Overview
- Good Friday on April 3 is observed nationwide as a silent day with dance bans and curbs on some sports events and certain films, with shops closed.
- Loud work such as lawn mowing, drilling, sawing or hammering is prohibited during the protected hours.
- Time windows differ by Bundesland—for example Berlin from 4:00 to 21:00 on Friday versus Rhineland-Palatinate from early Thursday to Sunday afternoon—with local checks of clubs and bars in some cities.
- Holy Saturday is not a statutory holiday, yet many states keep dance bans, and Easter Sunday and Monday apply full holiday laws that bar noisy work and keep most retailers shut except limited cases such as bakeries or cafés.
- Traditional customs persist alongside statutes, including regional folk taboos on washing clothes during Holy Week.