Why George Price Day is on a Wednesday this year

Published by BBNTEAM at January 15, 2025

Posted: Wednesday, January 15, 2025. 6:33 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: The vagaries of the calendar have put today’s public and bank holiday, George Price Day, on a Wednesday.

George Price Day since its establishment in 2021 is always observed on January 15, Price’s birthday. This year it has proven a bit disruptive for the workforce, taking a valuable day of work away even if for a good cause.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for holidays, told reporters on Monday that there are two sides to the coin: “Some people advocate for having the actual holiday on the day itself, which was Mr. Price’s birthday. Usually when it falls on like a Tuesday or a Thursday it would be moved to a Monday or Friday. This one happened to fall smack dab in the middle of the week. And so, we decided to leave it there. But certainly, if it were like a Tuesday or a Thursday, maybe moving it closer to the weekend to avoid the disruption is a good idea.”

The next major public and bank holiday, National Heroes and Benefactors Day, is one of three provided for by law where the date is always observed on the closest Monday, the others being Commonwealth Day on May 24 (no longer celebrated), and Indigenous People’s Resistance Day on October 12 (previously Columbus or Pan American Day).

Coincidentally, Price shares his birthday with Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who is the only American to have a holiday named in his honor; George Washington was once the other but Presidents’ Day in February was revised to honor all American presidents and is celebrated closest to his birthday of February 22. In the case of King, Martin Luther King Jr Day is observed on the third Monday in January, which this year is January 20; it was January 15 last year, which is the earliest date on the calendar it can be observed.

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