National Holidays in Germany
Maybe
you are wondering what do Germans celebrate? Well, being a country 34%
Catholic, 34% Protestant, 3.7% Muslim and 28.3% non-affiliated or others, many
of their celebrations are Christian.
Below
is a comparative table showing the National Holidays, Observance Days and Silence
Days. National Holidays are days where most people don’t have to work and many
businesses are closed. Observance Days are celebrated by many people but following
their day as usual. Finally, during Silence Days, music or dance events are restricted
in some regions of Germany. I added all national holidays and observance days
in Germany, however, I left out many observance days held in the United States.
(They even observe Boss Day, Groundhog Day and Loyal Day).
The
only Observance Day I see that Germany and the United States have in common,
but are celebrated on different days is Father’s Day. On the other hand, there
are holidays in both countries that are practically the same, but are called
differently or are celebrated on different days.
Date
|
United States
|
Germany
|
January 1
|
New Year’s Day
|
New Year’s Day
|
January 6
|
Epiphany
(Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt states only )
|
|
January 20
|
Martin Luther
King Day
|
|
January 27
|
Holocaust Remembrance Day (OBSERVANCE)
|
|
February 14
|
Valentine’s Day
(OBSERVANCE)
|
Valentine’s Day (OBSERVANCE)
|
February 17
|
President’s Day
|
|
February 24 – 25
|
Mardi Gras
|
Shrove Monday (OBSERVANCE)
(Carnival parade with floats that make a mockery of German habits or public
figure)
|
February 26
|
Ash Wednesday (SILENT DAY)
(first day of Lent for many Christians)
|
|
March 8
|
International
Women’s Day
(Berlin state only)
|
|
March 17
|
St. Patrick’s Day (OBSERVANCE)
|
|
April 5
|
Palm Sunday (OBSERVANCE)
(Commemorates Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem)
|
|
April 9
|
Maundy Thursday (SILENT DAY)
(Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper)
|
|
April 10
|
Good Friday (PUBLIC HOLIDAY
& SILENT DAY)
|
|
April 12
|
Easter
|
Easter Sunday (SILENT DAY) (Brandenburg
state only)
|
April 13
|
Easter Monday
(OBSERVANCE)
|
Easter Monday
|
May 1
|
Labour Day
|
|
May 10
|
Mother’s Day
|
Mother’s Day (OBSERVANCE)
|
May 21
|
||
May 21
|
||
May 25
|
||
May 31
|
Whit Sunday (Brandenburg
state only) (7th Sunday after Easter celebrating the descent of
the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension)
|
|
June 1
|
Whit Monday (Second day of
the Pentecost)
|
|
June 11
|
||
June 21
|
||
July 4
|
Independence Day
|
|
August 15
|
Assumption Day (Bavaria and
Saarland states only) (Feast to "the Blessed Virgin”)
|
|
September 7
|
Labor Day
|
|
October 3
|
Day of German Unity (Anniversary of
German reunification in 1990)
|
|
October 12
|
Columbus Day
|
|
October 31
|
Reformation Day (8 out of 16
states only) (Anniversary of Martin Luther's proclamation)
|
|
October 31
|
Halloween (OBSERVANCE)
|
Halloween (OBSERVANCE)
|
November 1
|
All Saint’s Day (5 out of 16
states only) (honor the lives of every saint, deceased relatives and visit
their graves)
|
|
November 9
|
Night of the
Broken Glass Remembrance day (OBSERVANCE) (one of many events that
served as a prelude to the Final Solution to the Holocaust)
|
|
November 11
|
Veteran’s Day
|
|
November 11
|
St. Martin’s day (OBSERVANCE)
(Walk around the streets in a procession after darkness falls with candle-lit
lanterns)
|
|
November 15
|
National Day of Mourning (SILENT DAY)
(commemorates members of the German armed forces and civilians who died in
armed conflicts)
|
|
November 18
|
Repentance Day (Saxony state
only) (Day of Prayer and repentance)
|
|
November 22
|
Sunday of the Dead (SILENT DAY) (dedicated
to the memory of those who have passed away in the German evangelical Church)
|
|
November 26
|
Thanksgiving Day
|
|
November 29
December 6, 13, 20 |
Advent Sunday (OBSERVANCE)
(Preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas
and the return of Jesus at the Second Coming)
|
|
December 6
|
Saint Nicholas
Day (OBSERVANCE)
|
Saint Nicholas
Day (OBSERVANCE)
(Christian festival with particular regard to his reputation as a bringer of
gifts)
|
December 24
|
Christmas Eve (OBSERVANCE)
|
|
December 25
|
Christmas Day
|
Christmas Day
|
December 26
|
2nd Day of Christmas
|
|
December 31
|
New Year’s Eve
(OBSERVANCE)
|
Now you know that if you are going to travel to
Germany, you have to strategically choose the dates because on holidays, and on
Sundays, EVERYTHING is closed.
I hope you find
this helpful and motivate you to visit Germany, Tschüss!
