Those living in the German state of Thuringia get a holiday this week.
On Friday September 20th, Weltkindertag or World Children's Day, takes place - although it's actually one of two such celebrations in Germany.
The eastern German region of Thuringia is the only state in Germany to hold an official public holiday or Feiertag on this day. It means that children have the day off school and most people will be off work. On public holidays in Germany, most shops and other businesses also close.
Why is it a holiday in Thuringia?
There are a few reasons behind this.
Firstly it became a holiday in Thuringia in 2019 following a government decision. The aim is to honour children as the future of society and to encourage parents to spend more time with their children and celebrate them.
According to a resolution passed by the Thuringian state parliament, this day aims to "bring respect for children as independent personalities with their own needs and rights into the focus of social and public attention".
The decision to make September 20th a public holiday was preceded by months of debate. The business community in particular was against introducing another public holiday and saw it as a disadvantage for the region. Thuringia has a total of 11 public holidays.
The background to introducing an extra holiday in the first place has a lot to do with the unequal distribution of public holidays in Germany. In general, northern and central states (except Hesse) are at a disadvantage when it comes to days off for workers.
In contrast, Bavaria is the German state with the most public holidays with 13 days (the Bavarian city of Augsburg even has 14).
This is why in recent years some German states have introduced an additional day off for employees. In 2019, for instance, the state of Berlin made International Women's Day (Frauentag) on March 8th a Feiertag. Meanwhile, the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania voted for March 8th become a day off for Women's Day from 2023 onwards.
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Is World Children's Day marked anywhere else in Germany?
Going back to the roots, Universal Children's Day was first established at the 1925 World Conference on Child Welfare in Geneva, with June 1st earmarked. Then, World Children's Day was established in September 1954 at the 9th General Assembly of the United Nations.
The day is intended to draw attention to the rights of children, focus on their individual needs and improve children's welfare. It is celebrated on different days in the UN member states.
Confusingly, there are two dates for World Children's Day in Germany and both are recognised in the country.
This is due to Germany's history. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and other socialist countries, International Children's Day was designated on June 1st. Some federal states adopted this after reunification in 1990. So in some regions of Germany, Children's Day is celebrated in June, in others it is in September - or it can be twice a year.
Interestingly, Thuringia was part of East Germany - but uses September 20th to mark Weltkindertag.
Whether June or September, plenty of events are held in Germany for Weltkindertag, such as community gatherings, plays and workshops.
Adding to the array of dates to celebrate children (and possibly to confuse matters even further) the UN now marks World Children's Day on November 20th every year. So it's even possible to celebrate this occasion three times in Germany.
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