Holidays in Germany

Holidays are great – you can sleep in, relax or meet with friends. But what are the important holidays in Germany, how did they start and what do they mean for people today? Here’s a brief summary of the most important days in the German calendar.

by Hanna Irabi

All Saints' Day (every year on 1 November)

All Saint’s Day honours the saints and the deceased. The idea behind it is that living Christians and the faithfully departed form one community and that the dead watch over the living. On this day, the living pay their respects to the dead, visit their gravesites, decorate them with flowers and light candles to symbolize the “light of life”.

All Saints’ Day is particularly important to Catholics, and that explains why this religious holiday is observed in Catholic-dominated regions in Germany. Lydia Neugebaue, admits that “some holidays just fly by in the fast pace of daily life and I barely have time to think about them. But other days, like All Saints’ Day, are so important to me that I take an extra vacation day ever year just to commemorate the holiday." For those who are less devout, All Saints’ Day has little significance. “For me, I think of All Saint’s as a day off, and I get annoyed when it happens to fall on a weekend. What I like about it is that it breaks up the routine a little bit. I think that’s always a plus, even if you don’t commemorate the holiday in the traditional sense,” says Inga Petzold, a student of Cultural Studies. North Rhine-Westphalia is the only place in Germany that officially observes All Saints’ Day.

Christmas (every year from 24 to 26 December)

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most important holidays in the Christian year. In addition to the religious rituals of attending Christmas mass, there are many secular traditions surrounding Christmas as well. For example, Christmas markets are set up in many towns and cities, and at home, people make their own Advent wreaths out of pine branches and decorate them with candles. Most families spend Christmas Eve, the 24^th of December, and the following two days, together at home. The most important traditions include decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments and candles and a large feast – usually a meal of sausages and potato salad or a Christmas goose. When it gets dark, the family members exchange presents. But because the gift-giving can get out of hand, there are some who voice criticism every year that consumption has overshadowed the Christian meaning of the holiday.   

But many people enjoy Christmas for its special atmosphere and the chance to spend time with family. According to Julien Lecoeur, 28, “Christmas outshines all the other holidays really. When I was a kid, I could hardly wait for Christmas Eve when I’d get all those presents, but today I enjoy the entire season, from the first of December to the 26th. The first snowfall, the Christmas market, mulled wine, and above all, friends coming home for the holidays – nothing beats that.” Inga Petzold, 26, adds “Christmas is all about coming home, having several days off – that makes it special. It a wonderful holiday that tops off the year.”

New Year’s Eve (31 December)

On New Year’s Eve (German: Silvester) we send off the old year and ring in the new. The climax is the midnight fireworks displays which follow a long, relaxed meal with friends and family. The tradition of making a ruckus to welcome the New Year goes back a long way. Apparently the early Germanic tribes tried to scare away the evil spirits with loud noise. Nowadays this custom has taken the form of thundering fireworks. However, this holiday is primarily about celebrating with friends. “I spent last New Year’s Eve with a few close friends in a mountain cabin in France. That was really a ‘glamorous’ exception. But normally I celebrate the traditional way – raclette or fondue with friends, a few party games and, if we’re not too tired, we head out to the dance parties around the city,” says Julien Lecoeur, 28.

Easter (6 – 9 April 2012)

...is a religious holiday that marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ – one of the central beliefs of the Christian faith. According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified on Good Friday (German: Karfreitag), the Friday before Easter Sunday. Therefore, Good Friday is regarded as a day of mourning. Easter Saturday marks the end of the 40-day Lenten season, a period of fasting during which many Christians forego meat and alcohol (and occasionally sweets and coffee) to purify themselves. However, only a very small portion of the population actually fasts – around seven per cent. At Easter weekend many parishes organize Easter bonfires which often include a straw effigy of Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Though, for many Germans, Easter bonfires are more of a fun ritual than a religious tradition. Another very popular custom is decorating Easter eggs in all sizes, colours and materials. People like to hang them as ornaments from trees and shrubs. And on Easter morning, the “Easter Bunny” hides chocolate eggs for the children to find.  

May Day

  ...also known as the “International Workers’ Day”, is celebrated in many European countries and elsewhere around the world. Its history dates back to the 19^th century when inhumane working conditions were all too prevalent in industry. It was common for people to work eleven- to thirteen-hours days and have no legal entitlement to social benefits. In 1886 around 400,000 dissatisfied workers in the United States organized a several-day strike to demand an eight-hour workday. In 1890 workers in France and Germany held their own strikes demanding the same.

