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- THE A-HED
- Updated March 29, 2013, 12:49 a.m. ET
In Germany, Some Want to Boogie Every Day of the Year
Ban on Dancing on Good Friday Draws Protests; Conga Line in Cologne
In Germany there is a centuries-old rule on
Good Friday called Tanzverbot. Translation: Dancing is forbidden. In the
past few years, thousands have gathered across the country on Good
Friday to protest the ban. WSJ's Laura Stevens reports.
FRANKFURT—Every
year on Good Friday, Germany becomes a little like the fictional town
in the movie "Footloose"—dancing is verboten.
The decades old "Tanzverbot," or dance
ban, applies to all clubs, discos and other forms of organized dancing
in all German states.
In a country that takes pride in its
disco traditions—immortalized by Mike Myers's Dieter character in
Saturday Night Live's "Sprockets" sketch—the ban has begun to chafe.
At a rally in the center of Frankfurt
on Thursday, a couple dozen protesters gathered to call for an end to
the ban. The rally's slogan: "I'll let you pray—you let me dance."
Political activists, pirates and a
person in a hot-pink bunny costume were all in attendance as observers
stopped by booths set up with information in the busy shopping district.
The Tanzverbot "severely limits the
rights of those who are either atheists or who believe in other
religions," said Horst Weintraut, a member of the Pirate Party who was
dressed in a black cloak and hat. "When someone is dancing Friday
evening in a club in the basement, that doesn't disturb any Christians
who are praying or doing something in the church during the day."
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Protesters of the historic dance ban blew bubbles and danced on Good Friday last year in Frankfurt.
Protests
to overturn the Tanzverbot have grown over the past couple of years as
students, atheists and club owners alike have lobbied to strike the law,
which they say is outdated and unreasonable.
On Good Friday last year in the
largely Catholic city of Cologne, around 150 dancers wearing headphones
bopped silently in the shadow of the city's towering cathedral. A conga
line formed as police stood by to keep order.
Those who support the law contend that a sacred day for reflection isn't asking too much.
"They can dance on 364 days a year,"
said Lars Witteck, the district president of the town of Giessen. "We
cannot just forget our history. We have certain types of laws that show
the respect to our tradition."
Germany has a rich Christian
tradition, from Martin Luther to Pope Benedict XVI. Yet much like the
rest of Europe, German society is increasingly secular and a dwindling
number of people regularly attend church services.
Still,
German law has been slow to reflect the trend. Shops across the country
remain closed on Sunday. More controversial is the government "church
tax" on those in Catholic or Protestant religions, among others, which
is collected to fund churches regardless of attendance. The only way to
avoid the tax is to officially leave the church, a step many Germans are
unwilling to take.
The Tanzverbot was first established
by the church and was later adopted by many city governments starting in
the Middle Ages, said Wolfgang Kaschuba, director of the Institute for
European Ethnology at Humboldt University in Berlin. Largely, explicit
laws weren't needed, however, due to existing traditions.
Now, each of Germany's 16 states has
its own Tanzverbot law. In addition to Good Friday, dancing is forbidden
in many states on several of the so-called quiet religious days
throughout the year, including Christmas Eve.
But protesters have rallied around Good
Friday, where organized dancing is banned for at least several hours in
every state. The strictest bans start at 4 a.m. on Thursday and run
through Saturday. Penalties vary, but fines can range from €5 to €500,
or about $6.50 to $650.
Adding to the push to allow partying:
Good Friday is a public holiday and the start of a four-day weekend.
Easter Monday is also a holiday.
"When only 30% of the people belong to
a church in a given city, then religious traditions face some
backlash," Mr. Kaschuba said.
At Thursday's rally in Frankfurt,
protesters called on their countrymen to officially declare themselves
atheists to the government and to stop paying the tax levied on members
of some religious communities. Organizers even offered a prize: A book
on personal freedom.
About an hour north of Frankfurt, in
the small university town of Giessen, the local branch of the
antiestablishment Pirate Party has taken the Tanzverbot on as a major
issue.
"There's a very strong community
pressure that you're not able to criticize the church," said Christian
Oechler, a Pirate Party leader and one of the organizers. "But now, the
people are confident enough to take to the streets."
Last year, members were denied
permission from officials to organize an official protest on that day.
Still, some gathered and started moving around because they wanted "to
warm up because of the weather," Mr. Oechler said.
Protesters try to keep the
demonstrations respectful and from interrupting any church activities
planned for the day, said Mr. Oechler. He said it is important to keep
the church and state separate.
Mr. Witteck, however, argued it was a matter of mutual respect and tolerance.
"For many people, this is the highest
sacred day of the year," he said. "Our society has become so fast.
Everybody tells us we have to be international, multifunctional. It's
not the worst thing to have a certain break during this time."
The Giessen Regional Commission, led by Mr. Witteck, stepped in last year to prohibit the planned demonstrations on Good Friday.
"I like to dance, and I want people to
dance, and I think it's important to have fun. I think it's very
important to allow everyone to protest," Mr. Witteck said. "But it's the
way it is done…This is a provocation."
This year, the Pirate Party of Giessen
is maintaining that it isn't organizing an official protest. However,
it has posted a Web page under the slogan: "Dance against the
Tanzverbot—Alone instead of together."
The notice proposes dancing alone "in
your own backyard, on a busy street or perhaps at 6:30 p.m. in front of
the Regional Commission" building, where Mr. Witteck's government is
based.
There is also a link to a special sign
for dancers to print out and carry in case police try to enforce the
ban on organized dancing or demonstrations.
The sign reads: "Safety warning: I'm here alone!"
