German World Children’s Day

German World Children’s Day is an annual German holiday dedicated to the protection of children, celebrated on September 20th. It is one of two holidays whose purpose is to protect children. This interesting confusion arose in Germany due to its division into East and West. At present, this problem remains, although children only benefit, because there are two identical holidays for them!

History

After the end of the war, there were East and West Germany. In 1950, International Children’s Day was celebrated for the first time. A single date was chosen – June 1.

In 1956, the UN General Assembly proposed the idea to organize World Children’s Day, and each country will choose its own date when it is more convenient for it to celebrate this holiday. After that, West Germany designated September 20 as a holiday, but in response to the UN resolution, it established its own holiday called ‘Weltkindertag’.

For East Germany, the classic Children’s Day holiday is deeply rooted in society, so the UN’s idea was abandoned. They continued to celebrate the holiday on June 1.

In 1990, the reunification of Germany into took place. However, a consensus on the issue of celebrating Children’s Day has not been found. As a result, the government decided to leave it as two identical holidays: June 1 and September 20.

How to take part

There are many ways to celebrate German World Children’s Day.

1. Gather with family, children, and friends, and take a stroll through the best sights in Germany. Take a day off from work to spend the day with your kids. Give them love and care.
2. Cook traditional German dishes with your children. So, you will not only spend time with children, but also teach them useful culinary skills.
3. Learn more about the history of East and West Germany. Understanding the significant differences of these two formerly separate states will make it possible to understand why there was such confusion with the celebration of Children’s Day.

When is German World Children’s Day in 2023?

German World Children’s Day is observed on September 20 each year.

Observations