From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   1 August was Swiss National Day.   
      
   As always: why this day?   
   As usually, Wiki has an answer.   
   As often, it is not a simple matter.   
      
   Federal Charter of 1291 (Pacte du Grütli), when three Alpine cantons   
   (Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden) swore the oath of confederation, "said to   
   have taken place in early August".   
      
   Its anniversary was not celebrated until somebody had the idea of "a   
   celebration in Bern in 1891 that would combine the city's 700th   
   anniversary with the Confederacy's 600th anniversary."   
   At this period, the Swiss were more likely to think of the anniversary   
   of their nationhood as 8 November, the date of the Rütlischwur (1307).   
   (That one's actually in _Wilhem Tell_.)   
   Only in the 20th century did the August date become more prominent, and   
   it's only been an official holiday from 1994.   
   ObLang: Schwur 'oath' -- a new German word for me. But they also have   
   Eid, which is cognate with the English. Is there a difference?   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_National_Day   
   ----   
   4 August, things get busy:   
      
   In Iceland: Frídagur verslunarmanna or Verslunarmannahelgi (translated   
   as "Merchants Day" or "Commerce Day") (first Monday in August).   
   I can't find out anything about what inspired this holiday, except that   
   it's said to date from 1894.  Just to show the world that Iceland's   
   "business-friendly"?   
   ObLang: My information on Icelandic is so poor that I can't even guess   
   at an etymology for "verslunarmanna".   
      
   Could "Commerce Day" be related to "bank holiday"? I used to hear/read   
   this expression from British sources and didn't understand it. A day off   
   for the poor hard-working banks, so they can take the kids to the beach?   
      
   In fact it seems to be just a generic.   
   Wiki:   
   A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and   
   the Crown Dependencies, and a colloquial term for a public holiday in   
   Ireland. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to all public holidays,   
   be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation, or held by   
   convention under common law. In Ireland, there are some bank holidays   
   which are not public holidays.   
   The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions   
   typically close for business on such holidays, as they once did on   
   certain saint's days.   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_holiday   
      
   The whole thing dates to the "Bank Holidays Act 1871", which, along with   
   Easter Monday, Whit Monday, and Boxing Day, proclaimed the first Monday   
   in August "August Bank Holiday", just because it would be nice to have a   
   holiday about that time. (Changed to last Monday in August, 1960s, for   
   England, Wales and NIreland, but still first Monday in Scotland.)   
      
   Anyhow, my master list has "Bank Holiday" on 4 August in Ireland, which   
   would appear to have a similar origin.   
      
   But what's this? Another generic? "Civic Holiday" in Canada (except   
   Quebec)?!   
   Never heard of it, me (born and raised in Canada).   
   Turns out it's not really nationally mandated, but an amalgamation of a   
   lot of local and provincial holidays, which still go by many local   
   names, mostly not dating earlier than the 1970s. After my time.   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Holiday   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)