Day of Repentance and Prayer (Buß- und Bettag) in Germany — is a ritual holiday of the Protestant Church, rooted in turbulent times of disasters and wars. It is celebrated on the Wednesday before the last Sunday of the church year.
The word «repentance» often creates incorrect associations. On this day we are not talking about repentance for what we have done in the sense of receiving punishment for it, but about a change in attitude, a return to God.
There is a parable in the Bible about Jonah sent by God to Ninivea to announce the destruction of this city. And then, at the behest of King Ninivea, everyone had to call to God with force. And people repented of their sins and turned from evil to good. God heard prayers and saw deeds, and did not create his plan.
Joint repentances and prayers were known back in antiquity. Theologically, they are three times justified. Firstly, this is the day of the church’s intercession for the guilt of all believers before God. Further, the church must, on the day of repentance, fulfill its controlling function in relation to sins. And in conclusion, the days of repentance served everyone to test their conscience before God. In Rome, for example, such days of general repentance and prayer were supposed to prevent the danger of disasters and wars.
In the Middle Ages, there were two types of days of repentance: some were prescribed by the authorities and celebrated as needed. Others, about three fasting days at the beginning of each quarter of the year, stemmed from ecclesiastical positions. Both categories were adopted and continued by the Protestant Church.
In 1532, as a reaction to the Turkish War, the first Protestant Day of Repentance and Prayer took place. From the 16th to the 17th centuries, there were different dates for the «Day of Repentance and Prayer» for different territories of Germany. In 1878, 47 Days of Penance could be counted in 28 German states, celebrated on 24 different days. In 1983, in Prussia, on the initiative of the relevant government bodies, such diversity was eliminated and the holiday was scheduled for the Wednesday before the last Sunday of the church year, as is still celebrated.
The essence of the day of repentance and prayer in those days was also often interpreted in different ways: either the people had to repent and pray, or the church authorities ordered to control and change their thinking and attitude towards God.
During World War II, the «Day of Repentance and Prayer» was moved to one of the Sundays and was actually made a special day off - to apply all your strength to prayers for war. After the end of the war, «The Day of Repentance and Prayer» was returned to its pre-war form. In the GDR it was a day off until 1966, when a 5-day working week was introduced. In Germany, after the war, «Repentance and Prayer Day» became a state day off, except for Bavaria. In Bavaria, until 1981, it was considered a day off only in territories with a predominant Protestant population. Only since 1981 has the day become a general day off in Federal Germany. After the unification of Germany, the holiday was adopted by all states and remained a day off for another 4 years.
The government then decided that from 1995 the Day of Penance and Prayer would cease to be a day off. This change was justified as the need to equalize the increased burden on employers forced to pay newly created compulsory insurance by increasing workers' working hours.
Now only in the state of Saxony «The day of repentance and prayer» is a state day off. In other lands, every employee has the right to take a day off on a given day, justifying this with his religious duties. In addition, most schools and kindergartens are closed in Bavaria. All this causes a lot of criticism. However, attempts to return the day off have not been successful to date.
But despite the absence of a day off, «Day of Repentance and Prayer» remains an important part of the Christian faith. Of course, regular services, as was previously the case, are no longer held. However, the day before, short plays on biblical stories related to repentance are staged in schools. And in the evening on this day, services are held in many parishes, where the people are called to return to God. In this case, we are talking not only about spiritual return. Acts and deeds must also be changed for the better. Reflecting on what you have done helps you understand where you were unfaithful to God. And repentance and prayers serve to hear the Word of God again, return to the true path and learn to do good. That is why prayer addressed to God must become an integral part of everyone's daily life.