More about each below:
- Red regions: Celebrate Reformation Day (October 31)
- Blue regions: Celebrate All Saints’ Day (November 1)
- Gray regions (Berlin and Hesse): Celebrate neither of these two days
These are public holidays, meaning schools, government offices, and many businesses close, but only in those specific federal states.
Reformation Day (October 31)
What it commemorates:
- Marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther, a German monk, nailed his 95 Theses to a church door in Wittenberg.
- This event is traditionally seen as the start of the Protestant Reformation, which led to the formation of Protestant churches and a major split from the Catholic Church.
Where it’s celebrated:
- Mostly in northern and eastern Germany, areas historically Protestant (Lutheran).
- Celebrated in states like:
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Hamburg
- Bremen
- Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Brandenburg
- Sachsen (Saxony)
- Sachsen-Anhalt
- Thüringen (Thuringia)
Why there:
- These states were deeply influenced by Luther’s Reformation and remain predominantly Protestant today.
All Saints’ Day (November 1)
What it commemorates:
- A Roman Catholic holy day honouring all the saints, both known and unknown.
- It’s a time for remembrance and often involves visiting cemeteries and attending mass.
Where it’s celebrated:
- Mostly in southern and western Germany, regions historically Catholic.
- Celebrated in states like:
- Bayern (Bavaria)
- Baden-Württemberg
- Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Saarland
- Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Why there:
- These areas remained Catholic after the Reformation and have strong Catholic traditions.
Berlin and Hesse: Neither
Why they celebrate neither:
- Berlin is historically very mixed (and secular today), with no strong majority of either Catholics or Protestants.
- Hesse also has a fairly balanced mix of Protestant and Catholic populations, and neither holiday became official there.
- Instead, these states prioritize national holidays (like German Unity Day, Christmas, etc.) and omit these two faith-specific ones.
Historical and Cultural Context
Germany’s holiday calendar reflects its religious geography, a legacy of the Reformation and the Peace of Augsburg (1555), which allowed local rulers to choose between Catholicism or Protestantism for their territories.
That division still shapes which states observe which religious holidays today.
Timeline of the Division
Here’s a concise historical timeline showing how Reformation Day and All Saints’ Day became regionally official holidays in Germany, especially in light of post-Reformation and post-reunification history:
1517: The Reformation Begins
- Martin Luther publishes his 95 Theses in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.
- This act sparks the Protestant Reformation, dividing Europe, and later Germany, into Protestant and Catholic regions.
1555: Peace of Augsburg
- The Peace of Augsburg ends religious wars in the Holy Roman Empire.
- It establishes the principle “Cuius regio, eius religio” — “whose realm, his religion.” → Each ruler decides whether his territory is Catholic or Lutheran.
- This creates regional religious identities that persist for centuries and directly shape which holidays each region observes.
1600s-1800s: Entrenched Religious Identities
- Protestant northern and eastern regions begin observing Reformation Day.
- Catholic southern and western regions celebrate All Saints’ Day.
- Even as Germany modernizes and unifies (1871), these differences remain deeply rooted in local culture.
1919-1945: Weimar Republic & Nazi Era
- Under the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), states continue to control religious holidays.
- The Nazi government (1933-1945) did not abolish these church holidays but occasionally reshaped observances to fit nationalist themes.
1949: Division of Germany
- After World War II, Germany splits into:
- West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany): includes Catholic and Protestant regions, keeping both holidays regionally.
- East Germany (German Democratic Republic): officially atheist, but Reformation Day remains culturally significant in Protestant regions.
1990: German Reunification
- After reunification, the 16 federal states (Länder) regain control over public holidays.
- States choose holidays reflecting their historical religious composition:
- Eastern (Protestant) states retain or reinstate Reformation Day (Oct 31).
- Southern & Western (Catholic) states keep All Saints’ Day (Nov 1).
- Berlin and Hesse, being religiously mixed, opt for neither.
2017: 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
- Reformation Day (Oct 31, 2017) is declared a nationwide holiday for that year only, marking 500 years since 1517.
- Afterward, it reverts to a regional holiday in Protestant states only.
Which holiday do you prefer?
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