Corpus Christi: what is celebrated and where it is a public holiday

Catholic holiday
What is celebrated on Corpus Christi? And where is it a holiday?

“Corpus Christi” is the Latin name for the high festival of the Catholic Church, which we call Corpus Christi. The German name is derived from Middle High German: “vrône lîcham” – meaning “the body of the Lord”. In the liturgy the feast is called “Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ”. In some regions it is also called “pillory day” or “blood day”.

The Corpus Christi festival is always celebrated on the Thursday after the Trinity Festival, on the 60th day after Easter. This means that the day falls on May 21st at the earliest and June 24th at the latest. This year it is June 16th. But what about the holiday? And why do some federal states celebrate Corpus Christi and others not?

Jesus Christ, Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Cross

Corpus Christi honors the ritual of the Last Supper, also called the Eucharist. Depending on the denomination, the holy sacrament is understood as a repetition of Jesus Christ’s last supper or as a bloodless representation of the sacrifice on the cross.

Since the introduction of the Eucharist by Jesus Christ himself at the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday (the eve of His crucifixion) falls on the days of mourning during Holy Week, the Feast of Corpus Christi was placed on the Thursday of the second week after Pentecost. In countries where Corpus Christi is not a public holiday, the high festival can also be celebrated on the following Sunday.

Corpus Christi is a public holiday in these federal states

At the feast of Corpus Christi, the Holy Mass is usually followed by a procession in which the faithful accompany the host (the bread used for Communion) carried by the priest or deacon in a procession through the streets with prayer and singing. In 2022, Corpus Christi falls on Thursday 16 June. In the following list you can read which federal states have integrated Corpus Christi as a public holiday:

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