Peace Day in Augsburg, Germany, is celebrated on 8 August. It was first celebrated in 1650, and since 1950 it has been officially considered a public holiday. This day is a day off for all businesses in the city.
Augsburg is the capital of Swabia and is considered one of the most ancient cities in Germany. On August 8, 1629, the oppression of the Protestants of Augsburg began, which continued for twenty years and ended after the conclusion in 1648 of the so-called Peace of Westphalia. Also, the Day of Peace in Augsburg is associated with the peace of estates and religions, concluded in the city on September 25, 1555. On that day, a peace treaty was announced between different denominations and estates, namely between Protestants and Catholics. According to the Augsburg Treaty, universal peace was proclaimed in the country, Protestants and Catholics mutually recognized each other, cities became bi-confessional, all oppression of Protestants by the Catholic Church ceased.
Peace Day, or Augsburg Peace Festival (German: Friedensfest or Peace Festival in Augsburg), is a quiet, cozy city holiday. In the city, solemn processions take place, musical groups perform. Theatrical performances are being arranged, telling about the events of the past years. Many townspeople are dressed in costumes of bygone times; there are a lot of children at the festival. Festive services are held in churches of all denominations. Not without the traditional German drink - beer. Towards evening, the city empties, the townspeople go home. Many continue to celebrate in bars and pubs.
Over the long history of the holiday - more than 350 years - its origins have largely disappeared. Few celebrate it exactly as the anniversary of peace between Catholics and Protestants, now it is just a holiday of peace, love, tolerance, good attitude to one's neighbor, an occasion to remember the culture and traditions of past centuries. Many townspeople celebrate this holiday with their families, which in itself is a very good tradition. A fairly large number of guests from other cities in Germany and from other countries also come to the holiday.
