international and sustainable development groups concerned about global issues. This year we have asked some of these people to tell us about national holidays in their country of origin.
Just click on the country flag to get more information about a national holiday in that country. We’ll be adding to this list regularly so make sure you come back often to find out what goes on around the world. Thanks to everyone who has contributed.
