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Join us: Why The Local France needs your support

In 2019 The Local France aims improve our coverage of France, the French and how the country works. And we need help from readers.

Published: 17 February 2019 15:16 CET
Join us: Why The Local France needs your support
Photo: AFP/The Local

In April 2018 The Local France followed in the footsteps of our sister sites in Sweden and Germany and launched a Membership scheme.

We had reached a point where the dominance of Google and Facebook meant advertising could no longer provide the resources to keep the site running and growing so we asked readers to support us financially by becoming Members.

It was a positive change because it meant we concentrate less on clicks and more on essential content for readers.

Being a Member gave readers unlimited access to the website and also enabled them to read certain in-depth articles reserved just for Members. 

So far nearly 3,000 have signed up to support The Local France. We are grateful for their backing. You can join now for just €6 for the first three months.

 

This has enabled us not just to continue our coverage of the important news events in France but improve it.
 
We've brought on board veteran France correspondent John Lichfield, a former foreign editor at The Independent, as a news columnist to provide opinion and analysis on the big stories. You can read his latest piece HERE.
 
His brilliant coverage of the Yellow Vest movement and the violent protests made him what another foreign correspondent called “THE voice” on the gilets jaunes.
 
 
In recent months we have also taken it upon ourselves to put the record straight when the foreign coverage of France is wrong, on everything from Brexit to new driving laws.
 
 
We have forged close ties with key campaigners for Britons in France such as Remain in France Together and reported on all the changes and upheaval the UK's EU divorce could bring to Brits here in our special BREXIT section.
 
 
We have also put your questions to some if the key Brexit players on the French side including Europe minister Nathalie Loiseau and MP Alexander Holroyd.
 
We have upped the number of advice articles to help foreigners living in France, covering themes such as how to avoid being conned, changes to driving laws, income tax, health care and very importantly how not to get shot during the hunting season.
 
For our American readers we have looked at how they can find work in France and also where in the country they all live.
 
And on request of readers we introduced a regular French Word of the Day and have a new feature where our news articles include useful French vocab to learn.
 
We have also done more to feature our readers on the site. We have a new series of articles with readers in France offering their tips on everyday life such as which phone company to go with, which French supermarket to shop at and what to do if you suffer from depression in France.
 
Our readers are experts on life in France so we have asked them to answer some of the many questions we get asked such as “how bad really is the paperwork here?” and “how good is the food ?”
 
It hasn't all been easy and we apologize to those affected by technical gremlins when signing in. We are working hard to solve these issues and we have recently set up a Help Centre for members.
 
Overall we think we do a good job but we want to do more. We want more expert columnists explaining France. We want to spend more time exploring the problems that foreigners have in France and most importantly providing the answers. We want to cover the important news in more detail and we want to respond to the questions our readers have.
 
But we need support. Please consider becoming a Member and getting more involved in The Local France. You can join for just 6 euros for the first three months, in other words seven cents a day.
 
Thanks and kind regards.
 
Ben McPartland, Editor of The Local France.
 
 

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EXPLAINED: What and where are Germany’s public holidays in 2021?

Here's what you need to know about state and national public holidays this year.

Published: 20 October 2020 13:07 CEST
Updated: 4 January 2021 09:28 CET
EXPLAINED: What and where are Germany's public holidays in 2021?
Fireworks at the Brandenburg Gate for the New Year on January 1st, 2018. Photo: DPA

Unfortunately 2021 is not looking like the best year for public holidays in Germany. Unlike countries such as the UK or US, workers don’t receive a day off if a public holiday falls on a weekend (and they work a Monday through Friday schedule).

German Reunification Day on October 3rd falls on a Saturday, and both Christmas and the day after fall on a Saturday and Sunday. Several other regional holidays occur on a Sunday. 

READ ALSO: Should Germany ensure that workers get a day off for every public holiday?

That said, there is still a generous helping of holidays in Germany, particularly for some southern states. Other Bundesländer have their own public holidays, whether International Women’s Day in Berlin or World Children Day in Thuringia, both of which have only been a work-free day since 2019.

