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PS, Elle,
Talking about palindromic names...
The lady who presented the salmon programme on BBC Alba last night is called "Neen" MacKay.

Hi, Rusty!
It is interesting that Scottish schools do not 'cover' Easter in their holidays.
I do not recall our Scottish branch of the family ever mentioning the Easter holiday dates ....... and it never occurred to me to query it, until your question yesterday!
Now I have since looked on my calendar and am informed that Good Friday is a public holiday throughout the UK (so including Scotland)
But Easter Monday is NOT a holiday in Scotland , although it is here!
I do not recall a time when , here in England, Easter has not come within the school holidays...…...
Even though Easter is a "moveable feast"!
"Neen " is an unusual name?

Good Friday has been a public holiday for a very long time. I should think this is related to the fact that at one time Christians spent 3 hours in church (noon to 3 pm in my case, as a teenager I hasten to add) on Good Friday. Not sure how many do that any more!
I was interested to see if there is any televised service on Mainstream TV today. There isn't. However, my memory is that a lot of the 3 hours was silence.

Hello, Elle!
No, it has not ever been Easter holidays up here, and when I was young, Christmas was not a holiday, too.
Now, my Collins diary tells me today is a UK holiday, and Easter Monday is a UK and Republic of Ireland holiday, so that would include Scotland, you'd think?
I could well be wrong here, but I've always thought Easter was on the go, long before Christianity appeared?
Neen is a fluent Gaelic speaker and she is from one of the Islands, possibly Lewis.
I am not sure if "Neen" is her given name or a diminutive.
Anyway, here's Neen!
http://salmon-fishing-scotland.blogspot.com/2010/05/salmon-fishing-scotland-salmons-journey.html

I believe I am right in saying that Scottish and English school terms are different - do some Scottish schools have four terms?

Hi, Rusty!
Uhm...I don't really know , Rusty.......my wall calendar states categorically that Easter Monday is a "holiday in the UK except Scotland" but it would be unusual for Collins to be wrong ?
Hold on...... I am going to see what Google says.......
Right.......
This appears to be said generally......
"Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, many businesses and organizations are closed. ...
In Scotland, Easter Monday is a normal Monday."
I shall consult the Scottish contingent when we speak on Easter Sunday!
It may , perhaps, vary in different counties?
Thank you for the clip about Neen!
Have you done your crossword?




Hello, Ros!
Is there an especial religious reason for spending three hours in church from midday to 3pm on Good Friday?
We (as Methodists ) would go to a morning service, at 10.30 am., lasting about an hour.
We always sang "There is a green hill...."!


Hello, Kenyatta!
I hope you are and your family are well?
I cannot answer your question about the number of Scottish terms in a year , with any certainty.......
Where some of my family live, near Glasgow in West Scotland, there are three terms in the school year, as there are here in England.
It perhaps may vary elsewhere?

Hello, Elle!
The problem is, Elle, what is a "holiday"?
Who is off? What is closed?
Certainly not everybody, or even most.
It is a vaguish concept to me.
Do the buses run, are the shops open, are the GP surgeries closed, are the schools open?
And why are there "bank" holidays.
Mind you, up here it is hard to find a bank that is open, never mind one that is on "holiday"!
Very sixes and sevens, this "holiday" business!
One thing I have noticed in the last few years, is that there is horse racing today, and at one time, not so long ago, there was no racing on Good Friday.
The school holidays are at different times up here, depending on where they are.
In my vicinity, there is Dundee, Fife, Angus, Perthshire, and they all have different school holidays.
Yes, my puzzle is complete.
A good one again today, innit?

The Three Hours' Agony (also known as the Tre Ore, The Great Three Hours, or Three Hours' Devotion) is a Christian service held in some Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches on Good Friday from noon till 3 o'clock to commemorate the three hours of Christ's hanging at the cross.

Copied from Wiki, elle. I can't remember!

Update, Elle and Kenyatta,
This link gives details of the Scottish schools holidays.
Says, too, Easter Monday is not a bank holiday up here.

https://www.scottscastles.com/blog/scotland-school-holidays-2019/

Hi, Rusty!
It is glorious here!
I am sitting out in the garden, in the lovely sunshine, reading........
I'm just popping indoors occasionally to check for messages.
I do agree those are difficult questions to answer, Rusty!
And probably the answers vary from area to area....
Near us, the shops are open today.......the buses and other forms of transport are as normal, but the banks and GP surgeries are closed ,as are the libraries.
On Easter Sunday though, the large supermarkets round us, such as Tesco and Sainsburys are always closed all day.
Easter Monday can vary.......most shops will be open, but other services closed.
Yes, it was good puzzle on the whole for me... I got stuck, though, in the top right-hand corner..... two crossing clues.....
11a: Swapping hands, put down part of spur (5)
R?W??
8d: Periodic losses suffered by skilled young swimmers (4)
S???
I have no ideas here?



Thanks for info, Ros....
I've never come across such a service.