Special Dates
Our calendar is a great way to remember what holidays and days off to look forward to. Here are some of the important (perhaps flower related) events and holiday dates which we'll come to in the coming months...
Special Dates for 2024
May 2024
International Mother's Day
For the dates of Mother's Day around the World please see our International Mother's Day Dates page.
International Nurses Day
Celebrated around the world on the 12th of May each year, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.
World IBD Day
More than 10 million people worldwide live with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, also known as inflammatory bowel disease. The Colostomy Association provides emotional and practical support, information and reassurance for anyone who has or is about to have a colostomy.
Chelsea Flower Show
The Chelsea Flower Show is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London.
Spring Bank Holiday
The last Monday in May is the Spring Bank Holiday across the UK. Many businesses reduce their opening hours or close entirely.
World Blood Cancer day
On the 28th of May each year, many around the world show their support for people living with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and many other forms of blood cancer. Over 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK, and over 250,000 people are currently living with blood cancer.
June 2024
Pride Month
Pride Month is a commemoration of the hard-won rights and ongoing struggles of the global LGBT+ community. Held in June each year to honour the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York, it has become a colourful celebration of liberation and inclusivity.
Trooping the Colour
Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together in a display of military fanfare to mark the King's 'official' birthday. Held in June of each year since the reign of Edward VII, due to the untrustworthy nature of British weather at any other time of year.
Summer Solstice
The longest day of the year for the northern hemishpere of the Earth. In many areas of Scotland it will remain light until well after midnight.
British Flowers Week
British Flowers Week is New Covent Garden Market's annual, national celebration of the magnificent British floral industry.
Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day in the United Kingdom is an annual event celebrated in late June to commemorate the service of men and women in the British Armed Forces. Veterans' Day was first observed in 2006.
July 2024
Wimbledon
The oldest tennis tournament in the world, regarded by many as the most prestigious, has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877
World Chocolate Day
July 7th is thought to be the anniversary of the introduction of chocolate to Europe in the year 1550. A selection of different chocolates are usually available as optional extras with our bouquets, and can be added as part of the ordering process.
Clare Florist First Online Order
8th July 1996 was an historic day for the world of online flower delivery
International Friendship Day
A great excuse to treat a friend to a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Yellow is commonly considered the colour of friendship as it evokes the joy and cheerfulness that a good friendship provides.
August 2024
National Sisters Day
A tradition from the United States that enjoys an informal global celebration, a day each year to cherish and honour our sisters, no matter the distance.
Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
When the official UK Summer Bank Holiday moved to the last Monday of August in 1971, Scotland opted to keep the first Monday of August as their local bank holiday date. Confusingly enough however, the banks in Scotland do opt to stay open on this day, though some flower delivery services may be affected.
Qixi - Chinese Valentine's Day
Also known as Qiqiao Festival, the Qixi Festival celebrates the mythological union of the cowheard and weaver girl. It's an annual event which is observed on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, and is somewhat considered to be analagous to Valentine's Day in the west.
International Youth Day
A United Nations awareness day to highlight issues and challenges faced by youths across the globe. Clare Florist has a partnership with Theirworld, an organisation dedicated to ending the global education crisis. Theirworld designed one of our bouquets, and receive some of the proceeds of each sale.
Summer Bank Holiday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
The last Sunday of August is the Summer Bank Holiday for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Clare Florist flower deliveries will be suspended today, though we can typically still offer most deliveries on the day after the Bank Holiday.
September 2024
Blood Cancer Awareness Month
Over 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK, and over 250,000 people are currently living with blood cancer. Blood Cancer UK receive some of the proceeds of each sale of their specially designed Clare Florist bouquet.
International Day of Charity
Chosen as the 5th of September to commemorate the passing of Mother Teresa, this United Nations awareness day aims to provide a common platform for charitable organisations and activities across the world. Clare Florist have a range of bouquets designed in partnership with different charities.
World Gratitude Day
Originating in Hawaii in the 1960's, a day that is all about being thankful.
