[citation needed] The ceremony dates back to 1897 and has been held continuously since with the exception of the years 1940 to 1946 because of the Second World War and 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 1953 it was held in St Margaret's Church because Westminster Abbey was still decorated for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
In Ireland, the year is divided as per the English system, with identical Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity terms.
The Michaelmas term, and legal year, is opened with a service in St. Michan's Church, Dublin attended by members of the Bar and Law Society who then adjourn to a breakfast given in the King's Inns.
[7] Bar associations (barreaux), especially larger ones, may also hold a rentrée solennelle, but often at a completely different time of the year to the court-organised official ceremonies, such as in November.
[8] French courts do not sit in a formal term structure,[9] although the practice of vacances judiciaires (legal vacations) between July and the end of August, in late December around Christmas and New Year's and, to a lesser extent,[10] Easter, mean that courts often do not sit to hear non-urgent business during those times,[11][12] creating, de facto, three legal terms each year.
[13] The United States Supreme Court follows part of the legal year tradition, albeit without the elaborate ceremony.
They merely mandate that the courts are to be open year-round during business hours on every day that is not Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday.