Wir feiern! - We celebrate!
Oktoberfest (which begins in September!) may be the most famous, but there are many other traditional German celebrations, ranging from the bizarre “Dinner for One” New Year’s custom to Karneval (Mardi Gras) and pumpkin festivals around Halloween.
Berlin’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Christmastime.
PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
Austria and Germany have been big contributors to the way Americans and many others celebrate Christmas — from “Silent Night” to the Christmas tree and Santa. But Germans and Austrians still have their own unique ways of celebrating Christmas (Weihnachten) and other holidays. See the calendar below for proof of that.
Holiday Calendar: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Below you’ll find a calendar of Austrian, German, and Swiss holidays, festivals, and observances. Dates marked with an asterisk (*) are official holidays.
August | August
- August 1* | Swiss National Day (Nationalfeiertag) - Celebrated with fireworks
- August 15 | Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt)
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 Sept. and ending on the first Sunday in October.
- 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 date of the signing of the treaty that reunified Germany (in 1992).
- October 5 | Oktoberfest ends (in 2008) - Originally the celebration of a royal wedding, Munich’s 16-day beer festival ran from Sept. 20 to Oct. 5. 2009: Sept. 19-Oct. 4.
- October 26* | National Day (Nationalfeiertag, Austria) - Since 1965. The day was earlier known as Tag der Fahne (Flag Day, 1955-1964).
- October 31 | Reformation Day (Reformationstag) - Only in Protestant regions of Germany and Switzerland
- 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...
Also see Oh the many holidays in our GW Expat Blog.
Continued…
NEXT > German Holiday Calendar
MORE > Halloween
MORE > Christmas in Germany
