Dance ban applies What is not allowed on Good Friday?
Bonn · Lots of people are taking off of work for the long Easter weekend, but Good Friday is not a day where people can really start celebrating. Loud music and parties are taboo, and that’s not all.
If anyone thought they would start off the long weekend with a party on Friday, the prospects are not looking good. Because Good Friday is a quiet holiday. In German it is called a “stiller Feiertag”, which reflects that it is a somber religious holiday marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On this day, it is meant to be quieter than on Sundays and other holidays.
Dancing, sports or anything that could make noise is forbidden. This begins from the very start of Friday at 0:00 and runs through Saturday morning at 6am. Public dances are prohibited already from 6pm on Thursday, March 29.
People often refer to this as a “Tanzverbot” (Dancing not allowed) because music and dance events are at the top of the list. Even if they take place privately. Also prohibited are “all non-public entertainment events outside of homes.” There are no special penalties for those who break the rules but there is a fine for breaking noise ordinances.
Bakery openings
Bakeries and florist shops are allowed to be open for a maximum of five hours on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This is a regulation in NRW that was updated in 2013. Until then, this had only been allowed on Easter Monday.
Young people view regulations critically
The “dancing not allowed” rule has been a topic of debate for years now. On no other holiday are the rules so strict across Germany as they are on Good Friday. In the past year, protests led to Baden-Württemberg relaxing its rules a bit and the quiet time was reduced. In 13 states, the noise regulation is enforced for the whole day. In Berlin it is enforced only on the Friday from 4 am until 9pm.
Orig. text: ga.de
Translation: ck
