German Culture

The following days are public holidays or dates of significance in Germany:

• New Year’s Day – Neujahrstag (1st of January)
• Day of Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism (27th of January)
• Valentine’s Day – Valentinstag  (14th of February)
• Rose Monday/Shrove Monday – Rosenmontag (Monday before Ash Wednesday)
• Carnival – Fastnacht/Fasching/Fasenach (Day after Rose Monday)
• Ash Wednesday/End of Carnival – Aschermittwoch/End of Karneval (Varies each year)
• Walpurgis Night (30th of April)
• May Day/Labour Day – Tag der Arbeit (1st of May)
• Father’s Day – Vatertag/Männertag (Varies of year)
• Mother’s Day – Muttertag (Varies of year)
• German Unity Day – Tag der Deutschen Einheit (3rd of October)
• Remembrance Day – Volkstrauertag (Two Sundays before the 1st Advent)
• New Year’s Eve – Sylvester/Silvester (31st of December)

The following dates are Christian holidays or observances in Germany:

• Epiphany – Heilige Drei Könige (6th of January)
• Easter – Ostern (Varies each year)
  • Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday –Gründonnerstag 
  • Good Friday – Karfreitag 
  • Easter Sunday – Ostersonntag 
  • Easter Monday – Ostermontag
• Ascension – Christi Himmelfahrt (Varies each year)
• Pentecost – Pfingsten (Pfingstsonntag) (Varies each year)
• Whit Monday – Pfingsten (Pfingstmontag) (Varies each year)
• Corpus Christi – Fronleichnam (Varies each year)
• Assumption of Mary – Maria Himmelfahrt (Varies each year)
• Harvest Festival – Erntedankfest (1st Sunday in October)
• Reformation Day – Reformationstag (31st of October)
• All Saints Day – Allerheiligen (1st of November)
• All Souls’ Day – Allerseelen (2nd of November)
• St. Martin’s Day (11th of November)
• Immaculate Conception – Maria Empfängnis (2nd Saturday before the 2nd Advent)
• Sunday of the Dead –Totensonntag (Sunday before the 1st Advent)
• 1st Advent (1st Sunday in December)
• St. Nicholas Day – Nikolaus (6th of December)
• 2nd Advent (2nd Sunday in December)
• 3rd Advent (3rd Sunday in December)
• 4th Advent (4th Sunday in December)
• Christmas Eve – Heiliger Abend/Heiligabend (24th of December)
• Christmas Day – Weihnachtstag (25th of December)
• St. Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day – Zweiter Weihnachtstag (26th of December)