{"id":9759,"date":"2018-03-30T16:13:36","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T16:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=9759"},"modified":"2018-03-30T16:33:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T16:33:27","slug":"karfreitag-good-friday-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/karfreitag-good-friday-in-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Karfreitag – Good Friday in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today is\u00a0Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>(Good Friday)! It is a Christian holiday commemorating the\u00a0Kreuzigung\u00a0<\/em>(crucifixion) of Jesus. It is celebrated, or commemorated, differently all over the world, but generally is regarded as a holiday. And so it is in Germany. Let’s find out what Germans do on this day!<\/p>\n

What does Karfreitag<\/em> mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jesus on the cross (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n

In German, the word\u00a0Kar\u00a0<\/em>does no longer have meaning, yet it is used in combination with\u00a0Freitag\u00a0<\/em>to form the word\u00a0Karfreitag<\/em>.\u00a0Kar<\/em> comes from the\u00a0althochdeutsches Wort\u00a0<\/em>(Old High German word)\u00a0kara,\u00a0<\/em>which means\u00a0Klage\/Kummer\/Trauer\u00a0<\/em>(grievance\/grief\/mourning). So\u00a0Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>could be translated loosely to “Mourning Friday”. That would be closer to the alternative\u00a0“Black Friday” in English.<\/p>\n

Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>is before\u00a0Karsamstag\u00a0<\/em>and after\u00a0Gr\u00fcndonnerstag\u00a0<\/em>(Green Thursday). The reason why it is called\u00a0Gr\u00fcndonnerstag\u00a0<\/em>has a lot of different theories, but we will not go into that right now!<\/p>\n

Tanzverbot<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n
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No dancing on Karfreitag<\/em>! (Image by Keenan Constance at Unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>is considered a\u00a0gesetzlicher Feiertag\u00a0<\/em>(public holiday, by law) in Germany and most Swiss cantons. In Austria, only a few\u00a0Kirchen\u00a0<\/em>(churches) see the\u00a0Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>as a gesetzlicher Feiertag<\/em>, but is not generally observed as such a holiday.\u00a0It is not celebrated, everything is kept sober – even in Catholic churches. In Catholic circles, it is sometimes part of\u00a0Osterfasten\u00a0<\/em>(Easter Fasting).<\/p>\n

Because it is such a calm day, with mourning, it is also called\u00a0stiller Feiertag\u00a0<\/em>(quiet holiday) in Germany. There are some restrictions in Germany, such as the\u00a0Tanzverbot\u00a0<\/em>(dancing prohibition). This is exactly what it sounds like: Dancing is not allowed in Germany on\u00a0Karfreitag<\/em>! It counts for public\u00a0Tanzveranstaltungen\u00a0<\/em>(dance events) and the like. Of course, you can still dance by yourself, it is a free country after all!<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Tanzverbot<\/em> is laid down in the laws of the\u00a0Bundesl\u00e4nder<\/em>, so the rules differ per\u00a0Bundesland.\u00a0<\/em>Some, such as\u00a0Bayern\u00a0<\/em>(Bavaria) have a\u00a0ganzt\u00e4giges\u00a0<\/em>(whole-day)\u00a0Verbot<\/em>, that also counts for the next day,\u00a0Karsamstag<\/em>. In other\u00a0places, such as\u00a0Berlin<\/em>, the\u00a0Tanzverbot\u00a0<\/em>is looser: it is only until 9 pm on\u00a0Karfreitag<\/em>, and does not count on\u00a0Karsamstag<\/em>. Which times count is different in each Bundesland.<\/p>\n

It goes even a little further in\u00a0Bayern<\/em>: They also have a\u00a0Musikverbot\u00a0<\/em>(music prohibition), which means that in many restaurants etc., live music is not allowed on\u00a0Karfreitag<\/em> and\u00a0Karsamstag<\/em>!<\/p>\n

However, there are some disputes over these laws and their conflict with the\u00a0Versammlungsfreiheit\u00a0<\/em>(freedom of assembly) and the\u00a0Weltanschauungsfreiheit\u00a0<\/em>(freedom of ideology\/religion).<\/p>\n

Magic eggs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Egg laid on Karfreitag<\/em>? (Image by Jakub Kapusnak at Unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

There is a tradition in Germany that\u00a0Eier\u00a0<\/em>(eggs) laid on\u00a0Gr\u00fcndonnerstag\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Karfreitag\u00a0<\/em>have\u00a0magische Eigenschaften\u00a0<\/em>(magic properties), mostly for\u00a0Fruchtbarkeit\u00a0<\/em>(fertility). So, if you would eat such a\u00a0Karfreitagsei<\/em>, you should be more\u00a0fruchtbar<\/em>!<\/p>\n

A lot of fish<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Image by Lance Anderson at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Because of the\u00a0Brauchtum\u00a0<\/em>(tradition) of fasting on\u00a0Karfreitag<\/em>, which means that Catholics do not eat meat, only one large meal and two smaller ones,\u00a0Fisch\u00a0<\/em>(fish) is allowed. And so a lot of people eat\u00a0Fisch\u00a0<\/em>on this day!<\/p>\n

What do you think of this holiday? How is it in your country? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Today is\u00a0Karfreitag\u00a0(Good Friday)! It is a Christian holiday commemorating the\u00a0Kreuzigung\u00a0(crucifixion) of Jesus. It is celebrated, or commemorated, differently all over the world, but generally is regarded as a holiday. And so it is in Germany. Let’s find out what Germans do on this day! What does Karfreitag mean? In German, the word\u00a0Kar\u00a0does no longer have…<\/p>\n

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