IT IS NOTIFIED for general information that public and bank holidays specified in the First and Second Schedules to Holidays Act, Chapter 289 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2011, will be observed on the following days during the year 2022 in accordance with section 3 of the said Act:

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New Public and Bank Holiday Created, Commonwealth Day Gets The Axe

The list of public and bank holidays for 2022 was released today and one new holiday is generating major blowback. We'll tell you all about that in a minute, but first we go to the full list - and there's not a whole lot of good news for you weekend warriors.

First off, New Year's Day, January first falls on a Saturday so� there goes your long weekend to bring in 2022.

And there's also not going to be a long weekend on Saturday, January 15th when George Price's Birthday will be observed on the Saturday on which it falls.

The first long weekend of the year arrives in March - on the 7th - for the National Heres and Benefactors Day.

Easter comes along later this year; Good Friday falls on April 15th, with Holy Saturday and Easter Monday also declared holidays - as per tradition.

Two weeks after Easter Monday - there will be another long weekend when Labour Day is observed on Monday, May second. Monday, May 23rd would have been another long weekend, but Commonwealth Day - which falls on May 24th - has been removed from the list - with no explanation given. But, we're guessing that got scrubbed because it is really Sovereign's Day, to mark the birthday of Queen Victoria - and that is a colonial legacy.

And then in August, Emancipation Day falls on Monday, August first.

As per tradition, September 10th will be observed on the day on which it falls, which is a Saturday.

And Independence Day, September 21st, will be a midweek holiday, falling on a Wednesday.

And then, Pan American Day, which was scrubbed from the calendar in 2021 - due to its association with Christopher Columbus, is back on the list as a holiday - but this time it's called "El Dia De La Raza" - meaning - roughly - the day of the (Latin) Race - or, as the internet describes it: "the celebration of the hispanic heritage of Latin America." Again, it's drawn stanch and righteous criticism and you'll hear that shortly.

But, finishing up with the list of holidays, Garifuna Settlement Day falls on Saturday, November 19th, and will be observed on that day.

In December, Christmas falls on a Sunday and will not result in a four day weekend as it has in the past. Christmas will be observed on that Sunday and Boxing day on the Monday, meaning a regular three day weekend.

Channel 7