After several failed attempts to establish May First as a holiday in the Weimar Republic, the National Socialists succeeded in making the day a holiday in 1933 based on a completely opposite ideology. They made it the ‘Day of the German People’ without any reference to work or workers’ rights. In the 1950s the labour unions revitalized the political tradition of the holiday. Even today, the unions still organize demonstrations and gatherings throughout Germany on the first of May in support of workers’ rights.

For many Germans, May Day is simply another bank holiday that they take advantage of to drive somewhere or go hiking. According to Inga Petzold, 26, from Hildesheim, "the first of May is almost as important as Christmas because it’s a day off for everyone and you can spend it together with family or friends. I especially like the tradition of going on a May Day excursion with friends.”

Mother’s Day (second Sunday of May)

 ...is a holiday to honour our mothers. The women’s rights activist Anna Marie Jarvis, born in West Virginia in 1864, is said to have established the holiday. Jarvis’s mother used to organize “Mother’s Work Days” to strengthen the rights of women with children. After her mother died, Jarvis tried to establish a “Mother’s Day” in her mother’s honour. Its primary goal was to highlight the social and political role of women in society. Her efforts finally paid off in 1908 when the first official Mother’s Day was celebrated. On this day, the third anniversary of her mother’s death, Jarvis distributed carnations to those who attended her mother’s memorial service. In 1914 the US government official designated Mother’s Day as a national holiday. Nine years later, thanks to the lobbying of the National Association of German Florists which hoped to earn a handsome profit, Mother’s Day was celebrated in Germany for the first time. And indeed, buying flowers (as well as perfumes and sweets) is a popular way to thank one’s mother on her special day. Nonetheless, some people in Germany feel no need to celebrate the holiday. Lydia Neugebauer, 26, from Hamburg says "I don’t celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s doesn’t mean anything to me or my mother. But when I was small, I used to always give her a little present.”

Ascension Day (17 May 2012)

…always falls on a Thursday and marks the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. Traditionally the three days preceding Ascension are “days of petition” in the Catholic Church, in which the faithful walk through the fields and pray for a good harvest. But perhaps these walking tours are more strongly associated with another widespread custom – Fathers’ Day. On Ascension Day, men of all ages put on their walking shoes and tour the pubs and restaurants in their towns. Often you’ll see groups of men pulling wagons behind them full of beer and other alcoholic beverages.

Pentecost (12 - 13 June 2011)

... is a holiday that spans Sunday and Monday – making it a long weekend for most people. According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples of Jesus Christ on this day, giving them hope after Jesus rose to heaven (see Ascension Day). The Holy Spirit allowed them to communicate in a multitude of languages, which helped them spread the word of Jesus Christ. As a result, Christians generally regard Pentecost as the birthday of the Church.

Compared to other holidays, few customs have arisen in connection with Pentecost, and in daily life, the holiday has little relevance. According to Lydia, 26, from Hamburg, “On big holidays we usually go to church, have a big meal and get together with family and relatives. On minor holidays, like Pentecost, I take time out for me or go somewhere on a minibreak.” For many other people, Pentecost is of little significance. “I’m not especially religious and that’s why Pentecost doesn’t mean much to me. Still I like having the day off,” admits Julien Lecoeur, 28, from Bielefeld.

German Unification Day (every year on 3 October)

 ...is the only federally mandated public holiday. It marks the reunification of East and West Germany. In 1949 following the end of World War II, the western half of Germany was controlled by the United States, France and England, while the eastern half fell under Soviet control. As a result Germany was a divided country between 1949 and 1990 – the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the west and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the east. Over several decades, the citizens of the GDR became increasingly frustrated with their political system which committed numerous human rights violations. Those who denounced the government and its policies were arrested and imprisoned. The East German government attempted to stop the mass exodus of its people by building a wall between East and West Germany. But in 1989, following major demonstrations in cities throughout the country, the Berlin Wall finally came down. The pact that formally established German unification took effect on 3 October 1990. On this day, the German flag of unification was hoisted atop the federal ministries and thousands of people celebrated in the streets of the new German republic.

Many people don’t realize that the German name of the holiday commemorates Pope Sylvester I. His claim to fame was that he healed and converted the Roman emperor Constantine. The day of his death, the 31^st of December 335 AD was posthumously declared his name day, and following the calendar reform implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, it became the last day of the year – the festival of St. Sylvester.