Overview

• Pfingsten falls on June 8 (Pfingstsonntag) and June 9 (Pfingstmontag) this year, marking the 50th day after Easter and commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit
• Only Brandenburg treats Pfingstsonntag as a legal holiday while Pfingstmontag remains a nationwide day off across Germany
• Economic associations including the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft and the Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft have renewed calls to scrap Pfingstmontag, projecting annual GDP gains of 5 to 8.6 billion euros
• Catholic dioceses hold priestly ordinations and collect donations for the Renovabis relief organization during the Pentecost celebrations
• Legislation in most European countries and the absence of Pentecost Monday observance in places like Italy and the Vatican provide comparative context for the German debate