Germany Calendar

15.03

+ Public Holidays & School Holidays

Celebrating the Day of Prayer and Repentance in Germany: dates, congratulations, greetings, traditions and customs

On this page, you will find information about the celebration of Day of Prayer and Repentance in Germany, including dates by year, customs and traditions, the origins of the holiday, and popular greetings.


Dates for the Day of Prayer and Repentance celebration in Germany

In Germany, the date of Day of Prayer and Repentance celebration varies each year. See calendar.

The Day of Prayer and Repentance celebration date in Germany falls on Wednesday, 18 November 2026 this year.

Below is a list of dates for celebrating the Day of Prayer and Repentance in Germany by year, provided that in previous and subsequent years the present practice and time of the holiday celebration is preserved:

Holiday status in the territory of Germany, brief information

Holiday name in German
Buß- und Bettag
Holiday status
The holiday is an official extra non-working day only in the state of Saxony.
Other names of the holiday
A day for making up and saying sorry for sins

How Day of Prayer and Repentance is celebrated in Germany: customs and traditions

This holiday is a special quiet day for repentance of sins and prayer for absolution. This is an Evangelical Church holy day. It is observed on the Wednesday prior to the Remembrance Sunday and after the All Souls Day. On this day, worship services held are attended by believers and there the rector or rectress assists in penance.

The origin of the Day of Prayer and Repentance

Throughout history, people have often observed days of repentance and fasting, timed to coincide with various events, in the hope of grace and confirmation. As far as we know, the Day of Repentance and Prayer was first kept in Strasbourg in 1532 in response to the Austro-Turkish War. The Day of Repentance and Prayer as we know it today was introduced by the Evangelical Church in 1934 as a public holiday in Germany, and since 1995 it has been a statutory holiday only in one federated state (region) of Germany.

Author team kalender-plus.de

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