Epiphany cake and winter breakfast in southern Germany

Epiphany

Regional holiday Regional Falls on Tuesday

Epiphany falls on Tuesday 6 January in 2026 and is statutory only in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. School return and travel also depend on the published state break calendar.

Check bridge days Practical info
Author
Brückentage-Planer.de editorial team
Last checked
Source basis
official sources and editorial review
Overview

At a glance

What matters for Epiphany before you plan the days around it.

Date
Epiphany falls on Tuesday in 2026.
Status
Regional
Public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.
Applies in
Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Sachsen-Anhalt
Epiphany falls on Tuesday 6 January 2026 in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Taking Monday off gives workers there four consecutive days away.
Planning cue
Check surrounding days
Check the state first. Then read school breaks, return travel, the first full January work block and any overlap with New Year's Day.

Epiphany falls on Tuesday 6 January 2026 in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Taking Monday off gives workers there four consecutive days away.

Check the state first. Then read school breaks, return travel, the first full January work block and any overlap with New Year's Day.

The public-holiday answer depends on the state where the work or school day takes place, not on the place where a person lives.

Tuesday, 6 January 2026, leaves the preceding Monday as the practical bridge-day option in the three states where the date is statutory.

A school or family plan can therefore cross two calendars: the regional public-holiday rule and the published school-break dates.

Leave calculation

Bridge days and leave

Close Christmas breaks and return travel

Epiphany belongs with New Year's Day, Christmas school breaks and the first full work block in January.

For families, the main questions are return travel, childcare and the shift back to school or work.

For multi-location teams, calendars must show where 6 January is free and where appointments run normally.

If the Monday is taken as leave, record the return on Tuesday separately from the end of the Christmas break; both affect the first full January routine.

For a team spanning several states, a shared meeting on 6 January needs a state-aware calendar because the same date can be a working day for one location and a holiday for another.

Travel planning should leave room for the final Christmas-break day, the Tuesday holiday in the three states, and the next normal school or work morning.

Smart Vacation Planner

Maximize your free time around Epiphany:

Long Weekend (Epiphany) Take Monday off (05/01) and get 4 days off in a row for just 1 vacation day.
Practice

Everyday rules

Epiphany falls on Tuesday 6 January 2026 in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Taking Monday off gives workers there four consecutive days away.

Work

1 leave day = 4 days

Epiphany is Tuesday 6 January in 2026 and is statutory in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Monday leave creates a four-day break from 3 to 6 January.

School and family

Check school return

Christmas school holidays end on different dates by state. The school location's published calendar should decide return travel, childcare and the first class day.

Local service

Return by Tuesday

Anyone using Monday leave should settle the return journey before Tuesday evening. Check rail and regional services for 5 and 6 January with the operator.

Published hours

Three states

Tuesday is a public holiday only in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Elsewhere the date has no holiday status; use the applicable state rule and the provider's published hours.

Doorway in southern Germany marked with a carol singers' Epiphany blessing
Legislation

Legal context

The legal question is narrow; the planning question around Epiphany is broader.

2026 status

Public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.

Pay and rota

Section 2 EFZG applies when 6 January is statutory at the actual workplace and would otherwise be a working day; Section 9 ArbZG remains the reference for holiday duties.

Leave-day decision

Check the state first. Then read school breaks, return travel, the first full January work block and any overlap with New Year's Day.

FAQ

Questions

Common questions about Epiphany

Where is Epiphany a statutory public holiday in Germany?

In Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.

Is 6 January a nationwide public holiday?

No. Outside Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt, the date has no statutory public-holiday status; check school and provider hours separately.

What nearby dates should I check?

New Year's Day, Christmas school breaks, return travel, school restart and the first full January work block.

How can workers create a four-day break in 2026?

In the three holiday states, taking Monday 5 January as leave or flexitime joins the weekend to the Tuesday public holiday.

When do the carol singers visit?

The local parish sets its visits and activities. Check its published information; the custom can also take place outside the three public-holiday states.

Background

Meaning and context

Regional close of the Christmas period

6 January is associated with Epiphany, carol singers and the end of many Christmas routines.

In Germany, the legal status is regional: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt treat the date as a statutory public holiday.

That creates a typical January split between regions still paused and locations already back to regular work.

Epiphany is associated with the visit of the Magi and with the end of the Christmas season in many Christian communities.

Carols, house blessings and chalk marks make the day visible in local communities, but those customs do not extend the statutory public-holiday map.

The parish schedule is therefore a separate planning input: a service or visit may be announced outside the three public-holiday states as well.

Custom

Carol singers and house blessings

Carol singers, house blessings and local schedules

In many places, Epiphany includes carol singers and a blessing marked at the doorway. The local parish's published arrangements determine whether and when a group visits.

The custom is separate from statutory status: carol singers may be active outside the three holiday states, while the day off is limited to Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.

Families and hosts therefore need two different entries: the local visit or church time and the school or work calendar at their own location.

Scope

States and scope

Three states, not all of Germany

The holiday effect depends on the workplace or school location in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria or Saxony-Anhalt.

Outside the three states, 6 January has no statutory public-holiday status; school and provider hours still require a specific check.

Opening hours, school and rosters should therefore be checked against the specific state.

A commuter should check the actual workplace for the day, while a family should check the school location and the destination of the return trip separately.

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt observe Epiphany as a public holiday; the remaining states retain their ordinary 6 January status.

When the date is imported into a shared calendar, keep the three-state scope in the title or note so a nationwide team does not read it as a general day off.

Next steps

Plan next

Move from reading to the next concrete step.

Mark 6 January 2026 as a statutory public holiday only for Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt, then decide whether leave on Monday 5 January is useful.

Add Christmas school holidays, the first school day, childcare, return travel and local carol-singer or church times. This keeps the regional day off distinct from the broader close of Christmas.

Combine the bridge-day planner with the school-break calendar and calendar-week overview before fixing return travel and appointments.

Sources & further reading

  1. Baden-Württemberg public holidays : State overview of statutory public holidays in Baden-Württemberg.
  2. Bavaria Holiday Act Article 1 : Statutory list with local exceptions.
  3. Saxony-Anhalt Holiday Act : State-law basis for Epiphany and Reformation Day in Saxony-Anhalt.
  4. katholisch.de on Epiphany : Church context for Epiphany, Three Kings Day and the regional end of the Christmas season.
  5. Continued Remuneration Act section 2 : Pay rule after statutory scope is established.
  6. KMK holiday calendar downloads : School-break downloads for calendar comparison.
  7. New Year's Day (1 January) : The year-start directly after New Year's Eve; useful for return travel and first workdays.
  8. New Year's Eve (31 December) : Opening-hours and year-end travel context.
  9. Working Time Act section 9 : Federal rule for Sunday and public-holiday work exceptions.