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Public Holidays

The following public holidays are observed in the whole of Germany:

Holiday Date
New Years’ Day 1 January
Good Friday Friday before Easter
Easter Sunday / Easter Monday end of March / beginning of April
International Labour Day 1 May
Ascension Day Thursday, 10 days before Whitsun (Pentecost)
Whit Sunday / Whit Monday in June
German Unification Day 3 October
Christmas Eve 24 December (afternoon)
Christmas Day / Boxing Day 25 and 26 December
New Year’s Eve 31 December (afternoon)

The following public holidays are only observed in certain Federal States:

Holiday Date
Epiphany 6 January
Corpus Christi 2nd Thursday after Whitsun (June)
Assumption Day 15 August
Reformation Day 31 October
All Hallows’ Day 1 November
Repentance Day 3rd Wednesday in November

Karneval

Particularly in the Rheinland and in Mainz, February and March are known as the “fi fth season”. This is when “Karneval” is celebrated. In the strongholds of carnival most employers give their staff a couple of extra days’ holiday. “Weiberfastnacht” (Women’s Carnival Day) warrants an afternoon and “Rosenmontag” (Carnival Monday) an entire day.

Visit the following websites for an overview of the current public holiday dates and school holiday dates organised according to Federal State:

www.feiertage.net

www.ferienkalender.com

https://www.schulferien-online.de/