Volkstrauertag
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The Volkstrauertag (people mourning day) is a public holiday in Germany. It is observed two Sundays before the first Advent and commemorates those who died in war. It was first observed in 1952.
[edit] History
The Volkstrauertag was suggested in 1919 by the "Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge" (national union German military grave registration service) as a commemoration for German soldiers killed in the First World War. It was first held in 1922 in the Reichstag and in 1926, it was decided to hold the Volkstrauertag regularly on Sunday Reminiscere (the fifth Sunday before Easter.)
In the Weimar Republic, the Volkstrauertag was not a legal holiday for several reasons:
- It was not clearly defined in the Weimar constitution whether the responsibility for the introduction of legal holidays lay with the Reich or the federal states. Over the years it led to different regulations, dates and interpretations depending upon the counties.
- The two largest Christian churches were in conflict over the date for the commemorance. Both had their own anniversaries for the dead (all souls and/or dead Sunday) in November. A suggested date in spring, Sunday Invocavit (six weeks before Easter) or Sunday Reminiscere (five weeks before Easter), was in Passiontide. This was similarly important for both churches as confirmation services take place at this time in many evangelist parishes.
- The political instability of the Weimar Republic obstructed some attempts to regulate the Volkstrauertag day through legislation, since the Reichstag was suspended several times mid-term.
[edit] Heldengedenktag
On the 27th February 1934, during the creation of Heldengedenktag (hero anniversary), the National Socialists cemented the observance of the anniversary and introduced national holiday legislation. In the process, they changed its character completely; It was no longer about remembering the dead, the emphasis instead shifting to hero worship. Joseph Goebbels, as Propaganda Minister, issued guidelines over content and implementation such as flags no longer being flown at half-mast. The last Heldengedenktag was celebrated in 1945.
After the end of World War Two, from 1948, the Volkstrauertag began to be commemorated in its original form once more. The first central meeting of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge took place in 1950, in the Bundestag in Bonn and in an effort to separate it from Heldengedenktag, Volkstrauertag’s date was changed to the end of the church year; a time traditionally dominated by the topics of death, the passage of time and eternity.
[edit] The commemoration
The commemoration for the Volkstrauertag takes place in the German Bundestag. The federal President traditionally gives a speech with the federal Chancellor, the cabinet and the diplomatic corps present. The national anthem and the song Ich Hatte Einen Kameraden are then played. Most federal states also hold their own commemorations.
