German Holiday Calendar
Feiertag-Kalender
A Calendar of Holidays in
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
Part 2: Juli-Dezember (July-December)
Holidays and Observances in German-Speaking Europe
Holidays (Feiertage) marked with an asterisk ( * ) are official national holidays in Germany and/or the other German-speaking countries. Some of the holidays listed here are regional or specifically Catholic or Protestant celebrations only. You can find out more about hyperlinked holidays by clicking on the name of the celebration.
Note that certain holidays are observed on different dates in different countries in Europe and around the world. For holidays that do not fall on a fixed date, see the Bewegliche Feste (movable feasts / holidays) page.
You can send a free e-card for German or other holidays from our Digital Greeting Cards page.
Also see:
Customs and Traditions > Historic Timeline (English-German)
Januar-Juni | Juli-Dezember | Bewegliche Feste
| HOLIDAYS with FIXED DATES July-December | Juli-Dezember |
||
| Feiertag | Holiday | Datum/Date |
| JULI | ||
| Gedenktag des Attentats auf Hitler 1944** | Commemorative day of the assassination attempt on Hitler in 1944 | 20. Juli - Germany |
| **This is more of an observance than an official holiday. On July 20, 1944 an assassination plot against Hitler 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. | ||
| AUGUST | ||
| National- feiertag* |
Swiss National Day | 1. August (am ersten Aug.) Celebrated with fireworks |
| Mariä Himmelfahrt |
Assumption | 15. August |
| SEPTEMBER | ||
| Michaelis (das) der Michaelistag |
Michaelmas (Feast of St. Michael the Archangel) | 29. September (am neunundzwangzigsten Sept.) |
| Oktoberfest München |
Oktoberfest - Munich | Two-week celebration beginning in late Sept. and ending on the first Sunday in October. |
| Erntedankfest | German Thanksgiving | End of September or early October; not an official holiday |
| OKTOBER | ||
| Tag der deutschen Einheit* |
Day of German Unity | 3. Oktober - Germany's national holiday was moved to this date after the Berlin Wall came down. |
| National- feiertag* |
National Holiday (Austria) | 26. Oktober (am sechsundzwanzigsten Okt.) Austria's national holiday, called Flag Day, commemorates the founding of the Republik Österreich in 1955. |
| Halloween | Halloween | 31. Oktober (am einunddreißigsten Okt.) Halloween is not a traditional German celebration, but in recent years it has become increasingly popular in Austria and Germany. |
| NOVEMBER | ||
| Allerheiligen | All Saints' Day | 1. November (am ersten Nov.) |
| Allerseelen | All Souls' Day | 2. November (am zweiten Nov.) |
| For the Protestant version of the Catholic All Soul's Day, see Movable Holidays and Totensonntag in November. | ||
| Martinstag | Martinmas | 11. November (am elften Nov.) Traditional roast goose (Martinsgans) and lantern light processsions for children on the evening of the 10th. The 11th is also the official start of the Fasching/Karneval season in some regions. |
| DEZEMBER | ||
| Nikolaustag | St. Nicholas Day | 6. Dezember (am sechsten Dez.) - On this day the white-bearded St. Nicholas (not Santa Claus) brings gifts to children who left their shoes in front of the door the night before. |
| Mariä Empfängnis |
Feast of the Immaculate Conception | 8. Dezember (am achten Dez.) |
| Heiligabend | Christmas Eve | 24. Dezember (am vierundzwanzigsten Dez.) - This is when German children receive their presents (die Bescherung) around the Christmas tree (der Tannenbaum). |
| For Christmas and New Year's vocabulary see our English-German Christmas Glossary and Silvester Glossary. | ||
| Weihnachten* | Christmas Day | 25. Dezember (am fünfundzwanzigsten Dez.). |
| Zweiter Weihnachtstag* |
Second Day of Christmas | 26. Dezember (am sechsundzwanzigsten Dez.). Known as Stephanstag, St. Stephen's Day, in Austria. |
| Silvester | New Year's Eve | 31. Dezember (am einunddreißigsten Dez.). |
|
*Official national or regional holiday Send a free e-card from our Digital Greeting Cards page. NEXT > Bewegliche Feste (No fixed date) |
||
Januar-Juni | Juli-Dezember | Bewegliche Feste
Related Pages
Customs and Traditions
German Bräuche and holidays with explanations and English-German glossaries.
Deutsche Geschichte - Inhalt
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German for Beginners - Contents
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Glossaries
All of the annotated English-German glossaries on this site - from aerospace to travel.
Grammatik - Grammar
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