By Joachin Meisner Hertz
Copyright zenit
(ZENIT News / Rome, 09.18.2025).- Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has once again confirmed that the nation’s long-standing ban on dancing on Good Friday does not infringe on personal freedoms, ruling that the protection of the day’s solemn character outweighs the objections of club owners and revelers.
The case began in Göttingen, where a nightclub hosted a dance event with around one hundred participants on the night that bridged Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Local authorities issued a fine of €1,700, which the venue challenged as unconstitutional. The dispute made its way through the judicial system until the district court sought clarification from the country’s highest constitutional authority in Karlsruhe.
On September 9, the First Senate’s Third Chamber of the Federal Constitutional Court dismissed the appeal, describing it as inadmissible because it failed to properly address existing jurisprudence. Judges reiterated that the ban does not amount to coercion into Christian practice but rather serves to preserve the external character of Good Friday as a day of rest and public reflection.
The court emphasized that the restriction is limited to a handful of days each year and that the vast majority of entertainment activities remain unaffected. As such, the justices found no breach of professional freedom for business owners. Nor did they detect any violation of what German law calls “negative religious freedom”—the right not to practice religion—since the measure does not force participation in worship but merely protects the cultural and religious silence associated with the day.
The ruling is final and comes nearly a decade after the same court issued a landmark judgment in 2016 that also upheld Good Friday’s protected status. At that time, Karlsruhe underlined the state’s duty to balance religious heritage with secular freedoms in a pluralistic society.
Good Friday, marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, has long carried special weight in Germany, where laws known colloquially as «Tanzverbot» (dance bans) reflect the Christian imprint on public life. While critics argue such bans are relics in a society where church affiliation is steadily declining, supporters contend that even in a secularizing nation, certain traditions merit legal recognition.
The latest decision suggests that, at least for now, Germany’s highest judges side with continuity: Good Friday will remain a day when music fades, clubs fall silent, and the nation’s cultural calendar honors the gravity of the Christian story at its heart.
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