Holiday and Festivities Calendar for Austria, Germany, Switzerland

Jump to | January | February | March | April | May | June | July
August | September | October | November | December
Movable Feasts (no fixed date)

October 3 is the German national holiday, German Unity Day, being celebrated here at the historic Reichstag building in Berlin. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

Holiday Calendar: Below you’ll find our calendar of Austrian, German, and Swiss holidays, festivals, and observances. Dates marked with an asterisk (*) are official holidays.

Also see the Introduction to this calendar.

January | Januar

• January 1* | New Year’s Day (Neujahr) – New Year’s Eve (Silvester) is observed with fireworks! More > Silvester – New Year’s Eve in Germany and ‘Dinner for One’ – A German New Year’s Tradition
• January 6 | Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige, Three Kings) – The arrival of the Three Wise Men is the last of the 12 days of Christmas. January 6 is a legal holiday in Austria and parts of Germany and Switzerland. Two popular customs are related to this date: Sternsinger and the C+M+B house blessing.

February | Februar

• February 2 | Candlemas (Mariä Lichtmess) | Groundhog Day – In Catholic regions. Candlemas (Lichtmess) was a legal holiday in Bavaria until 1912. The religious feast day is also known as the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. Groundhog Day in the US, also on Feb. 2, is drawn from a similar German tradition, via the Pennsylvania Dutch (Germans). See more below.
• February 2 | Groundhog Day has a definite German connection! A Bauernregel (rural saying) goes, “Ist’s zu Lichtmess klar und hell, kommt der Frühling nicht so schnell.” In other words, if the badger (der Dachs) sees his shadow, winter will stick around a bit longer. In America the badger became a groundhog (das Murmeltier). The German title of the 1993 Groundhog Day movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell is Und täglich grüßt das Murmeltier (“and daily greets the groundhog”). Learn more in Groundhog Day: The German Connection.
• February 14 | Valentine’s Day (Valentinstag) – In Germany Valentine’s Day is not as important as it is in the USA, but it has been gaining some steam over the years.
• February | Mardi Gras (Fasching/Karneval) – In Catholic regions in February or March, depending on the date of Easter. See Carnival and Mardi Gras, German Style and Movable Feasts (below) for more.

March | März

• March | Day of the Ill (Tag der Kranken) is observed on the first Sunday in March only in Switzerland.
• March 8 | International Women’s Day (Internationaler Frauentag) – This international “Frauenpower” observance has its roots in the US, but it is little known in its birthplace, probably because of its socialist/communist associations. Since 2019, March 8 has been an official bank/legal holiday in the city-state of Berlin. Known as “Frauentag” (Women’s Day) there, the date fell on a Sunday in 2020, but Berlin residents could still count on their 10 public holidays. For 2020 only, May 8th was added as a holiday in Berlin, to commemorate the end of World War II and the liberation from National Socialism. March 8, as International Women’s Day, has long been an unofficial holiday all across Germany (especially in eastern Germany) when women march to mark the day and celebrate women’s contributions to society.
• March 19 | St. Joseph’s Day (Josephstag) – Only observed in parts of Switzerland
• March 25 | Annunciation (Mariä Verkündigung) – Catholic feast day commemorating the announcement of the Incarnation of the Virgin Mary

April | April

• April 1 | April Fools’ Day (der erste April – Narrentag) “April! April!” = “April fools’!” – See: April in Germany (Aprilscherz)
• April | Easter (Ostern) often falls in the month of April. See Movable Feasts for more. Also: The Easter Bunny is German
• April 30 | Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) – Celebrated with bonfires mainly in Germany, Sweden, Finnland, Estonia, and Latvia, Walpurgisnacht gets its name from Saint Walburga (or Walpurga), a woman born in what is now England in 710. Die heilige Walpurga traveled to Germany and became a nun at the convent of Heidenheim in Württemberg. Following her death in 778 or 779, she was made a saint, with May 1 as her saint day. In Germany the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, is considered the focal point of Walpurgisnacht.
  Also see: Walpurgis: English-German Glossary – An annotated, illustrated glossary related to Walpurgis Night and May Day (below)

May | Mai

• May 1* | May Day (der erste Mai – Tag der Arbeit) – Known in most parts of the world as Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit), this day is also related to the Maypole (der Maibaum) and the welcoming of spring, especially in Austria and Bavaria. May 1 is a legal holiday in Europe and all the German-speaking countries. See: May Day and Maypoles in Germany and The Lovely Month of Mai in Berlin and elsewhere (by Erin).
• May (Mai) in Germany – More about May customs in Germany (May bonfires, May bell flowers, etc.)
• May 8 | Commemoration of the end of World War II (Jahrestag der Befreiung vom Nationalsozialismus) – Annual commemoration of the end of World War II and “liberation from National Socialism” (Nazis) in 1945. Not a legal holiday, but dignitaries, including the German chancellor and the federal president, take part in ceremonies (wreath-laying, speeches, etc.) on the 8th of May.
• May: Second Sunday | Mother’s Day (Muttertag) – Mother’s Day is observed in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland on the second Sunday in May, just as in the US and Canada. But the custom in German-speaking Europe has a slightly different history. More…
• May 11-15 | The Ice Saints (die Eisheiligen) – The Ice Saints tradition is similar to Groundhog Day/Candlemas weather prediction (see above under February). The Ice Saints claim to predict cold snaps that could damage crops or flowers in May. The dates and customs vary by region. More…

