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15August Liechtenstein's National Day

ForthviewForthview Shipmate
in Ecclesiantics
A papal Indult of 1802 between the Vatican and France allowed for four obligatory workfree festal days of religious significance in France.(Christmas.Ascension,Assumption and All Saints reduced from 33 before the Revolution).In spite of many changes these days have remained since then as public holidays in France.

Since WW2 many European countries have reduced the public holidays with religious meaning also to four or five.

Recently my son has been in Liechtenstein where I discover that there are almost twenty paid public holidays,mostly of religious significance
1.Jan Neujahrstag/New Year 2.Jan Berchtoldstag (social festival with nuts)
6.Jan Heilige Drei Koenige/Epiphany 2.Feb Lichtmess/Candlemas,
Fastnachtsdienstag/Shrove Tuesday 19.Mar Josefitag/St Joseph Karfreitag/Good Friday,Ostermontag/Easter Monday, 1.May Tag der /Arbeit/Day of (no) work, Auffahrt/Ascension,Pfingstmontag/Whitmonday,
Fronleichnam/Corpus Christi, Maria Himmelfahrt und STAATSFEIERTAG/
Assumption and National Day, 8.Sept Maria Geburt/Nativity of Mary,1.Nov Allerheiligen/All Saints. 8Dec Maria Empfaengnis/Immaculate Conception
24 Dec Heiliger Abend/Christmas Eve,25 Dec Weihnachten/Christmas
26 Dec Stefanitag/St Stephen's day.

On 15th August after an open air Mass in front of the Castle the Prince of Liechtenstein gives a 'state of the nation' address and invites everyone back to the Castle for free beer and sausages,plus,usually a fireworks display in the evening.

Are the approximately 40 000, inhabitants of Liechtenstein,many of whom are not actually citizens, lucky or not ?

Comments

  • stetsonstetson Shipmate
    edited August 15
    Are you asking if they're lucky because of the number of holidays they get? Or because so many of the holidays are religious? Or...?
  • SojournerSojourner Shipmate
    They are up there with strictly Orthodox Jews, who might do even better (8 days for Chanukah as an example)
  • ForthviewForthview Shipmate
    there are a lot of 'ors'
  • SojournerSojourner Shipmate
    As opposed to “eithers”?
  • ForthviewForthview Shipmate
    They might be lucky to have at least 20 working days paid for without having to go to work.
    They might be lucky to live in a country where there is no military service as Switzerland provides military cover and border controls
    They might be lucky to live in the fourth smallest country in Europe which is a tax haven for financial institutes and the money from which trickles down to the citizens (even if only the free beer and sausages on the 15th August)
    On the other hand they might chafe somewhat at living in such a small country where some might say that there are not a lot of cultural attractions.
    If however you like mountains then you are really halfway to heaven.

    Catholicism is indeed the state religion supported in some way by almost 80% of the population ( though not necessarily by regular church attendance although the free beer and sausages on the 15th August is a big draw.)
    Approximately 10% are Lutheran or Calvinist and arrangements are made for all religions in schools. there are about 30 Jews in Liechtenstein who attend a synagogue in Switzerland.
    However the Prince is really an absolute ruler although there is,of course a government with Prime minister etc.
    Even the pope has heard of Liechtenstein as he has this very 15th August appointed Princess Gisela Bergmann to an important post in the Vatican Council for Economy overseeing the finances of the Holy See.
  • SojournerSojourner Shipmate
    The things one learns…the only Liechtensteiner I knew of is the composer & organist Josef Rheinberger whose Cantus Missae is familiar to me.
  • PomonaPomona Shipmate
    I must know more about the social festival with nuts! Is it a coincidence that it's the day after the Feast of the Circumcision? 😈
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Pomona wrote: »
    I must know more about the social festival with nuts! Is it a coincidence that it's the day after the Feast of the Circumcision? 😈
    :lol:


  • ForthviewForthview Shipmate
    Berchtoldstag has an entry in English on Wikipaedia .it will tell you all you need to know about the nuts. It is a festival also in Switzerland.

    As Sojourner says 'the things one learns' .I didn't know that Rheinberger
    was from Liechtenstein. His Masses are often sung in Austria..

    For me Liechtenstein is fascinating as the present ducal family bought the territory from the Habsburgs about 300 years ago and called it after their castle near Vienna (Burg Liechtenstein). Because the territory was 'reichsunmittelbar' they survived the final collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as an independent principality.
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    I didn't know Rheinberger was from there either - and I have played some of his organ music. I do know we were travelling back from Austria by road and researched a hotel stop there (solely to knock off another European country from the bucket list) - but the hotels were very costly when compared to the other side of the border.
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