We look at all public holidays around the Bundesrepublik, where they’re celebrated, and what they’re all about.

Here are the national holidays first:

New Year’s Day: Friday January 1st

Good Friday: Friday April 2nd

The Friday before Easter is a countrywide public holiday, in which Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Christ. Some states take its religious significance more seriously than others, such as in 12 out of the 16 states where it's 'illegal' to dance on the day.

Yet some (here's looking at you, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg) particularly enforce the ban.

Easter Monday: Monday April 5th

Labour Day: Saturday May 1st

The holiday in honour of workers dates back over 130 years and is celebrated around the country with a range of festivals involving everything from dancing around poles to chasing away evil spirits. 

In Berlin, one of the largest – and typically rowdiest – marches campaigning for workers' rights nationwide typically occurs on May 1st in the Kreuzberg district. 

Photo: DPA

Christi Himmelfahrt/Father’s Day: Thursday May 13th

In its most pure form, this day is about commemorating Jesus' event into heaven. Yet the public holiday, which also marks Germany's Father's Day, is an epic excuse for many to delve into day-drinking debauchery rather than pious reverence.

Whit Monday: Monday May 24th

This religious holiday marks the Holy Spirit's descent on Jesus' followers. But whether you're religious or not, it's always a nationwide public holiday in Germany.

Day of German Unity: Sunday October 3rd

This monumental day commemorates the reunification of former East and West Germany in 1990, following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Christmas Day: Saturday, December 25th

Day after Christmas: Sunday December 26th

Not all western countries (the US for example) have December 26th as a day off work. But in Germany it remains a public holiday for all workers. However, as it falls on a Sunday there will be no day off during the week in 2021.

Now let’s take a look at other state specific holidays, and where they’re celebrated.

Heilige Drei Könige/Three Kings Day: Wednesday January 6th (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt)

For countries such as Spain, this day is celebrated as a public holiday nationwide. It commemorates the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem to present their gifts to the baby Jesus.

READ ALSO: What you should know about Three Kings Day in Germany

While Germans don't usually exchange gifts on the day as is done elsewhere, there's a delicious Kings Cake (Königskuchen) featuring currants, candied lemon peel and raisins.

International Women’s Day: Monday March 8th (Berlin)

For the third year in a row, Berliners are celebrating their own public holiday. For most, it’s only the second time around since it fell on a Sunday in 2020.

READ ALSO: What you should know about Frauentag, Berlin's newest public holiday

Fronleichnam: Thursday June 3rd (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hessen)

This holiday is known in English as Corpus Christi, or the Feast of the Body of Christ. While it's an official public holiday in six German states, it's celebrated in Roman Catholic communities around the country.

Maria Himmelfahrt: Sunday August 15th (Bavaria and Saarland)

World Children's Day: Monday September 20th (Thuringia) 

Berlin also celebrated Weltkindertag, even if not as a public holiday, in 2020 by this work of street art with the number of children in Germany. Photo: DPA

The eastern state has only celebrated the day as a public holiday since 2019, following Berlin’s example of declaring a public holiday in honour of a specific group. Children are the future, a state description of the holiday reads, and as such extra time should be devoted to improving their well-being. 

Reformation Day: Sunday October 31st (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein)

This day marks the anniversary of religious reformation in Europe, commemorating when Martin Luther nailed his 95 proposals on to the door of a church in 1517. Only in 2017, on the 500th anniversary, was it a public holiday for all of Germany.

Allerheiligen/All Saint’s Day: Monday November 1st (Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Bavaria)

Catholics, and some Protestants, honour this day by visiting the graves of deceased relatives. While it's recognized in five states as a public holiday, some states have declared it a stiller Tag, in which certain activities like dancing in public are restricted.

Buß- und Bettag: Wednesday November 17th (Saxony)

The “Buß- and Bettag” (day of penance and prayer) always takes place on the Wednesday before the Ewigkeitssonntag (Eternity Sunday), also called Totensonntag (the Sunday before Advent on which the dead are commemorated).

READ ALSO: Saxony public holiday: What is the history behind Buß- und Bettag?
 

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