Hesse remains empty of holidays: Reformation Day and All Saints Day without rest!

Hesse remains empty of holidays: Reformation Day and All Saints Day without rest!

On November 1, 2025, many people in Germany will have the opportunity to enjoy a day off - but that doesn't apply to everyone. In Hesse and Berlin, All Saints' Day remains a completely normal working day. As a result, the towns and villages in Hesse often appear empty on the holiday, while celebrations take place in predominantly Catholic federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia or Bavaria. These recognized not only Reformation Day on October 31st, but also All Saints Day, which falls on a Saturday, as non-working.

Since the reform in 2018, Hesse has the fewest public holidays in Germany. The Hessian state government decided at the time not to introduce Reformation Day as a public holiday, which remains incomprehensible to many Protestants in the region. In 2017, around 35% of the population in Hesse was Protestant, and while other federal states benefited from two consecutive days off, the Hessians had to forego an additional day of rest. As the FNP reported, there have been repeated discussions about a possible new holiday in recent years.

The discussion about public holidays in Hesse

All Saints' Day, which was recognized as a holiday in some communities in Hesse until 1952, was abolished to ensure equal treatment for all citizens. One suggestion came from Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who brought up December 1st as “Democracy Day” during the election campaign. However, the CDU Hesse sees no need for a new holiday, and the SPD has not pursued the issue any further since forming a coalition with the CDU at the beginning of 2024.

May 8th could be viewed as a possible new holiday, but there is no specific “Hesse connection”. This leaves many citizens perplexed: Why don't people have the opportunity to celebrate Reformation Day or All Saints' Day when it works in other federal states? In this respect, it is not surprising that there are calls from many quarters for a revision of the holiday regulations in Hesse.

The public holiday situation in Germany

While there are no celebrations in Hesse and Berlin, citizens in countries such as Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg can breathe a sigh of relief, as Reformation Day has been celebrated as a public holiday there for years. This puts Hesse in the unfortunate position of having one of the lowest public holiday numbers in Germany, as well as the fr.de determines.

How will the population react to this situation? Perhaps there will be a change in the near future when the discussion about a new holiday gains momentum again. However, one thing is certain: the citizens of Hesse are passionate and certainly show their interest in more holidays. Now it's time to have a good hand and make sure their voices are heard.