New Year (Neujahrstag) - The first important public holiday in Germany in a year

The first day of a year is an important German holiday, celebrating the arrival of a year. Everyone will be off from school and work during this time. 

Fireworks on New year celebration in Germany

Epiphany

It is one of the oldest solemnities in the Christian calendar, traditionally celebrated on January 6, celebrating the manifestation of Jesus Christ and God the Son incarnation. In Western Christianity, this feast mainly celebrates the visit and worship of Jesus by the three Magi (or the Three Kings, The Three Wise Men). In Germany, it is a public holiday in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony, on which shops and banks are closed. 

Masquerade Festival

This is an important public holiday in Germany, a celebration that changes every year depending on when Easter occurs. On this day, people often parade, put on make-up and dress up, party until night.

Good Friday

Good Friday is a local holiday in every German state that marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated two days before Easter Sunday. Besides today's special religious traditions, people also participate in non-religious traditions.

Easter

The holiday, which follows Good Friday and Easter Day, marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This holiday can fall on different dates every year and on this occasion many businesses and services are closed. In Germany, it is celebrated with various local customs such as candlelight parades and egg races. 

International Labor Day

It has been an official holiday in Germany since 1933. However, the holiday had been celebrated by German workers for decades before. This is a day to celebrate workers and their contributions to society.

This is a day to celebrate workers and their contributions to society

Mother's Day

Mother's Day in Germany is an event celebrated on the second Sunday of May, so it falls on different dates each year. It was also declared an official German holiday in 1933. Flowers, presents, and chocolates are among the most popular gifts on this day. It was a tradition to honor mothers for giving life to children. 

Feast of Jesus' Ascension

This is a religious holiday celebrated 40 days after Easter. In Germany it is also marked as Father's Day or Men's Day, and since the 18th century fathers have been given gifts after the Ascension Day parades.

Feast of the Nativity of the Holy Spirit

It is a Christian holiday celebrated on the 50th day beginning with Easter. The name of this holiday in Greek means the 50th day, so this is also called Pentecost (Week here is understood as a period of ten days).

The 40th day after Easter is the feast of the Ascension of Jesus, which falls on a Thursday but is usually moved to the following Sunday. The 50th day since Easter is the day of Pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit to the apostles according to the New Testament, is also considered the birth of the Church. It is also the last holiday of this season.

This day is celebrated through special spring festivals and churches. 

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

It is a solemnity in the liturgical year of the Catholic Church, with the presence of Jesus being celebrated in the Eucharist. The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ takes place 60 days after Easter Sunday and begins in the second half of the 13th century. 

The Feast of Corpus Christi is one of the five solemnities of the year in which a diocesan bishop must not leave his diocese except for urgent reasons. On this day, many Germans attend Mass at the church, where a special sacramental blessing consists of only bread or waffles. 

The holiday is celebrated in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and several local governments in Saxony and Thuringia.

Peace Festival

The Peace Festival in Germany is held on the 8th of August every year. It was marked to commemorate the 1629 ban on protesters practicing their religion in Augsburg, Bavaria. Therefore, this is a public holiday unique to Bavaria, not the whole of Germany.

Feast of the Assumption

It is an important holiday of the Christian religion. It was a party to celebrate the passing of the Virgin Mary, they believed that Mary's soul and body had gone to heaven. 

Feast of the Assumption is an important holiday of the Christian religion

In Germany, the ceremony is held in the city of Saarland and several local authorities in Bavaria.

German Reunification Day

Reunification Day is a national holiday commemorating the reunification of Germany in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The day is celebrated with a festival around the Brandenburg Gate. Activities such as horseback riding, singing, dice games, performances, fun, etc., are organized to mark the event. National celebrations are held in different cities in Germany each year. 

Reformation Day

Reformation Day is a Protestant religious holiday in Germany, celebrated on October 31, to commemorate the Martin Luther Reformation movement of the sixteenth century. According to history,  in 1517, Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses at a church door in which he expressed his concerns about corruption in the Catholic church.

All Saints' Day

It is a Christian holiday in Germany dedicated to remembering and praying for the gone believers. Besides church services, people also light candles and decorate the graves of their loved ones with flowers and wreaths. Families will also gather together for meals. The holiday is held in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and parts of Thuringia. 

Day of Atonement

Atonement Day is celebrated on the last Wednesday before November. From 1990 to 1994, it was a public holiday for the whole of Germany, which Germans changed to improve health and personal problems. However, now it is a public holiday only in the state of Saxony in Germany. The idea of ​​this event is that Protestant Christians pray or meditate to find their way back to God. 

Christmas

German Christmas Day is a holiday celebrated on December 25 every year. The traditions of the Germans today are similar to those of other countries in the world. Markets are full of colors, Santa Claus, decorated trees and special treats.

Christmas is one of the most important holidays in Germany

Feast of Saint Stephen - The last important public holiday in Germany in a year

Stephen's Day is celebrated on December 26, just one day after Christmas. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr, convicted of blasphemy against Moses and Christianity.

Tags: Germany, important public holidays in Germany, Day of Atonement, Feast of Jesus’ Ascension, Mother’s Day, May Day, German Reunification Day, Epiphany