German Holiday Calendar
Feiertag-Kalender
A Calendar of Holidays in
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
Part 3: Holidays With No Fixed Date
On this page you'll find “Movable Feasts” (bewegliche Feste)—holidays that do not regularly fall on a fixed date. For holidays that do fall on a particular date, see Parts 1 and 2 of our Feiertag-Kalender.
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
| MOVABLE HOLIDAYS with NO FIXED DATE Movable Feasts | Bewegliche Feste |
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| Feiertag | Holiday | Datum/Date |
| JANUAR - FEBRUAR - MÄRZ | ||
| Schmutziger Donnerstag Weiberfastnacht |
Dirty Thursday Women's Carnival |
Last Thursday of Fasching/Karneval when women traditionally snip off men's ties |
| Rosenmontag | Rose Monday | Date depends on Easter (Ostern) - Date of Karneval parades in the Rheinland - 4 Feb. 2008, 23 Feb. 2009 |
| Fastnacht Karneval |
Shrove Tuesday “Mardi Gras” |
Date depends on Easter (Ostern) - Carnival (Mardi Gras) |
| Fasching / Shrove Tuesday: 5 Feb. 2008, 24 Feb. 2009 | ||
| Aschermittwoch | Ash Wednesday | End of the Carnival season; start of Lent (Fastenzeit) |
| Aschermittwoch / Ash Wednesday: 6 Feb. 2008, 25 Feb. 2009 | ||
| APRIL - MAI - JUNI | ||
| Also see Name Days in April | ||
| Palmsonntag | Palmsunday | Sunday before Easter (Ostern) |
| Beginn des Passahfestes |
First Day of Passover | |
| Gründonnerstag | Maundy Thursday | Thursday before Easter From Latin mandatum in the prayer for Christ's washing of the feet of the disciples on the Thursday before Easter. |
| Karfreitag | Good Friday | Friday before Easter |
| Ostern Ostersonntag* |
Easter Easter Sunday |
On the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring |
| Ostern / Easter: 23 Mar. 2008, 12 Apr. 2009 | ||
| Ostermontag* | Easter Monday | A public holiday in Germany and most of Europe |
| Weißer Sonntag |
Low Sunday | First Sunday after Easter Date of first communion in the Catholic church |
| Muttertag | Mother's Day | Second Sunday in May** |
| Muttertag / Mother's Day: 4 May 2008** | ||
| **In Germany, if Mother's Day happens to fall on Pfingstsonntag (Pentecost), the date changes to the first Sunday in May. | ||
| Christi Himmelfahrt |
Ascension Day (of Jesus to heaven) |
A public holiday; 40 days after Easter (see Vatertag below) |
| Vatertag | Father's Day | On Ascension Day in Germany. Not the same as the U.S. family-oriented Father's Day. In Austria it's in June. Learn more... |
| Pfingsten | Pentecost, Whitsun, Whit Sunday |
A public holiday; the 7th Sun. after Easter. In some German states Pfingsten is a 2-week school holiday. |
| Pfingstmontag | Whit Monday | A public holiday |
| Pfingsten / Pentecost: 11 May 2008, 31 May 2009 | ||
| Fronleichnam | Corpus Christi | A public holiday in Austria and Catholic parts of Germany, Switzerland; Thursday following Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost) |
| OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DEZEMBER | ||
| Volkstrauertag | National Day of Mourning |
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. |
| Buß- und Bettag |
Day of Prayer and Repentance | The Wed. eleven days prior to the first Advent Sunday. A holiday in some regions only. |
| Totensonntag | Mourning Sunday | Observed in November on the Sunday prior to the first Advent Sunday. The Protestant version of All Soul's Day. |
| Erster Advent | First Sunday of Advent | The four-week Advent period leading up to Christmas is an important part of the German celebration. |
| Advent: See our Christmas Calendar for dates. Christmas and New Year's vocabulary: English-German Christmas Glossary and Silvester Glossary |
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| Send a free e-card from our Digital Greeting Cards page. | ||
MORE > Januar-Juni | Juli-Dezember | Bewegliche Feste
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