November 1st is All Saints Day. However, the holiday is not celebrated everywhere. We explain in which federal states All Saints Day is a public holiday.
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All Saints’ Day is a public holiday in five of Germany’s 16 federal states. This is how November starts off relaxed for many people in Germany. For some, there is enough time to recover from the Halloween party. Others use the day to attend church services or blessings of their loved ones’ graves.
All Saints Day: In which federal states is November 1st a public holiday?
The All Saints Day holiday is not a national holiday. All Saints’ Day is only a public holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Since All Saints’ Day has its origins in the Catholic Church, the day is a holiday in predominantly Catholic federal states. The shops in the above-mentioned federal states are therefore closed. As an exception, bakers and flower shops are allowed to open. Here are the federal states where All Saints Day is a public holiday:
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Baden-Württemberg
- Bayern
- Rheinland-Pfalz
- Saarland
Unlike Easter or Ascension Day, which do not have a fixed date, All Saints Day is always on November 1st. This year it is difficult to organize a long weekend using a bridge day, as All Saints Day 2023 falls on a Wednesday. This is only possible with two days of vacation.
All Saints Day is not a public holiday here
All Saints Day is not a public holiday in all of the other 11 federal states. These are the federal states that are located more in the north of Germany:
- Berlin
- Brandenburg
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Hesse
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Lower Saxony
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Thuringia
However, Reformation Day (October 31) is a public holiday in nine of these federal states. Only in Berlin and Hesse neither day is celebrated.
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