Germany's Christian Holidays Clash With a Secularizing Society

Holy Week Marks the Start of Bridge Days and Public Holidays—But Germany's Secular Majority Deserves More

The so-called Holy Week kicks off the season of long weekends and public holidays, with several extended breaks between April and June. The timing aligns perfectly with the leisure preferences of employees who would rather enjoy time off in sunshine than in autumn's relentless rain. Yet the occasions for these societal pauses are determined almost exclusively by the Christian calendar—even though many church members struggle to explain the meaning behind festivals like Pentecost or Corpus Christi. Their numbers are dwindling anyway, shrinking steadily due to resignations, deaths, and declining baptisms.

As of early 2025—the most recent available data—Germany was home to just under 18 million Protestants and 19.8 million Catholics. Nearly 40 million people now have no religious affiliation, while the rest are Muslims or members of other faith communities. Since the 1950s, the share of Christians in the population has plummeted from 96% to around 45%, more than halving in just seven decades. What's more, many who still pay church taxes haven't set foot inside a house of worship in years—if at all, except perhaps for a funeral. Some remain only out of tradition, or because their employment with a Christian institution requires it.

Conversely, the proportion of non-believers has skyrocketed from 5% to nearly 50%, a tenfold increase. Committed atheists and freethinking agnostics will soon make up the majority of Germany's population. That's why the country needs more secular holidays. Currently, there are only three nationwide: New Year's Day, Labor Day on May 1, and October 3, German Unity Day. The six Christian holidays—whose exact dates shift with the church calendar—are Good Friday, Easter Monday, Pentecost Monday, Ascension Day, and the two Christmas Days.

Beyond these, regional and even local regulations deepen the imbalance in favor of the churches: Epiphany on January 6 (a holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Saxony-Anhalt), Corpus Christi (predominantly Catholic states in the south and west), the Assumption of Mary on August 15 (parts of Bavaria and Saarland), Reformation Day on October 31 (Protestant-leaning states in the north and east), and All Saints' Day on November 1 (Catholic regions). The undisputed champion of public holidays is the city of Augsburg, which also celebrates the Peace Festival on August 8, commemorating the end of the Thirty Years' War. Residents of this Bavarian-Swabian city enjoy 14 days off a year, while Berliners work four days longer. Compared to other EU countries, Belgium and Latvia lead with 17 holidays, while Austria has the most church-related days off.

Christian holidays should be phased out. In some places, this is already happening: the Protestant Day of Repentance and Prayer on November 18 remains a public holiday only in Saxony. Its abolition was relatively easy to push through, partly because of the typically dreary weather at that time of year. Many neighboring countries—even Catholic ones—observe Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas with just one day off, not two. And in West Germany, the June 17 holiday commemorating the 1953 East German uprising was scrapped after reunification in favor of October 3.

Celebrating Achievements, Commemorating History

Public holidays have always been a thorn in the side of business lobbies. Employer-friendly associations and economists regularly argue for eliminating one or more of them without replacement. The first target is usually Pentecost Monday, followed by Easter Monday, the second Christmas Day, and Good Friday. In the current economic crisis, they claim, cutting holidays would boost growth, stimulate the economy, and increase GDP—the standard argument.

Each day off costs the economy €8.6 billion in lost production, according to the CDU-affiliated Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion, the same group that recently drew criticism for its campaign against so-called "lifestyle part-time work." Trade unions, however, rightly dismiss this as a veiled attempt to slash wages. Unsurprisingly, such proposals fare poorly in opinion polls. Historically, public holidays have always been the result of social struggles over the distribution of society's resources.

What stands out is how the issue is debated almost exclusively in terms of its potential economic impact. The idea that it might also be fitting to celebrate democratic achievements and commemorate key historical events—not just religious holidays—barely enters the conversation. A greater focus on secular occasions would better reflect the diversity and secularization of society than the current one-sided emphasis on Christianity. Yet initiatives in this direction would likely spark fierce cultural battles. After all, few in politics dare to challenge the extensive privileges still enjoyed by Christian churches.