Public holidays in Germany

Except for the national holiday (German Unity Day), public holidays in Germany (gesetzliche Feiertage) are determined by the federal states.

Holiday	Local name (in German)	Date
New Year's Day	Neujahrstag	1 January	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Epiphany	Heilige Drei Könige	6 January	Y	Y												Y
Good Friday	Karfreitag	Easter Sunday - 2d	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Easter Monday	Ostermontag	Easter Sunday + 1d	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Labor Day	Tag der Arbeit	1 May	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	Easter Sunday + 39d	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Whit Monday	Pfingstmontag	Easter Sunday + 50d	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Corpus Christi	Fronleichnam	Easter Sunday + 60d	Y	Y					Y			Y	Y	Y	(1)			(2)
Peace Festival	Friedensfest	8 August		(3)
Assumption Day	Mariä Himmelfahrt	15 August		(5) (7)										Y
German Unity Day (6)	Tag der Deutschen Einheit	3 October	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Reformation Day	Reformationstag	31 October				Y				Y					Y	Y		Y
All Saints	Allerheiligen	1 November	Y	Y								Y	Y	Y
Day of Repentance and Prayer (4)	Buß- und Bettag	Wed. before 23 November													Y
Christmas Day	Weihnachtstag	25 December	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
St Stephen's Day / Boxing Day	Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag	26 December	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Total number of holidays per state (8)			12	13	9	10	9	9	10	10	9	11	11	12	11	11	9	10

Notes:

Y	- public holiday is celebrated in that state.
(1)	Public holiday only in few Sorbian communities.
(2)	Public holiday only in the Catholic district of Eichsfeld.
(3)	Public holiday only in the city of Augsburg.
(4)	Public holiday in all states until 1994. The holiday was discontinued with introduction of nursing care insurance. Saxony is the only state where employers do not have to pay for nursing care insurance (paid by employees in that state) and where the holiday is still kept.
(5)	Public holiday only in approx. 1700 communities with predominantly Catholic population and in the cities of Augsburg and Munich.
(6)	National holiday since 1990, commemorating German reunification on that date. Formerly 17 June in West Germany, commemorating the Workers' Uprising of 1953 in East Germany, also known as the "Day of German Unity". East Germany's national day was 7 October, the founding of the state in 1949.
(7)	Schools are closed all over the state on that day.
(8)	For states where some holidays are not observed uniformly all over the state, such holidays are included in state's total number of holidays if celebration of those holidays is predominant and widespread in that state: Bavaria: with Assumption Day, without Peace Festival. Saxony and Thuringia: without Corpus Christi.

Good Friday and Holy Saturday are so-called "quiet days" (stille Tage), when certain restrictions apply, as defined by local state authorities. An example of this is the ban on dancing on Good Friday, which is observed in almost all German states.

Custom about holidays

Either Carnival Monday ("Rose Monday") or Mardi Gras is a de facto holiday in some towns and cities in Catholic western and southern Germany which have a strong Carnival tradition.

Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) and Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) are both always on Thursdays. By taking only one day's leave, employees can have a four-day weekend.

The Three Kings Day, better known as Epiphany, is 6 January, the day after the 12 days of Christmas. In parts of Germany, it has its own local customs.

Public holidays in the former German Democratic Republic

Holiday	Local name	Date	Remarks
New Year	Neujahr	1 January
Good Friday	Karfreitag	Easter Sunday - 2d
Easter Monday	Ostermontag	Easter Sunday + 1d	until 1967 and in 1990
Labor Day	Internationaler Kampf- und Feiertag der Werktätigen für Frieden und Sozialismus	1 May
Day of Liberation	Tag der Befreiung	8 May	until 1967 and in 1985
Day of Victory	Tag des Sieges	9 May	only in 1975
Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	Easter Sunday + 39d	until 1967 and in 1990
Whit Monday	Pfingstmontag	Easter Sunday + 50d
Day of the Republic	Tag der Republik	7 October
Reformation Day	Reformationstag	31 October	until 1966
Octoberfest	Oktoberfest	Late September-Early October
Day of Repentance and Prayer	Buß- und Bettag	Wed. before 23 November	until 1966
Christmas Day	1. Weihnachtsfeiertag	25 December
St Stephen's Day / Boxing Day	2. Weihnachtsfeiertag	26 December

See also

• Holidays in Nazi Germany