Germany
Germany observes nine nationwide Feiertage, plus a number of regional holidays that vary by Bundesland. Reformation Day (October 31) is the most well-known split - observed in five eastern and central states but not in the other eleven.
Nationwide Feiertage
- Neujahr - January 1
- Karfreitag - varies (Friday before Easter)
- Ostermontag - varies (Monday after Easter)
- Tag der Arbeit - May 1
- Christi Himmelfahrt - varies (39 days after Easter)
- Pfingstmontag - varies (50 days after Easter)
- Tag der Deutschen Einheit - October 3
- 1. Weihnachtstag - December 25
- 2. Weihnachtstag - December 26
Regional Feiertage
Reformation Day (October 31) is a public holiday in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Thuringen. Heilige Drei Konige (January 6) is observed in Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, and Sachsen-Anhalt. Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi) is observed in Bayern, Baden-Wurttemberg, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Saarland. Augsburg has a city-only holiday on August 8 (Friedensfest).
Notable non-statuary observances
Erntedankfest (harvest festival) is celebrated on the first Sunday after Michaelmas (September 29) in many rural communities; it is not a federal or state holiday. Carnival / Fasching is observed in the Rhineland and southern Germany, peaking on Rosenmontag and ending on Aschermittwoch.
How the German holiday calendar works
Germany has 16 federal states (Bundesländer), each of which sets its own public holiday calendar. The federal framework is set by federal law; specific observance dates are set by state law. Federal (nationwide) public holidays are: Neujahr (January 1), Karfreitag (Good Friday), Ostermontag (Easter Monday), Tag der Arbeit (May 1), Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day), Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday), Tag der Deutschen Einheit (October 3), and 1. Weihnachtstag (December 25). State-specific public holidays include Heilige Drei Könige (January 6) in BY/BW/ST; Reformationstag (October 31) in BB/MV/SN/ST/TH; Allerheiligen (November 1) in BY/BW/NRW/SL; Buß- und Bettag (November 18) in SN; Frauentag (March 8) in Berlin and MV. Total public holidays: between 9 (HE) and 14 (BB) depending on the state.
Religious and ethnic composition
Germany is roughly 47% Christian (Catholic 25%, Protestant-Evangelical 22%), 39% no religion, 7% Muslim, 2% other. The federal calendar reflects the Christian-Protestant/Catholic heritage of Germany specifically: Good Friday (a federal Protestant observance that all states observe) and 2. Weihnachtstag (December 26, the federal second Christmas Day) are notable. Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist holidays are not federal public holidays.
State-by-state variation
The biggest variation by Land is Reformation Day observance: in 5 Länder (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia), Reformation Day is a paid public holiday; in the other 11, it is observed liturgically but not as a paid public holiday. Reformation Day falls on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day (November 1). Catholic-majority Länder (Bavaria, parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland) tend to observe All Saints' Day but not Reformation Day; Protestant-majority northern and eastern Länder observe Reformation Day but not All Saints' Day.
Carnival / Fasching cultural calendar
The Rhineland carnival tradition (Karneval / Fastnacht / Fasching) is a major cultural season peaking on Rosenmontag (the Monday before Ash Wednesday). The tradition dates to medieval pre-Lenten celebrations and is especially strong in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mainz, and the Rhineland cities. While the Monday before Ash Wednesday is not a federal holiday, several Bundeslander (e.g. Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz) grant schools and public offices the day off, and the carnival parades and celebrations are among the largest public gatherings in Germany. The carnival season (Karnevalssaison) traditionally starts on November 11 at 11:11 am and continues through Ash Wednesday.
Federal holiday laws and employment
The German federal holiday calendar is anchored in federal law (Bundesurlaubsgesetz, Feiertagsgesetz) and Bundeslander-specific statutes. Federally regulated workers receive 9 holidays; state workers receive 10-14 depending on Land. Holiday pay is regulated such that workers receive regular wages on public holidays even if they do not work; workers who work on a public holiday receive overtime or compensating time off. The Bundesarbeitsgericht has ruled on numerous disputes over holiday observance and employer obligations, establishing a robust legal framework.
Detailed Reformation Day state listReformation Day (October 31) is observed as a public holiday in exactly five Bundeslander: Brandenburg (BB), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV), Sachsen (SN), Sachsen-Anhalt (ST), and Thuringen (TH). These five represent the historically Protestant territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the later German lands. The 11 other Bundeslander (Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein) do not observe Reformation Day. The 2017 anniversary of the 500th Reformation, however, was declared a one-off nationwide public holiday on October 31, 2017 by federal decision - the only year in modern history when the split was waived.
Ascension Day and Whit Monday cultural role
Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day, 39 days after Easter) and Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday, 50 days after Easter) are both nationwide federal holidays, falling on Thursdays and Mondays respectively. Both create automatic long weekends. Christi Himmelfahrt is also Father's Day in Germany - a coincidence of date that means fathers are celebrated nationwide even though Vatertag is not a federal holiday in itself. Pfingstmontag is the last federal holiday in the spring half of the year and marks the start of Pfingstferien (Whit holidays) in many Bundeslander. The two holidays are particularly long weekends in years when they coincide with weekend adjustments.
Recent shifts
In 2019, Berlin made International Women's Day (March 8) a regional public holiday - the first German Land to do so. In 2023, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern followed. The trend is incremental recognition of additional social holidays at the state level. No new federal holidays have been added since the reunification transfer of Reformation Day to a federal 5-Land observance. The 2017 Reformation Day anniversary (500 years since 95 Theses) saw a one-time nationwide federal holiday observance.
Where the holidays come from culturally
The German federal calendar reflects three layers. Layer 1 (medieval-19th century): Christian liturgical days (Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Christmas). Layer 2 (19th-20th century): civic and worker holidays (Labour Day, German Unity Day). Layer 3 (post-1990): reunification-era recognition of state-specific traditions (Reformation Day, Buß- und Bettag) and increasingly plural (Frauentag). The German federal calendar is the densest in Western Europe.
Major holiday briefs on this page
Each of the holidays discussed on this regional overview has a full standalone brief covering its origins, observance practices, and modern controversies:
- Neujahr
- Karfreitag
- Ostern
- Tag der Arbeit
- Christi Himmelfahrt
- Pfingstmontag
- Tag der Deutschen Einheit
- Weihnachten
- Stephanstag
- Reformationstag
- Allerheiligen
- Buß- und Bettag
- Halloween
- Valentinstag
- Mawlid