# Public holidays in Germany

By law, "the Sundays and the public holidays remain protected as days of rest from work and of spiritual elevation" (Art. 139 WRV, part of the German constitution via Art. 140 GG). Thus all Sundays are, in a manner, public holidays – but usually not understood by the term "holiday" (except for, normally, Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday).
Public holidays apart from the Sundays (there must be some of them constitutionally) can be declared by law either by the Federation or by the Länder for their respective jurisdictions. At present the only federal holiday is German Unity Day (Unity Treaty, Art. 2 sect. 2); all the other holidays, even those celebrated all over Germany, are prescribed by state legislation.

## List by state

| Name of holiday | Name of holiday | Date | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state | Federal state |
| English | German | Date | BW | BY | BE | BB | HB | HH | HE | MV | NI | NW | RP | SL | SN | ST | SH | TH |
| New Year's Day | Neujahrstag | 1 January | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Epiphany | Heilige Drei Könige | 6 January | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | | | | | | | | ✔ | | |
| International Women's Day | Internationaler Frauentag | 8 March | | | ✔ | | | | | ✔ | | | | | | | | |
| Good Friday | Karfreitag | Easter Sunday – 2d | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Easter Monday | Ostermontag | Easter Sunday + 1d | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Labour Day | Tag der Arbeit | 1 May | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ascension Day | Christi Himmelfahrt | Easter Sunday + 39d | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Whit Monday | Pfingstmontag | Easter Sunday + 50d | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Corpus Christi | Fronleichnam | Easter Sunday + 60d | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | ✔ | | | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | |
| Augsburg Peace Festival | Augsburger Hohes Friedensfest | 8 August | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Assumption Day | Mariä Himmelfahrt | 15 August | | ✔ | | | | | | | | | | ✔ | | | | |
| World Children's Day | Weltkindertag | 20 September | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ✔ |
| German Unity Day | Tag der Deutschen Einheit | 3 October | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reformation Day | Reformationstag | 31 October | | | | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | ✔ | ✔ | | | | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| All Saints' Day | Allerheiligen | 1 November | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | | | | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | | | |
| Repentance and Prayer Day | Buß- und Bettag | Wednesday before Totensonntag i.e. Advent Sunday − 11d | | | | | | | | | | | | | ✔ | | | |
| Christmas Day | Weihnachtstag | 25 December | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Second Day of Christmas | Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag | 26 December | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Total number of holidays per state | Total number of holidays per state | Total number of holidays per state | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 |