- Divided country: Mary's ascension not everywhere in Bavaria
On August 15th, the Free State of Bavaria once again finds itself divided: In predominantly Catholic communities, the following Thursday is a public holiday due to Assumption of Mary. This applies to 1,704 of the 2,056 communities in Bavaria, as reported by the State Office of Statistics in Fürth. The balance between Catholic and Protestant populations determines this.
In communities where there are more Catholic than Protestant residents, businesses remain closed and workplaces are often deserted on this day. In Upper and Lower Bavaria, August 15th is a public holiday everywhere. This is also the case in the Upper Palatinate (96.0% of communities predominantly Catholic), Swabia (95.3%), and Lower Franconia (87.0%).
The picture is different in the predominantly Protestant administrative regions of Upper and Middle Franconia, where only 46.3% and 18.1% of communities are predominantly Catholic, respectively. Among the major cities, the situation is also mixed: While Munich, Augsburg, Würzburg, Regensburg, and Ingolstadt observe Assumption of Mary as a holiday, Nuremberg, Fürth, and Erlangen remain open for business.
However, the number of affected communities may change in the coming year. The regulation is based on the Public Holiday Act and the official population figures - so far based on the 2011 census. Starting in 2025, the population figures will be recalculated based on the 2022 census, which is likely to result in changes.
The Catholic feast of "Assumption of Mary" has its roots in a Marian festival that developed in what is now Syria at the end of the fourth century. It then spread throughout the East and evolved into a festival of Mary's assumption into heaven, according to the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.
Over time, various traditions have developed around the Assumption in the Catholic Church; the most well-known is the binding of herb bunches with healing herbs, grains, and flowers. These bunches are blessed during Mass. The feast is particularly celebrated in places like Altoetting, a pilgrimage site, or Maria Vesperbild in Swabia, which is characterized by strict conservatism.
In the faith-filled communities where Mary's Assumption into Heaven is widely celebrated, businesses close and workplaces become vacant on August 15th. Despite being a Catholic majority region, Nuremberg, Fürth, and Erlangan in Middle Franconia, unfortunately, do not observe this public holiday.
