Exporting to Europe? Know your public holidays
Did you know that today is a public holiday in many countries around the world? 1st May is International Workers’ Day so across most of Europe, offices will be closed today.
If you are exporting to Europe or you have European suppliers, you will know how important it is to be aware of all the different public holidays. If you don’t include them into your planning, you risk delaying deliveries, lorries turning up at closed customs offices, long queues at country borders due to holiday traffic, etc.
Public holidays differ in each country and are deeply connected to the political and religious history of a country. In Germany, for example, there are some public holidays that apply to the whole country, and others that are specific to individual federal states. At the bottom of this blog, we have pulled together a table with the most important German and French public holidays in 2015.
One of the best ways to keep up to date with public holidays in other countries is to use Google Calendar and add country-specific holiday calendars. We work with German and French customers and translators on a daily basis and we tend to add a reminder one week in advance of any public holidays so we can plan ahead and minimise disruptions. Every little helps 🙂
German public holidays 2015
Name | Date | Where? |
---|---|---|
Tag der Arbeit (Labour Day) | 01.05.2015 | Whole country |
Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension) | 14.05.2015 | Whole country |
Pfingstsonntag (Whit Sunday) | 24.05.2015 | Brandenburg only |
Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday) | 25.05.2015 | Whole country |
Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi) | 04.06.2015 | Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland |
Mariä Himmelfahrt (Assumption) | 15.08.2015 | Bavaria, Saarland |
Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity) | 03.10.2015 | Whole country |
Reformationstag (Reformation Day) | 31.10.2015 | Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia |
Allerheiligen (All Saints' Day) | 01.11.2015 | Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland |
Buß- und Bettag (Day of Atonement) | 18.11.2015 | Saxony |
1. Weihnachtstag (Christmas Day) | 25.12.2015 | Whole country |
2. Weihnachtstag (Boxing Day) | 26.12.2015 | Whole country |
French public holidays 2015
Name | Date | Where? |
---|---|---|
Fête du Travail (Labour Day) | 01.05.2015 | Whole country |
Fête de la Victoire 1945 (WWII Victory Day) | 08.05.2015 | Whole country |
Ascension catholique (Ascension Day) | 14.05.2015 | Whole country |
Pentecôte (Whit Sunday) | 24.05.2015 | Whole country |
Lundi de Pentecôte (Whit Monday) | 25.05.2015 | Whole country |
Fête nationale (Bastille Day) | 14.07.2015 | Whole country |
Assomption (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) | 15.08.2015 | Whole country |
Toussaint (All Saints' Day) | 01.11.2015 | Whole country |
Armistice 1918 (Armistice Day) | 11.11.2015 | Whole country |
Noël (Christmas Day) | 25.12.2015 | Whole country |