National Day of Mourning or Volkstrauertag in Germany
National Day of Mourning or Volkstrauertag in Germany is held on November 17. Date for 2024. Observed two Sundays before the first of Advent. This event in the second decade of the month November is annual. 
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Volkstrauertag is a commemoration day in Germany two Sundays before the first day of Advent. It commemorates members of the armed forces of all nations and civilians who died in armed conflicts, to include victims of violent oppression. It was first observed in its modern form in 1952.
In 1893, the Kingdom of Prussia consolidated many days of repentance and prayer celebrated by various Protestant denominations and in various German-speaking regions into Buß- und Bettag, a national work-holiday celebrated on the Wednesday before November 23.
In 1919, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) proposed a Volkstrauertag for German soldiers killed in the First World War. It was first held in 1922 in the Reichstag. In 1926, Volkstrauertag became a feature on what Catholics considered Reminiscere (the second Sunday of Lent.)
In the Weimar years, Volkstrauertag was not a legal holiday.
Similar holidays and events, festivals and interesting facts
European Dystonia Day on November 15
National Reading Aloud Day in Germany on November 15
National Soup Day in Germany on November 19
General Day of Repentance and Prayer in Germany on November 20 (Held on the Wednesday before the last Sunday of the church year);
Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20
Musician's Day on November 22
European Day of Homelessness on November 23
Advent market in Mainz-Ebersheim on November 23
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