Overview
- Saxony remains the only state where the Buß- und Bettag is a statutory holiday, with roughly four million residents affected by the unique arrangement.
- Employees in Saxony pay about 0.5 percentage points more into long-term care insurance, averaging roughly €200 a year, while employers do not contribute to this extra cost.
- A proposal from Saxony’s SPD and CDU to split the burden between employers and employees was not included in the final federal coalition agreement, leaving the status quo in place, according to MDR reporting.
- Evangelical churches mark the day with services and digital offerings, including a Kurhessen-Waldeck online prayerbook and televised worship from Melsungen, with a central EKHN service in Darmstadt addressing a confession to queer communities.
- Although not a public holiday elsewhere, Bavaria grants a school-free day that drives local childcare and activity programs, and Saxony’s KVS lists holiday medical and pharmacy on-call services for cities such as Chemnitz and Leipzig.