Good Friday Dancing Ban Has Germany in a Twist

No, the "Tanzverbot" isn't the latest German dance craze. It's quite the opposite: the decades-old law that bans all organized dancing in Germany on Good Friday and other religious holidays. And with church attendance falling around Germany, its citizens are increasingly calling for the ban to be ended, reports the Wall Street Journal. A rally in Frankfurt yesterday drew a couple dozen protesters, carrying the slogan: "I'll let you pray—you let me dance." Depending on the state, fines for breaking the rule range from $6.50 to $650.

"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," says one protester. Germany maintains many Christian-based laws, including a "church tax" on all citizens who belong to a church, regardless of whether they attend. "They can dance on 364 days a year," says one politician. "We cannot just forget our history." (More Germany stories.)