OK, so my question is this - should we have a Cumbria Day? And if so, which date? It depends if we all want the day off to celebrate our "Cumbrian-ness". Unfortunately, I can't see many employers letting us all have the day off! Sundays are quite a relaxing day, so we could look at choosing a given sunday rather than an exact date. There is also the question of the time of year, and whether we attach the day to another significant date. After much deliberation (which included work colleagues who are fellow Cumbrians) we came up with the following shortlist:
"St Jimmy's Day" - 8th May
On the 8th May 1999 a certain non-Cumbrian saved Carlisle United from relegation to the Conference in English Association Football. Many Carlisle United fans already celebrate this day, but it is not inclusive enough for non-CUFC supporting Cumbrians. So, sadly I discount it.
Summer Solstice
A traditional celebration day as the longest day it would allow Cumbrians to mark the day with a long lazy evening in pubs and gardens, eating BBQ food, drink in hand. Another popular pastime for all Cumbrians. Unfortunately, this is a time of year when Cumbria can be overrun with many tourists, and quite often when Cumbria can seem less Cumbrian as a result. Still a possible contender, though.
Winter Solstice
A traditional celebration day as the shortest day it would allow Cumbrians to mark the day with a long stay in a darkened pub, next to a roaring fire, drink in hand. A popular pastime for all Cumbrians in the winter. Also, this is a time of year with fewer tourists, and quite often when Cumbria can look at its "windswept and clear air" best. The winter solstice was the traditional pagan New Year and there is a strong belief that it (and not the Summer Solstice) was the main celebration at all the stone and wood circles around the UK.A definite contender.
One of the summer Bank Holidays
One of the summer Bank Holidays could easily be adopted for Cumbria Day for all the reasons given above for the Summer Solstice. Another good contender.
My personal favourites are the Solstices. Cumbrians are quite laid back people in general, and these days would provide nice low-key celebrations for us. In fact, why not celebrate both? There you go! Decided!! I hereby declare the summer and winter solstices as Cumbria Days!! Celebrate them at your leisure for years to come, raising a glass to the might county of Cumbria and the wonderful people living there!
The dates and times of the solstices and equinoxes can be calculated at the following web site:
http://www.hermetic.ch/cal_sw/ve/ve.php
For example, from 2006 to 2020:
Vernal equinox Summer solstice Autumnal equinox Winter solstice 2006-03-20 18:20 2006-06-21 12:25 2006-09-23 04:03 2006-12-22 00:22 2007-03-21 00:09 2007-06-21 18:13 2007-09-23 09:52 2007-12-22 06:12 2008-03-20 05:58 2008-06-21 00:00 2008-09-22 15:40 2008-12-21 12:02 2009-03-20 11:47 2009-06-21 05:48 2009-09-22 21:29 2009-12-21 17:51 2010-03-20 17:36 2010-06-21 11:36 2010-09-23 03:17 2010-12-21 23:41 2011-03-20 23:25 2011-06-21 17:24 2011-09-23 09:06 2011-12-22 05:30 2012-03-20 05:14 2012-06-20 23:12 2012-09-22 14:54 2012-12-21 11:20 2013-03-20 11:03 2013-06-21 05:00 2013-09-22 20:43 2013-12-21 17:09 2014-03-20 16:52 2014-06-21 10:48 2014-09-23 02:31 2014-12-21 22:59 2015-03-20 22:41 2015-06-21 16:36 2015-09-23 08:20 2015-12-22 04:48 2016-03-20 04:30 2016-06-20 22:24 2016-09-22 14:08 2016-12-21 10:38 2017-03-20 10:19 2017-06-21 04:12 2017-09-22 19:57 2017-12-21 16:27 2018-03-20 16:08 2018-06-21 10:00 2018-09-23 01:45 2018-12-21 22:17 2019-03-20 21:57 2019-06-21 15:48 2019-09-23 07:34 2019-12-22 04:07 2020-03-20 03:46 2020-06-20 21:36 2020-09-22 13:22 2020-12-21 09:56
For ease, we could perhaps just choose a set date (for example 21st December) each year, but I think it is more fun to use the day on which the Solstice falls. A group of us has decided to hold our inaugural Cumbria Day celebrations in several pubs in Carlisle on the evenings of Thursday and Friday 2006-12-21/22.....
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