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Record attendance at Christmas Eve services in northern Germany!
On Christmas Eve 2025, 4,500 people attended services in Lübeck Cathedral, an increase of 10%.
Record attendance at Christmas Eve services in northern Germany!
On Christmas Eve there was a lot going on again in the Protestant churches in Germany. Over five million people found their way to the church services n-tv reported. A total of 33,000 services were celebrated on this special day, which shows that the tradition is still very popular even in modern times. The counts and projections by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) show that more and more believers are taking part in the celebrations.
If you look at the big cities, Hamburg's Michel stands out: over 12,900 people took part in the services there. An increase of ten percent was also recorded in Lübeck, where 4,500 visitors were counted in four church services. “We are very pleased about this increase,” said EKD Council Chairwoman Kirsten Fehrs, who attributes the high level of participation to positive significance.
Church service numbers in 2023
But Christmas Eve is not the only reason to visit Protestant churches. In the entire year of 2023, a total of 743,251 services were celebrated in the member churches of the EKD on Sundays and public holidays ekd.de shows. Of these, almost 100,000 were children's services and over 58,000 were family services.
The number of visitors is not only spread over Christmas Eve: on an average Sunday, around 459,000 spectators came to the church services. Thanksgiving and Good Friday in particular attracted large crowds, with over a million attending the services. The churches are also well filled on special occasions such as Advent.
Tradition and modern numbers
A closer look at the Christmas Eve services shows that of the 33,436 services, a whopping 5,346,744 people attended, which corresponds to around 27.9 percent of church members. A significant number that shows that many believers want to be part of the community on this contemplative evening.
The statistics on the number of visitors to the Protestant church in Germany, which go back to 2022, also show interesting trends. Given these payments for church services, it is clear that people are looking for a place of reflection and community more than ever. If you would like to gain deeper insights, you can find the extensive data in the Statista database Statista describes.
With this pleasing review of the church service attendance, one could say that the Protestant churches in Germany continue to be an important place for many people. No matter whether on Christmas Day or other festive occasions – the churches remain places of cohesion and spirituality.