World Alzheimer Day
Dementia and Alzhiemer's Disease have a huge impact on the lives of thousands: not just those with dementia themselves, but also carers, nurses, families and friends. Alzhiemer Scotland are a charity who seek to help these people in dealing with the difficult challenges which dementia poses.
October 2024
Black History Month
National Teachers' Day UK
Yom Kippur (Jewish)
Canadian Thanksgiving
Mother-In-Law Day
British Summer Time Ends
The clocks go back one hour, marking the end of British Summer Time, or BST. You can expect the mornings to get a lot lighter, until they get darker again.
Halloween
November 2024
All Saints Day
Observed on the 1st of November each year, All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday which is honoured to celebrate the lives of saints, well-known and obscure.
Guy Fawkes Night
A commemoration of the day that Guy Fawkes was arrested as part of a plot to smuggle explosives into the House of Lords. Modern celebrations centre around fireworks displays and the burning of a Guy effigy on a bonfire.
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday is observed as a commemoration of the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. Observances include wearing of poppies, wreaths of remembrance poppies being laid on memorials, and a two minute silence at 11am.
Armistice Day
A day which commemorates the signing of the Armistice between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers which effectively ended military operations and hostilities in the First World War.
World Kindness Day
Originating in the late 1990s through the efforts of the World Kindness Movement, World Kindness Day is observed in many different countries worldwide, and is recognised as a day upon which individuals are encouraged to overlook boundaries, race and religion in a bid to promote widespread kindness. The day is often celebrated by sharing yellow flowers witrh one another.
Thanksgiving USA
Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, with many other observances of the holiday celebrated on this and various other dates during the same time of year around the world.
Black Friday
The Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the USA which has become renowned as day for extensive sales throughout retail outlets.
Saint Andrew's Day
Saint Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day and is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle, the Patron Saint of Scotland. The 30th of November, or the Monday following the 30th if it falls on a weekend, is officially a Bank Holiday in Scotland, though not widely observed. Banks do remain open in parity with the rest of the UK, and flowers continue to be delivered.
December 2024
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is a marketing construct designed to encourage online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving with the promise of slashed prices for bargain-hungry consumers.
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is commonly known as the shortest day of the year, opposite to the summer solstice which is the longest day.
Hanukkah Begins
A eight day Jewish holiday observing traditions and celebrating through song and food. Often viewed as a Jewish alternative to Christmas in secular societies due it's occurrence around the festive season.
Boxing Day
The day after Christmas, Boxing Day as a holiday has its origins in the UK. A popular misconception about the origin of this holiday is that it's the day when we all put our presents back in their boxes. Boxing Day actually was traditionally a day off for servants, a day when they would receive a 'Christmas Box' (present) from their master.
Hogmanay - Scotland
Hogmanay is the Scottish equivalent of New Year's Eve. Here in Edinburgh the annual street party is particularly famous, drawing visitors from all around the world for concerts, fireworks and other festivities. If you're looking for flowers to bring to a Hogmanay Party, we would recommend the Highland Fling Bouquet.
Special Dates for 2025
January 2025
New Year's Day
A celebration of the first day of the year as recognised by the modern Gregorian calendar. Traditional celebrations and observances include family gatherings and making new years resolutions.
Blue Monday
A marketing construct that has become something of a modern folk belief in the northern hemisphere as 'the most depressing day of the year'. Certainly this long, cold post-Christmas period that we might call January can be a slog for many people, so to cheer up yourself or others with a little gift is not the worst idea.
Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Welsh Valentine's Day)
A celebration of Dwynwen, the Welsh saint of lovers, Dydd Santes Dwynwen is an annual celebration which is kind of considered as being analagous to Valentine's Day.
Robert Burns Night
An annual celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns' birthday. Burns Night tends to be celebrated with a Burns supper with a traditional meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, and maybe a wee dram of whisky to wash it down. Burns night traditions include a recital of the Burns poem Address to a Haggis once the haggis has been brought through and presented upon the dinner table.