June | Juni

• June | Father’s Day (Vatertag) – Second Sunday in June in Austria. Germany’s Vatertag (Herrentag) began in the Middle Ages as a religious procession honoring “Gott, den Vater” on Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt, usually in late May). The German Father’s Day is very different from the American one, being more like a guys’ day out (with drinking). Also see “Movable Feasts” below.
• June 24 | St. John the Baptist Day (Johannistag)
• June 27 | St. Swithin’s Day (Siebenschläfer) Folklore: If it rains on this day it will rain for the next seven weeks. A Siebenschläfer is a dormouse. Similar to Groundhog Day/Candlemas on February 2.

July | Juli

• Sorry, Americans, but July 4 is just another day in Germany and Europe. There are also no official German holidays in July.
• July 20 | Commemorative day of the assassination attempt on Hitler (Gedenktag des Attentats auf Hitler) Commemoration of the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt against Hitler. The plot failed when a bomb placed by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg detonated but only injured the dictator slightly. Von Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators were arrested and hanged. Today von Stauffenberg and the other plotters are recognized for trying to end Nazi terror and restore democracy in Germany. (The Tom Cruise film Valkyrie tells this story.)

August | August

• August 1* | Swiss National Day (Nationalfeiertag) – Celebrated with fireworks
• August 15 | Assumption Day/Assumption of Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt) – In Austria and Catholic regions of Germany (Bavaria and Saarland). In Bavaria each community decides whether to observe Assumption Day. If there is a Catholic majority, August 15 is a public holiday. If Protestants outnumber Catholics, no one gets the day off. On this date, in many places around the world, devout Catholics attend special church services. There are local traditions related to trees, flowers, and plants on this Catholic feast day. In Bavaria the first ripe walnuts or hazelnuts are called Mariennüsse (Mary’s nuts) and are given to children. People may go out into the fields and meadows to collect herbs for medicinal or culinary purposes. There are also processions and related ceremonies in many towns and cities. See the photo below.
  Why the special “Mariä” spelling for Mariä Himmelfahrt? Even Germans wonder about this. Why Mariä rather than Maria? It has to do with German and Latin grammar. Here German is imitating the Latin genitive case of Maria, which is Mariae (Mariä), “of Mary.” Today this obsolete genitive form is used only for the biblical Mary/Maria: the Assumption of Mary = Mariä Aufnahme in den Himmel (Latin: Assumptio Beatae Mariae Virginis = Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
• August 15 | Liechtenstein: National Day – In 2019 Liechtenstein celebrated its 300th anniversary on August 15.

SWITZERLAND: For more holidays in Switzerland and its many cantons, see Public Holidays in Switzerland from studyinginswitzerland.com

Assumption Day (August 15) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria is a day of flowers and traditional dress. PHOTO: Patty Crowther Pearce, USAG Bavaria – Garmisch Community (FB)

September | September

• September 29 | Michaelmas (Michaelis (das), der Michaelistag) – Feast of St. Michael the Archangel
• September | Oktoberfest (Oktoberfest) – In Munich. Two-week celebration beginning in late September and ending on the first Sunday in October. More…
  ALSO SEE: Oktoberfest in North America
• September | Thanksgiving (Erntedank) in the German-speaking countries takes place on various dates from September to November, depending on the location. The Thanksgiving observance in German-speaking Europe is not a legal holiday. More…

October | Oktober

• October 3* | German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) – Germany’s national holiday commemorates the official date of German reunification, as specified in the 1990 Unification Treaty (Einigungsvertrag). It is the only federal, nationwide holiday in Germany. The states (Bundesländer) determine all other holidays, and although some other holidays are legal observances in all of Germany’s 16 Länder, October 3 is the sole federal, national holiday. More…
• October 6 | German-American Day – Not a German holiday but an annual commemoration in the United States of the first permanent German settlement in North America at Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. First proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to mark the tricentennial of that historic event, the annual observance was later made official by the U.S. Congress in 1987. More…
• October | Oktoberfest ends in early October, but it begins in September. Originally the celebration of a royal wedding, Munich’s two-week Oktoberfest beer festival runs until the first Sunday in October. More…
• October 26* | National Day (Nationalfeiertag, Austria) – Since 1965. The Austrian national holiday was earlier known as Tag der Fahne (Flag Day, 1955-1964).
• October 31 | Reformation Day (Reformationstag) – Only in Protestant regions of Germany and Switzerland. See our Martin Luther bio for more about the Protestant Reformation that began in Germany.
• October 31 | Halloween is celebrated more and more in Germany and Europe. More…
• October | Thanksgiving (Erntedank) in the German-speaking countries takes place on various dates from September to November, depending on the location. The Thanksgiving observance in German-speaking Europe is not a legal holiday. More…

