I have always been fascinated by the way that post boxes in the UK make a special mention of Good Friday.  On this day the post is collected at a different time to the rest of the year.

It’s one of the quirks that as a British ex-pat I think about today, along with having a lack of hot-cross buns to eat.

There are not many things that I miss about the UK, and most of the things that I do I bring back to Germany with me.

But the postal collection on Good Friday is one that I cannot bring with me, and Germany does not collect the post on any bank holidays.

I guess it’s just a piece of culture that I will have to do without.  I wonder how long it will last for?

Come to think of it, does anyone know why this exception exists in the first place?

Karfreitag is the name for Good Friday – the Friday before Easter Sunday.

It is also known as Stiller Freitag or Hoher Freitag and is a day in remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

For Catholics it is a day of fasting and traditionally people eat fish on this day and avoid alcohol.

In Germany it is a public holiday.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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