Let's Get Real: Time to Say Goodbye to a Bank Holiday!
- by Rolf-Herbert Peters
- ⏱️ - 2 Min
Eliminating a Celebration's Observance: Proposed Elimination of a Particular Celebration - Time for the elimination of an established celebration!
Some holidays allow us a day off - and often, we're clueless about their significance. Consider Ascension Day or Whit Monday as examples. According to a YouGov survey, 55% of people in West Germany and 62% in East Germany have no idea what Whit Monday is. Only 5% of Germans attend a Whit Monday church service. But every year, politics reserves a workday for Whit Monday. Why? As a practicing Catholic, the author thinks it's high time to scrap it. Whit Monday could be put to much better use.
Losing the Meaning of Holidays
Many balk at the idea of working on holidays like Ascension Day or Whit Monday. We need them for family and relaxation, we're told. That may have been true back in the day, with people working long hours with few days off. In the early days of the Weimar Republic in 1918, they worked 48 hours over six days, plus commuting time.
However, around 60 years ago, unions fought for the five-day week and 40 hours of work per week. Could we say they fought for an additional 52 family holidays each year? Today, Germans work an average of 34.8 hours per week, less than the EU average (37 hours), and some even discuss a four-day workweek.
Yet, leisure time often causes stress, as seen in the "Leisure Monitor" of the Foundation for Future Studies. It's rare for people to use their free time mainly for family or self-improvement. Instead, the top five favorite pastimes, even on Whit Monday: 1. Surfing the internet. 2. Watching TV. 3. Listening to music. 4. Using a computer, laptop, tablet. 5. Smartphone activities like chatting, playing, or surfing.
Why Not Get Rid of Whit Monday?
Why not relieve ourselves of this holiday burden and remove Whit Monday? It would stretch the annual working time by just 0.4%, helping us get out of the never-ending economic crisis. And shops would be open: 87% of retail sales still happen offline. We'd contribute to the social state by paying income tax, social security contributions, and VAT on that day.
But the most important reason? Schools would be open. Depending on the state, up to 10% of teaching time is wasted. German students struggle in international comparisons. Wouldn't they benefit more from studying German, math, sciences, languages, philosophy on Whit Monday rather than wasting the holiday in the virtual world? Current statistics show that 15-year-olds spend nearly seven hours a day on their smartphones. Unbelievable!
If they were in school, they might even learn in religion class that Whit Monday is also a celebration of global understanding and against narrow-minded nationalism.
By the way, my colleague Matthias Urbach sees things differently. Read his arguments here.
- Holidays
- Whit Monday
- Ascension Day
- Germany
- Whit Sunday
- Gross Domestic Product
- West Germany
- East Germany
- Weekend
- Weimar Republic
Additional Insights:
Debates on abolishing Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag, or "Pfingsten") are occasionally held in Germany, though it's not a mainstream proposition. Arguments for its abolition center around potential economic benefits (more working days, reduced labor costs), educational streamlining (more consistent school schedules), and secularization (aligning holidays with a more diverse society). However, it's not currently a central focus of political discussions in Germany.
- In EC countries, vocational training could be expanded to cover the time normally spent on holidays like Whit Monday, providing more opportunities for skill development and employment.
- Instead of Whit Monday being a day for leisure, it could be used for vocational training in fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, and shopping industries, contributing to a more skilled workforce.
- With Whit Monday being a day dedicated to vocational training, students might find it easier to learn and understand the relevance of various subjects, including German, math, sciences, languages, and even philosophy.
- By removing Whit Monday and turning it into a day for vocational training, Germany could address the international comparison issues faced by its students and contribute significantly to its overall Gross Domestic Product.
- As teachers provide vocational training on Whit Monday, students might also gain a better understanding of the importance of holistic education and global cooperation, rather than spending the day immersed in their smartphones.
