Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 26: Volkstrauertag 

This day is sort of a German Memorial Day, but broader, as it's a day of mourning for all military and civilian dead from armed conflict (which in this case includes political oppression as well as war). It's held on the second Sunday before the first day of Advent, after it moved from mid-November to the second Sunday of Lent to early March, where the Nazis changes its meaning to best suit its propaganda aims.

After World War II, the government moved it to its current day and given its broader scope. Celebrations are kind of like a combination of Memorial Day and Veterans Day in the US, with speeches by elected leaders and parades of veterans that often go from a religious service to a local war memorial.