Workers drunkenly celebrate Saint Monday in a tavern in Vienna. Lithograph by Joseph Lanzedelly the Elder, 1818.
Saint Monday is the tradition of absenteeism on a Monday.[where?]Saint Tuesday is the less common extension of this to a Tuesday.[1] The tradition of taking Monday off has been common among craft workers since at least the seventeenth century,[2] when the workweek ran from Monday to Saturday as had been the custom and expectation for centuries.
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin refers to the practice, saying of his youthful employment in a London printing house, "My constant attendance (I never making a St. Monday) recommended me to the master".[3]
Later writers often ascribed Saint Monday to the organisation and improvement of working class life which occurred with industrialisation. Pay day was typically Saturday, and therefore workers often had spare money on Monday. In other industries, business owners had become accustomed to workers not showing up on Mondays and were prepared to put up with it. Food would commonly be left over from the weekend, thus workers did not need to visit the works canteen, and since many workers were taking the day off, there was often company to be had.[4]
The tradition declined during the nineteenth century, but the provision of entertainments, such as railway excursions, was initially common on Saturday and Monday, and it was not until the middle of the century that workers were able to enjoy a weekend. In part, the decline can be attributed to the adoption of half-day working on Saturdays, which legitimated leisure time for workers.[5]
Saint Monday remained in place longest among the better-off workers, including the self-employed who retained some say in their hours and were not economically compelled to work long hours.[6]
^Ackerman, Frank; Goodwin, Goodwin; Dougherty, Laurie; Gallagher, Kevin, eds. (1998). The Changing Nature of Work - Frontier Issues in Economic Thought. Island Press. ISBN 978-1559636650.
^Hodgkinson, Tom (2004-08-30). "In defence of skiving". The New Statesman. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
^Franklin, Benjamin (1794). "Five". The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Chump Change. ISBN 978-1640320031.
^Wright, Thomas (1867). Some Habits and Customs of the Working Classes. Tinsley Brothers.
^Clark, Peter; Palliser, David Michael; Daunton, Martin J., eds. (2000). The Cambridge Urban History of Britain (Volume 2). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521431415.
^Reid, Douglas A. (1976). "The Decline of Saint Monday 1766-1876". Past & Present (71). Oxford University Press: 76–101. doi:10.1093/past/71.1.76. JSTOR 650355.
SaintMonday is the tradition of absenteeism on a Monday.[where?] Saint Tuesday is the less common extension of this to a Tuesday. The tradition of taking...
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday, also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit, is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a moveable feast in the Christian...
Easter Monday is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in some countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of...
with the coming of the Industrial Revolution the practice of "keeping SaintMonday", that is, staying home from work, evolved into the modern weekend. John...
holidays in Saint Lucia. 1-2 January: New Year's Day 22 February: Independence Day, from the UK, 1979 (variable): Good Friday (variable): Easter Monday 1 May:...
a Friday Saint Joseph's Day falls on a Tuesday The Annunciation of Jesus falls on a Monday The Nativity of John the Baptist falls on a Monday The Solemnity...
these days, almost always a Monday or a Friday, may be called "San Lunes" or "San Viernes" (lit.: "SaintMonday" and "Saint Friday", respectively) as well...
seven-day week devoted to working. In most of the world, the workweek is from Monday to Friday and the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. A weekday or workday is...
2008.[citation needed] Employers are free to decide whether to make Whit Monday a day off or not. French labor law, L3133-3 French labor law, IDCC 1686[permanent...
holidays for government employees. Saint Patrick's Day (March 17) Saint George's Day (April 23) Victoria Day (Monday preceding May 25) June Holiday (temporary...
they once used to do on certain saint's days. When the stated date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is normally designated a bank holiday...
common year starting on Monday is any non-leap year (i.e., a year with 365 days) that begins on Monday, 1 January, and ends on Monday, 31 December. Its dominical...
act designated four Bank holidays in Ireland: Easter Monday Whit Monday First Monday in August Saint Stephen's Day As Good Friday and Christmas Day were...
April). In Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2008, Saint Patrick's Day (Monday 17 March) fell six days before Easter (Sunday 23 March), creating...
Carnival Day 29 March – Good Friday 1 April - Easter Monday 1 May - Labour Day 20 May - Whit Monday 1 August – Emancipation Day 2 August – Culturama Day...
Joseph Chatoyer 29 March – Good Friday 1 April – Easter Monday 1 May – Labour Day 20 May – Whit Monday 1–2 July – Carnival 1 August – Emancipation Day 27 October...
Easter Monday (varies each year) May 1: Labour Day Whit Monday (varies each year) First Monday in July: Carnival Monday Day after Carnival Monday: Carnival...
Monday 29 May, Monday: Sovereign's Day 11 September, Monday: Saint George's Caye Holiday 9 October, Monday: Pan America Day 20 November, Monday: Garifuna Settlement...
holidays in Saint Kitts and Nevis. 1 January: New Year's Day 2 January: Carnival Day Good Friday Easter Monday 1 May: Labour Day Whit Monday 1 August: Emancipation...
Cyber Monday is a marketing term for e-commerce transactions on the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It was created by retailers to encourage...
19, 2011. Seidman, Robert (September 21, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Saints-49ers' Dominate Monday; 'Pawn Stars' Still Holds Up OK Against Broadcast...
Plough Monday is the traditional start of the English agricultural year. While local practices may vary, Plough Monday is generally the first Monday after...
Monday Night Football (often abbreviated as MNF) is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that primarily broadcast on...
Independence Day 29 March – Good Friday 1 April - Easter Monday 1 May - May Day 20 May - Whit Monday 30 May - Corpus Christi 1 August - Emancipation Day 14...
Global Information