Less than half of Germans are Christian. However, bans still apply on Good Friday – varying in severity depending on the federal state. Not everyone likes that. What are the rules?
Good Friday is a controversial holiday in Germany. For many it is one of the most important days of the year, commemorating the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. For others, it is a day of outdated bans – after all, less than half of Germany’s population is Christian.
In Germany, Sundays and public holidays are protected by the Basic Law as “days of rest and spiritual elevation”. Therefore, shops, for example, remain closed. A special variant are the so-called silent holidays such as Good Friday, for which there are usually strict regulations. What exactly applies on Good Friday is defined by the laws of the respective federal states – and they are very different.
Patchwork of federal states
In Bavaria, for example, sporting events and “musical performances of any kind in rooms with bars” are prohibited, the state Ministry of the Interior said at the request of the German Press Agency (dpa). Public entertainment events are only permitted “if the serious character appropriate to these days is maintained”. The holiday peace and quiet should not be disturbed in other ways, especially near churches. It’s similar in many federal states. However, they often differ significantly in the details.
For example, breaking a rule in Bavaria can result in a fine of up to 10,000 euros. In Berlin, violations are punished with a maximum fine of 1,000 euros, but in most cases it is significantly less.
There are also big differences when it comes to the ban on dancing. In Bavaria, this applies from Maundy Thursday to Holy Saturday. In Berlin this is handled more loosely: the dancing ban only applies from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Good Friday, as the Interior Senate administration announced.
There is also a less strict ban on dancing in Hamburg, but this year it will be relaxed even further. While last year there was a 24-hour ban on dancing from 2 a.m. on Good Friday to the same time on Saturday, this year it only applies from 5 a.m. on Good Friday to midnight – five hours shorter, as the Senate Chancellery announced. This makes visiting the disco much easier on both days.
Dancing bans affect many discos
Dance bans generally affect many clubs. The Federal Association of German Discotheques (BDT) is fundamentally against dance bans: “A dance ban encroaches on the entrepreneurial freedom of the discotheque industry and forces it to restrict operations or shut down completely, even though there is demand,” the association told the dpa. “The BDT and the club and discotheque industry are clearly positioning themselves against a ban on dancing on Good Friday.”
It is also not fair that there are no nationwide uniform regulations: “It should not be the case that some companies have to record massive losses in sales due to the dancing ban and others benefit from it.” The Berlin Club Commission also classifies dance bans as a “disproportionate restriction on freedom as cultural institutions.”
The BDT reports that the dance ban is enforced through random checks by the public order offices. Private celebrations are not generally subject to the ban, but depending on the volume – and depending on the federal state regulations – they can ultimately be considered a violation of the holiday rules, as can be seen from the state laws.
cinemamovies
In addition, certain films are not allowed to be shown in cinemas on quiet holidays. However, there are no restrictions for television and streaming services, as the organization Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry (FSK) reports. The FSK decides which film does not receive a so-called holiday release. “The regulations in the state laws go back to provisions from the Weimar Republic, so they come from a time when films could only be seen in cinemas,” said the FSK.
However, a lot has changed since then – in the films and the specifications. While in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s over half of all feature films were classified as “non-holiday-free”, the percentage continuously fell to a third in the 1980s and only 3.8 percent in the 1990s. As of 2000, the proportion of feature films not released on public holidays was one percent or less.
“So far in 2024 there has not been a cinema film without a public holiday release,” said the FSK. In 2023, out of 643 films tested, only one (“Evil Dead Rise”) did not receive a holiday release. Prominent examples of films that were not released include “The Life of Brian” (1980) and “The Knights of the Coconut” (1976).
Respectful or no longer up-to-date?
All in all, there are many Good Friday rules and, above all, different ones depending on the federal state. Are so many complicated and unequal regulations still appropriate, especially in view of the continuing decline in church membership?
Apparently so for the Berlin Interior Senate administration: the rules are fundamentally Christian, they say. In addition, the interests of different population groups would be taken into account through the time limitation of the bans and the possibility of exceptions.
The Ministry of the Interior in heavily Christian Bavaria, where the crucifix is mandatory in public buildings, underlines the relevance of the rules. “Protection on Sundays and public holidays is a very important concern for the Bavarian state government,” said the ministry. The restrictions on quiet days are proportionate.
The discotheque association sees it differently. He considers the rules that apply to him “to be outdated and unfair.” And the FSK also considers film bans to be outdated: “From today’s perspective, the legal restrictions on films in the cinema on silent holidays are hardly understandable.”