Literally: “celebration evening” / meaning: end of the work day
For decades, Germany was synonymous with diligence and productivity. But is this reputation still justified today? Recent data casts some doubt on it. According to Eurostat, by no means do today’s Germans work more than other Europeans—at least not when measured with a stopwatch. The average German aged 20–64 works 33.9 hours a week on their main job, clearly less than the EU average of 36 hours. Compared to countries like Greece (39.8) or Bulgaria (39.0), they get to enjoy their Feierabend quite a bit earlier.
This beautiful word does not have its origins in the German after-work party culture, but was originally used for the evening before a public holiday. In the 16th century, the term was reinterpreted under the influence of the language of the craftsmen to describe the “start of the rest time in the evening.” Defined as such, it has become an export hit. For example, it has entered the Polish and Czech languages as “fajrant” and “fajrumt,” respectively.
By the way, in both countries, the average weekly working time is longer than in Germany—so they have earned their Feierabendbier even more honorably.
