Red letter day


A red letter day is any day of special significance or opportunity.
Its roots are in classical antiquity; for instance, important days are indicated in red in a calendar dating from the Roman Republic.
In medieval manuscripts, initial capitals and highlighted words were written in red ink. The practice was continued after the invention of the printing press, including in Catholic liturgical books. Many calendars still indicate special dates, festivals and holidays in red instead of black.
In the universities of the UK, scarlet days are when doctors may wear their scarlet 'festal' or full dress gowns instead of their undress gown.
In Norway, Sweden, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia and some Latin American countries, a public holiday is sometimes referred to as "red day", as it is printed in red in calendars.

Legal

On red letter days, judges of the English High Court wear, at sittings of the Court of Law, their scarlet robes. Red letter days for these purposes are a fixed selection of saints' days and of national celebrations, mostly associated with senior members of the British royal family.

Current red letter days in the United Kingdom

The list of red letter days currently observed in the United Kingdom is as follows:
October
  • 18th
  • 28th
November
  • 1st
  • 14th
  • 2nd Saturday in November
  • 30th
December
  • 21st
January
  • 25th
February
  • 2nd
  • 6th
  • Moveable
  • 24th
March
  • 1st
  • 25th
April
  • 21st
  • 25th
May
  • 1st
  • Moveable
June
  • 2nd
  • 2nd Saturday in June
  • 10th
  • 11th
  • 24th
  • 29th
July
  • 25th
Days which will never fall within the legal term are not red letter days.

Former red letter days in the United Kingdom

A comparison can be drawn with the Red Letter Days listed 100 years ago in Dress and Insignia Worn at His Majesty's Court, which are on the same principle, except that the modern list adds the national saints of Wales and Scotland although not the national saint of England. The 1921 listing, in full, is:
Red Letter Days on which the Judges of the High Court wear, at Sittings of the Court of Law, their Scarlet Robes: