German Holidays 2021
What do people celebrate in Germany?
As a predominantly Christian country, most celebrations and German national holidays are religious festivities. However, Germany also celebrates a number of non-religious events.
What holidays do German people celebrate?
An essential list of German holidays and upcoming holidays:
- New Year’s Day (Neujahr): January 1, 2022 (Saturday)
- Three Kings Day (Heilige Drei Könige): January 6, 2022 (Thursday)
- Carnival (Karneval): March 1, 2022 (Tuesday)
- Good Friday (Karfreitag): April 15, 2022 (Friday)
- Easter Monday (Ostermontag): April 18, 2022 (Monday)
- Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit): May 01, 2022 (Sunday)
- Mother’s Day (Muttertag): May 8, 2022 (Sunday)
- Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt): May 26, 2022 (Thursday)
- Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag): June 6, 2022 (Monday)
- Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam): June 16, 2022 (Thursday)
- Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt): August 15, 2022 (Monday)
- Oktoberfest: from September 17, 2022 (Saturday) to October 3, 2022 (Monday)
- German Unity Day (Tag der deutschen Einheit): October 3, 2022 (Monday)
- Day of Reformation (Reformationstag): October 31, 2022 (Monday)
- All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen): November 1, 2022 (Tuesday)
- Christmas Eve (Weihnachten): December 24, 2022 (Saturday)
- Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag): December 25, 2022 (Sunday)
- Boxing Day (Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag): December 26, 2022 (Monday)
- New Year’s Eve (Silvester): December 31, 2022 (Saturday)
New Year's Day | January, 1
New Year's Day (Neujahr) is a National Holiday and a chance to rest after the festivities of the night before. Bleigießen, a type of fortune-telling, is popular on this day (and on New Year's Eve).
Three Kings Day | January, 6
Also known as the Epiphany, Three Kings Day (Heilige Drei Könige) is the day the German Christmas tree is taken down and child carol singers dressed as kings collect money for charity. It is a public holiday in not all but a few states; namely, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, and Sachsen.
Carnival | March, 1
Fasching or Karneval in Germany is a period of Carnival celebrations that go on until Ash Wednesday. Notable Carnival parades in Germany take place in Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Aachen.
Good Friday | April, 15
Like much of the Christian world, Good Friday (Karfreitag) is a national holiday. Christians attend church, whilst others enjoy the day off.
Easter Monday | April, 18
Easter Monday (Ostermontag) is also a national holiday. Monday is about spending quality time with family.
When is Easter this year?
Easter takes place in Germany from Friday, April the 2nd, to Monday, the 5th, in 2021.
Labor Day | May 1st
Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit) on May the 1st is a national holiday in Germany.
How is May Day celebrated in Germany?
May Day, May 1st, in Germany is marked with a blend of pagan rituals and also the celebrations of worker's rights. There are lots of celebrations and parties on the night of the 30th April into the 1st of May; the motto for this night is Tanz in den Mai or “Dance into May”.
Mother's Day | May, 8
Mother's Day (Muttertag) falls on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day is marked by the giving of flowers and cards to one's mother.
Ascension Day | May, 26
Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), 40 days after Easter, is another National Holiday in Germany. On Ascension Day Christians, most notably Catholics, attend a church service and spend time with family. It's also Father's Day in which groups of male relatives enjoy activities together.
Whit Monday | June, 6
Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag), sometimes referred to as Pentecost Sunday, falls on the 7th Monday after Easter and it means a day off work for German employees. For Catholics, it's a Holy Day of Observance, so in the south and west of the country, many people go to church.
Corpus Christi | June, 16
Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) is another movable feast, which takes place 60 days after Easter. It is not a national holiday but is a regional public holiday in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. In these parts, you may see Catholics head to the streets for a procession after Mass.