Today is Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man. The island is home to the oldest continuous Parliament in the world, The High Court of Tynwald (Manx – Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal). It is believed to be over 1,000 years old and Norse in origin.
It has two branches, the Legislative Council (Y Choonceil Slattyssagh) which is the upper branch. There are eleven members who are either elected or sit by virtue of their office. The second branch is called the House of Keys (Y Chiare as Feed) and has twenty-four members who are directly elected.
Tynwald Day is a public holiday on the Isle of Man and usually observed on the 5th July. If the day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, as is the case this year, it is observed on the following Monday. Instead of meeting at the Legislative buildings in Douglas, the Tynwald meets at Tynwald Hill in St John’s for an open-air ceremony with lots of pageantry. The Queen as the Lord of Mann is the Head of State and usually represented by the Lieutenant Governor who is responsible for presiding over the ceremony.
A religious service is held in the Royal Chapel followed by a procession to Tynwald Hill. New Acts of Tynwald that have received Royal Assent will be read out in English and Manx. This is an incredibly important part of the ceremony as Acts are required by Statute to be promulgated (read out) within eighteen months of being enacted otherwise the Act ceases to have effect. Following the ceremony Tynwald members return to the Royal Chapel for a formal sitting of Tynwald.
As part of the ceremony any person can bring forward a Petition for Redress, for a grievance that they may have. The petition is presented in person to the Clerk of Tynwald. A member of the Tynwald may then ask that the substance of a petition be considered.
Its interesting to learn about Tynwald day, thanks for sharing!