Official Public German Holidays in 2020: New Year's Day, January 1, Wednesday. Three Kings Day January 6, Monday.
A big part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany is Advent. Several different types of Advent calendars are used in German homes. As well as the traditional one made of card that are used in many countries, there are ones made out of a wreath of Fir tree branches with 24 decorated boxes or bags hanging from it.
Christmas in Germany is celebrated with many traditions that are unique to Germany. Christmas celebrates the birth of the Christ child, Baby Jesus. Christmas celebrations start in Germany on 24th December (Christmas Eve) when Christmas gifts are exchanged.
Oktoberfest (which begins in September!) may be the most famous, but there are many other traditional celebrations in German-speaking Europe, ranging from the bizarre “Dinner for One” New Year's custom to Karneval (Mardi Gras) and pumpkin festivals around Halloween.
Halloween has been celebrated in Germany for just 25 years, and the "trick" aspect of Halloween traditions makes many Germans angry, according to Spiegel Online, as well as the overlap with St. Martin's Day, a holiday that follows under two weeks after Halloween on November 11.
Many people in Germany observe the night between April 30 and May 1 as Witches or Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht, Hexennacht). People in some areas light bonfires and spend the evening and night outside. Young people may play pranks, such as moving their neighbors' garden furniture or ornaments to other properties.
Today – 12 November 2020 – is not a holiday in Berlin.
Which of the world's major religions has the most festivals and holidays throughout the year? Hinduism and Catholicism.
- Canada. #1 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Denmark. #2 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Sweden. #3 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Norway. #4 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Australia. #5 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Netherlands. #6 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- Switzerland. #7 in Quality of Life Rankings.
- New Zealand.
In the northern hemisphere, the longest break in the educational calendar is in the middle of the year, during the northern summer, and lasts up to 14 weeks. In Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia, summer holidays are normally three months, compared to six to eight weeks in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany.
Among this group, Myanmar has the most holidays with a total of 26 holidays. The countries with the least number of holidays are Singapore with 11, and Vietnam has 12. The country with the longest consecutive holiday is China with 8 consecutive days of holidays.
COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
- India. Number of holidays: 21.
- Colombia, Philippines. Number of holidays: 18.
- China, Hong Kong.
- Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan.
- Japan, Malaysia, Argentina, Lithuania, Vietnam, Sweden.
- Indonesia, Chile, Slovakia.
- South Korea, Austria, Belgium, Norway, Taiwan.
- Finland, Russia.
UK national holidays are called bank holidays. The name originates because these were the days on which the banks were closed for trading. Bank employees didn't get time off back then - they were too busy using the bank holiday to work on the accounts and tidy up the bookkeeping.
seven national public holidays
In Germany there are strict legal limits on working hours: you are not permitted to work more than eight hours per day. The working week runs from Monday to Saturday, and employees must not work more than 48 hours per week. Work on Sundays must be compensated by corresponding time off within the following two weeks.
Many of the German bank holidays are religious and date back centuries. A more recent holiday in Germany is the Day of German Unity celebrated on 3 October, which commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990. Besides German Unity Day, holidays in Germany are determined by the federal states.
Shops are closed in Germany on Sundays and public holidays. Many museums are closed on Mondays, but stay however open if this is a public holiday.
Although Halloween is not a public holiday, businesses and schools may be closed because it falls on the same date as Reformation Day in 2020, which is a public holiday in 9 states .
Whit Monday is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. Pentecost celebrations commemorate the belief that the Holy Spirit descended on to Jesus' followers.
Workers in Britain put in millions of hours of unpaid overtime every year but get fewer public holidays than their counterparts across Europe. The TUC is also calling on the government to strengthen public holiday rights so that people who work bank holidays have the right to premium pay or time off in lieu.
Public holidays in the European Union
| Date | Day |
|---|
| 2 January | Day following New Year's Day |
| 9 April (Thursday before Easter) | Maundy Thursday |
| 10 April (Friday before Easter) | Good Friday |
| 13 April (Monday after Easter) | Easter Monday |
The most important of all holidays in Switzerland is the Swiss National Day, which falls on 1 August every year and is technically the only official federal holiday. If a Swiss national holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, workers may take either the Monday or Friday off to create a long weekend.
Who observes Good Friday as a public holiday? Countries such as Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela all celebrate Good Friday as a public holiday.
It is a public holiday in some countries, including:
- Austria.
- Belgium.
- Denmark.
- Finland.
- France.
- Germany.
- Indonesia.
- Luxembourg.
As you can see, the UK's eight public holidays is easily beaten by our neighbours – the likes of Spain (14), Sweden (11) and France (11). Meanwhile, the workforces of Colombia and India enjoy a leisurely 18 days off per year.
European Union legislation mandates that all 28 member states must by law grant all employees a minimum of 4 weeks of paid vacation. Workers are entitled to 10 days paid annual leave for each complete year of service. Every employee is also entitled to 12 paid public holidays.
