Bank and public holidays in Germany: 2017-2018 guide

Holidays in Germany are celebrated differently than in many parts of the world. Germans take their holidays very seriously, with celebrations that are steeped in tradition. Which holidays are celebrated depends on the part of the country you're in, so it’s very important to do your research and know which celebrations are customary for the locations you plan to visit. Read on for a guide to everything you need to know about national holidays in Germany.

National holidays in Germany

There are 15 national holidays in Germany each year.

• German public holidays: 15
• German bank holidays: 11

Celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in Germany

Mother’s Day in Germany originated during WWII, when medals were given to mothers who produced children for the Vaterland, or Fatherland. After the war, the holiday took on American customs, and today, it’s often celebrated with brunch and a large family meal in the evening. Children will often give small gifts to their mothers as well.

Father’s Day in Germany is a very different celebration than in other parts of the world. It’s always celebrated on Ascension Day, which is the Thursday 40 days after Easter, and many people also take the following Friday off work, resulting in a four-day weekend. Groups of men will work together to pull a wagon full of alcohol and ham on a hiking tour, showing off their manly strength. After the hike, they eat and drink. The holiday is used for many as an excuse to get extremely drunk. In some smaller towns, a tradition is still practiced in which all the men in the town are gathered in the town centre, where the mayor awards the man with the most children with a gift, usually a large ham.

The most important holidays and dates in Germany

Germany celebrates a number of important holidays. One of the country’s most widely celebrated national holidays is German Unity Day, which commemorates the official date of Germany’s reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. On this day, politicians give speeches and special TV programming about German history is on for families to enjoy on their day off. In Berlin, there’s live music and other festivities.

Germany also celebrates Swiss National Day, which is marked by public fireworks displays in major cities.

The German holiday that many is the world know about is Oktoberfest, which is a two-week festival that begins in mid-September and ends on the first Sunday of October. Oktoberfest isn’t recognized as a public or national holiday, but draws millions of revelers to Munich for the annual celebration. The first Oktoberfest was a wedding for a Bavarian princess, which was so widely attended, the royal family held another celebration the following year. Today, Oktoberfest is a lot like a large state fair, with carnival rides, games and lots of food and beer.

List of public holidays in Germany for 2017

Holiday	Name of holiday in German	2017 Date	Bank holiday?
New Year’s Day	Neujahrstag	1 January, 2017	Yes
Epiphany Day or Three Kings Day	Epiphanie, Epiphanias or Erscheinung des Herrn	6 January, 2017	Yes
Good Friday	Karfreitag	14 April, 2017	Yes
Easter Monday	Ostermontag	17 April, 2017	Yes
May Day or Labour Day	Tag der Arbeit	1 May, 2017	Yes
Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	25 May, 2017	Yes
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday	Pfingstmontag	5 June, 2017	Yes
Corpus Christi	Fronleichnam	15 June, 2017	Yes
Assumption Day	Mariae Himmelfahrt, Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel	15 August, 2017	No
German Unity Day	Tag der Deutschen Einheit	3 October, 2017	Yes
Day of Reformation		31 October, 2017	No
All Saints Day	Allerheiligen	1 November, 2017	No
Repentance Day	Buss- und Bettag	22 November, 2017	No
Christmas Day	Weihnachten	25 December, 2017	Yes
Boxing Day	Weihnachtsfeiertag, Stephanstag	26 December, 2017	Yes

List of public holidays in Germany for 2018

Holiday	Name of holiday in German	2018 Date	Bank holiday?
New Year’s Day	Neujahrstag	1 January, 2018	Yes
Epiphany Day or Three Kings Day	Epiphanie, Epiphanias or Erscheinung des Herrn	6 January, 2018	Yes
Good Friday	Karfreitag	30 March, 2018	Yes
Easter Monday	Ostermontag	2 April, 2018	Yes
May Day or Labour Day	Tag der Arbeit	1 May, 2018	Yes
Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	10 May, 2018	Yes
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday	Pfingstmontag	21 May, 2018	Yes
Corpus Christi	Fronleichnam	31 May, 2018	Yes
Assumption Day	Mariae Himmelfahrt, Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel	15 August, 2018	No
German Unity Day	Tag der Deutschen Einheit	3 October, 2018	Yes
Day of Reformation		31 October, 2018	No
All Saints Day	Allerheiligen	1 November, 2018	No
Repentance Day	Buss- und Bettag	21 November, 2018	No
Christmas Day	Weihnachten	25 December, 2018	Yes
Boxing Day	Weihnachtsfeiertag, Stephanstag	26 December, 2018	Yes

List of public holidays in Germany for 2019

Holiday	Name of holiday in German	2019 Date	Bank holiday?
New Year’s Day	Neujahrstag	1 January, 2019	Yes
Epiphany Day or Three Kings Day	Epiphanie, Epiphanias or Erscheinung des Herrn	6 January, 2019	Yes
Good Friday	Karfreitag	19 April, 2019	Yes
Easter Monday	Ostermontag	22 April, 2019	Yes
May Day or Labour Day	Tag der Arbeit	1 May, 2019	Yes
Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	30 May, 2019	Yes
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday	Pfingstmontag	10 June, 2019	Yes
Corpus Christi	Fronleichnam	20 June, 2019	Yes
Assumption Day	Mariae Himmelfahrt, Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel	15 August, 2019	No
German Unity Day	Tag der Deutschen Einheit	3 October, 2019	Yes
Day of Reformation		31 October, 2019	No
All Saints Day	Allerheiligen	1 November, 2019	No
Repentance Day	Buss- und Bettag	20 November, 2019	No
Christmas Day	Weihnachten	25 December, 2019	Yes
Boxing Day	Weihnachtsfeiertag, Stephanstag	26 December, 2019	Yes

Sending money home for the holidays in Germany?

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Try TransferWise today to see how easy it can really be to send money abroad.

Now that you know Germany’s important dates and customs, you’re ready to celebrate like a local. What’s even better is that you won’t get caught needing a bank when they’re all closed for a holiday. Happy holidays!