German culture: der Brückentag

Deutsch
#1

When you live in German-speaking countries, you may have wondered why everyone speaks about “der Brückentag” when talking about a national holiday.

In some countries (like Ecuador) a national holiday, which regularly would be a Tuesday or Thursday, can be changed by the government to the next Monday or Friday, in order to give people a long weekend. In German-speaking countries, that’s not the case.

So, when a national holiday in Germany is a Tuesday or Thursday, many people took Monday or Friday also off, in order to have a real long weekend. This day serves as a bridge (die Brücke ) between the holiday and the weekend.

When was your last Brückentag? What did you do on this real long weekend? :national_park:

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#2

What a coincidence! In Spanish, we also called like that, but we would rather say tener puente, irse de puente or simply puente. :wink:

  • Oye, ¿tienes puente o trabajas?
  • Este puente nos vamos al pueblo de mi madre.
  • Me voy de puente a Londres.
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#3

here in Mexico they find an excuse to do a Brückentag at least once a month. Its ridiculous.
For example, mothers day can be on a wednesday and they will give friday off in order to have a long weekend.

In germany we usually drove away for a long weekend with the family or friends. On the last Brückentag I had in germany we visited my aunt in Gauting which is close to München.
She also has a dog like we did and we went for long walks and ate lots of ice cream and at night went out to dinner to a nice little Biergarten.

Here in MExico we usually do carne asada on long weekends and family and friends come visit us to enjoy the countryside for a little bit.

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#4

Yes, that’s how it also works here in Ecuador. Although you won’t call that switch of a holiday from Wednesday to Friday a “Brückentag” :wink:

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#5

Exactly! thats what I tell them! But they insist that it is!

#6

We use the same expression in French @SKrausser! “faire le pont” (= make a bridge)!
The last one was in July, for the national day: in fact the 14th of July fell on a Wednesday, so with the Thursday and the Friday it made a looooong bridge haha! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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#7

I just saw that this year is a bad year for Brückentage in Germany. Holidays like October 3rd, October 31st, Christmas and New Year are on a weekend :wink:

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#8

Same here! August 15th is a Sunday :tired_face:

#9

I miss that from Colombia, we usually take those national days during the week, it can be Monday or Friday. In Germany, it is what it is, :frowning: they don’t move it.

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