World Thrift Day
World Thrift Day is a public holiday in Germany that’s held on the last business day before Halloween. For example, in 2017, it was observed on the 30th of October, but in 2021, it was observed on October 29th.
Germany (Observance)This holiday is the German version of World Savings Day—a holiday that was first celebrated in 1925 to encourage people to save money towards their retirement. Now it’s a holiday that encourages people to give money the consideration that it deserves, so they can not only be better savers, but so they can keep more of what they make.
The History Of World Thrift Day
On October 31st, 1924, the first World Savings Day was established during the inaugural International Savings Bank Congress held in Milano, Italy. On the last day of the congress, Italian Professor Filippo Ravizza declared that this holiday should be celebrated as International Saving Day.
In Germany, the people’s confidence in saving their money in banks had to be repaired because many Germans lost almost everything thanks to German monetary reform in 1923. After World War II, this holiday began to really gain traction in Germany, and it was renamed World Thrift Day. It’s been observed on the last business day before October 31st ever since.
Observing World Thrift Day In Germany
This holiday is observed as an educational holiday that’s used to spread the word about the benefits of saving. This is done mainly through advertising campaigns but is also done through special events. It’s not a public holiday for the general public, however, so government offices continue to operate as normal, as do schools and most businesses.
Word of this holiday can be spread in English across the world wide web using the hashtag #WorldThriftDayGermany. In German, the hashtag #Wéltspartag can be used on social media to spread the word about it.
Germany (Observance)
