Public Holidays in Germany That You Need to Know

From New Year’s Day to Labour Day to the Day of German Unity, you can expect to enjoy plenty of public holidays while living in Germany. Whether you’re curious about German culture or looking ahead to see what days off you will enjoy, let’s explore the first set of public holidays: religious holidays.

Religious Public Holidays in Germany

While Germany practices a separation of church and state, that doesn’t mean that religious holidays, like Easter and Christmas, are not protected as days off throughout the year. With a significant portion of their population practising Christianity, German residents and citizens enjoy holidays off for the following religious public holidays in the country:

• Good Friday (Karfreitag): Friday before Easter
• Easter Monday (Ostermontag): Monday after Easter Sunday
• Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt): 40 days after Easter
• Whit Sunday/Pentecost (Pfingstmontag): 50 days after Easter
• Christmas Day (Erster Weihnachtstag): December 25th
• 2nd Christmas Day (Zweiter Weihnachtstag): December 26th

These holidays are among the most important to Germans and involve notable activities and celebrations. Good Friday and Easter Monday entail church services for those who are practising Christians and special meals amongst family and friends. Germans will also decorate eggs and go on an egg hunt, as is customary in other parts of the world, too!

Germans also celebrate Ascension Day, the day that Jesus ascended to heaven, 40 days after Easter. Pentecost or Whit Sunday is another important holiday honouring the 50th day after Easter, mainly celebrated by Roman Catholics in Germany.

In the winter, Germans have two days off during Christmas: Christmas Day and the day afterwards, when many exchange gifts and engage in religious services if they are practising.

German National Holidays

Germany also celebrates many German national holidays that are not religious but significant to Germany’s history and culture. From New Year’s Day to the Day of German Unity, here are the national holidays you can expect to experience while living in Germany:

• New Year’s Day (Neujahrstag): January 1st
• Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit): May 1st
• Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit): October 3

New Year’s Day might look a little different than what some might expect. This public holiday generally entails extravagant gatherings and traditional food with loved ones. If you get together with your friends or family, you’ll enjoy an abundant meal ahead of the New Year for good luck and lots of fireworks!

Labour Day has been an official holiday for almost a century, and today, it is widely honoured as a means of pushing for workers’ rights. People generally give speeches, rally, and even meet to celebrate workers’ rights and unions.

Finally, the Day of German Unity is a national celebration honouring the day that Germany unified in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of East and West Germany’s separation.

Regional Public Holidays in Germany

Aside from national public holidays, there are also other holidays that you may expect if you live in specific regions. Depending on where you reside, you can enjoy even more days off to honour German history and culture. Here are some of the regional German holidays you might experience:

• Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige): January 6th. Celebrated in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Saxony-Anhalt.
• International Women’s Day (Frauentag): March 8th. Officially a public holiday in Berlin.
• Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam): 60 days after Easter. Observed in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
• Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt): August 15. Celebrated in Bavaria and Saarland.
• Reformation Day (Reformationstag): October 31. Observed in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
• All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen): November 1. Celebrated in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
• Day of Prayer and Repentance (Buß- und Bettag): The Wednesday before November 23. Observed in Saxony.

If you live in Bavaria or Saxony, you may have up to an additional four to five days off just for regional holidays! However, even if you don’t live in these regions, you can always travel to experience these holidays for yourself and take part in any of the activities that take place.