November | November

• November 1 | All Saints Day (Allerheiligen) is observed in Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany and Switzerland.
• November 2 | All Souls Day (Allerseelen) is observed in Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany and Switzerland.
• November 9 | Berlin Wall Day (der Fall der Mauer) – On this day in 1989 the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, finally began to disappear — concrete section by concrete section.
• November 9 | Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) – On this night in 1938, the Nazis carried out a vicious pogrom against German Jews and Jewish institutions.
• November 11 | Carnival (Fasching, Karneval) – The carnival season officially begins at 11 minutes past the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. The start of the pre-Lenten (Mardi Gras) season. See Carnival and Mardi Gras, German Style and Movable Feasts (below) for more.
• November 11 | St. Martin’s Day (Martinstag) – See Martinstag and St. Martin for more.
• November | National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag)
  In November on the Sunday two weeks prior to the first Advent Sunday. In memory of Nazi victims and the dead in both world wars. Similar to Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day in the US.
• November | Day of Repentance and Prayer (Buß- und Bettag)
  On the Wednesday prior to Nov. 25. Since 1995, this holiday is observed only in Saxony and is only a school holiday in Bavaria.
• November | Thanksgiving (Erntedank) in the German-speaking countries takes place on various dates from September to November, depending on the location. The Thanksgiving observance in German-speaking Europe is not a legal holiday. More…

December | Dezember

• December | Advent (Advent) – The four Sundays leading up to Christmas.
• December 4 | Saint Barbara’s Day (Barbaratag) has an interesting tradition of cherry branches (Barbarazweig) brought indoors to bloom in winter, based on the Barbara legend.
• December 6 | St. Nicholas Day – Nikolaustag is when children receive small gifts from Saint Nicholas (not Santa!) left on the night of December 5.
• December 24 | Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) is when families gather around the Christmas tree and exchange gifts in Germany and most of Europe.
• December 25* | Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag)
• December 26* | Boxing Day (zweiter Weihnachtstag) is also a holiday in most of Europe.
• December 31 | New Year’s Eve (Silvester) is observed with fireworks! The time around New Year’s Eve in Germany features the unusual custom of “Dinner for One,” a British stage skit (in English) shown on German TV.

Movable Feasts | Bewegliche Feste

Holidays and observances that do not fall on a fixed date.

• Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag) – The Sunday before Easter
• Good Friday (Karfreitag) – The Friday before Easter; an official holiday in Catholic regions
• Easter (Ostern) – Easter falls on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon (differs in the eastern and western churches). See: The Easter Bunny is German
• Easter Monday* (Ostermontag) – The Monday after Easter; a legal holiday
• Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) – The Thursday 40 days after Easter, when the Bible says Jesus ascended to heaven (Himmel) from earth. The observance usually falls in early June. This is also the German “Father’s Day” (Herrentag) – See below.
• Father’s Day (Herrentag, Vatertag) – Observed in Germany (but not in Austria) on Ascension Day (above). It’s an odd German tradition that began as a religious holiday and then became a sort of men’s day out, featuring beer drinking and rowdy behavior.
• Pentecost (Pfingstsonntag) – The Sunday 50 days after Easter (“Pentecost” = 50). Also called Whitsunday in English, Pentecost celebrates the true beginning of the Christian Church, when Christ visited the apostles as the “Holy Spirit.”
• Whitmonday (Pfingstmontag) – Pentecost Monday, the day after Pentecost
• Rose Monday (Rosenmontag) – Monday is the big day for Karneval in the Rhineland. – See Carnival and Mardi Gras, German Style for more.
• Carnival – Mardi Gras (Fasching and Karneval) – The Lenten season officially begins in November at 11 minutes past the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, but the date for (Fasching (Austria, southern Germany, Switzerland) or Karneval (the Rhineland, northern Germany) depends on Easter and the 40 days of Lent.
• Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch) – The Wednesday after Mardi Gras (Fasching); the beginning of Lent
• Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) – On a Thursday in May or June. A public holiday in Austria and Catholic parts of Germany, Switzerland; the Thursday following Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost).

Also see: Oh the many holidays at the GW Expat Blog.

Back | Holidays and Celebrations – Introduction

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• German-American Day – October 6 – An American commemoration of the first permanent German settlement in North America
• Holidays and Celebrations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (Introduction)
• Birthday and Holiday Calendar – A free PDF download
• History & Culture – Austria, Germany and Switzerland

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