North Germany Moves to Make Reformation Day an Annual Public Holiday

North German states ask for new day off: Reformation Day Oct. 31

"'We have taken an important step forward to having a common additional holiday in northern Germany,' said mayor of Bremen, Carsten Sieling of the Social Democrats (SPD)."

"having the additional day off on Reformation Day has been controversial for politicians....the Green Party and the Left Party prefer dates that have nothing to do with the church - such as the Day of Liberation from the Nazis on May 8th or World Women's Day on March 8th."

"One reason for the initiative among north Germany's states is that the north of the country gets fewer public holidays than the south. Whereas Bavaria has 13 annual public holidays...Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Berlin and Bremen only get nine."