World	USA 76% of the adult population in the US is member of a Christian church [Die Welt, 13 Oct 2004]	Germany Germany, 1949: 90% of population catholic or protestant East-Germany, 1989: 24% protestant, 6% catholic Germany, 1999: 27 million catholics, 27 million protestants [Zeit 50/2002]
The Roman Catholic church	24% of adult population [Die Welt, 13 Oct 2004]	Roman Catholic church [West Germany: 41% of pop, East Germany: 4%] [Brockhaus mm 2002]
Protestant churches 600 mio members (2000) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	52% of adult population [Die Welt, 13 Oct 2004]	free churches - protestant churches that are not provincial churches [Das Neue Duden-Lexion; Brockhaus 1989] 1999: No free church with more than 100,000 members. Eg. Baptists: 77,000 [Brockhaus mm 2002]
"evangelian" - since 1594 collective name for Lutherians and Reformed [Das Neue Duden-Lexion; Brockhaus 1989]	?	EKD (Evangelian Church in Germany) - association of 24 Lutherian, Reformed, or Lutherian/Reform-unified provincial churches in Germany; post-WWII successor of 19th/20th-century associations of provincial churches (2000: 26.9 mio members [West Germany: 36% of pop., East Germany: 23%], 1986: 29.7). 12 Lutherian/Reform-unified churches: Evangelian [Provincial] Church of Anhalt (0.08 mio), in Baden (1.4), in Berlin-Brandenburg (1.5), Bremian (0.3) in Hessia and Nassau (2), of Kurhessia-Waldeck (1), of Palatia (0.7), Pommerian (0.14), in Rhineland (3.2), of churchprovince Saxony (0.6), of Selesian Upper-Lausitz (0.075), of Westphalia (2.9) [Das Neue Duden-Lexion; Brockhaus 1989]
Reformed World Alliance: 211 churches with 75 mio members (1970 union of presbyterian assoc + congregational assoc) - based on Confessio Tetrapolitana (1530), Calvin's Geneva catechism (1545), the Heidelbergian catechism (1563) the 2nd Helvetian confession (1566)	?	two churches within the EKD: Lippische Landeskirche (0.2 mio), Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche (0.2 mio in Bavaria and NW-Germany) [Brockhaus mm 2002]
Lutherian World Alliance: 63 mio members (2000). - based on Confessio Augustana (1530 by Melanchthon, accepted 1560) + concordia formula (1577, includes Luther's Schmalkandian article of 1536) Largest Lu. church: Lu. ch. of Sweden (state church until 1999): 7.6 mio members. Largest in Germany: Ev-lu. provicial church of Hannover: 3.26 mio 1996 world 61 mio = 37 mio in Europe, 8 mio in Africa, 8 mio in North-Am, 5 mio in Asia, 1.4 mio in Latin-Am [Brockhaus mm 2002]	Lutherian: 9.5 mio [Die Welt, 13 Oct 2004] Largest: The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (2.6 mio, since 1847) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	10 churches within the EKD: The Evangelian-Lutherian Church in Baveria (2.7 mio), in Brunswick (0.5), of Hannover (3.3), of Mecklenburg (0.25), North-Elibian (2.45), in Oldenburg (0.5), of Saxony (1.1), of Schaumburg-Lippe (0.067), of Turingia (0.6), of Wurtemberg (2.45) [Brockhaus mm 2002]
Anglican association: 73 mio members (2000). - based on Common Prayer Book (1549/1662) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	The Episcopal church: 2.4 mio (founded 1789 after US independence) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	?
World Council of Methodist Churches: 70 mio members (about 50% adult) in >60 churches [Brockhaus mm 2002]	Methodists: 13.7 mio (9 mio adult) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	Evangelical-Methodist Church: 65,000 (39,000) members [Brockhaus mm 2002]
Baptist World Alliance (since 1881): 43 mio (baptists since 17th century) [Brockhaus mm 2002]	Baptists: 33 mio [Brockhaus mm 2002]	Baptists: 77,000 [Brockhaus mm 2002]

Muslims (in millions, latest estimates) [what was my source???] Muslims [Economist]
France 4-5 (4.5 [Economist Apr 8, 2004]) min 7% 5 mio
Germany around 3 3.4% 3.5 mio
(2.6 mio from Turkey, 170,000 from Bosnia)
UK around 1.7 (1.6 [Economist Apr 8, 2004]) 2.7%
Italy 0.9 - 1 1.4%
Netherlands 0.9 2.0%
Spain around 0.7 1.1%
Belgium 0.4 3.4%
Sweden 0.4 3.9%
Denmark 0.2 2.0%
Norway 0.1 1.6%

Jews in Germany [telepolis 23.06.03]:
Germany, 1933: 500,000 Jews
Germany, 1950: 25,000 Jews
Germany, 1990: 33,000 Jews. Since then 15-20,000 Jews @ year immigrated from former Soviet Union, 175,000 up to 2002. In 2002 alone, 19,262 ex-SU Jews came to Germany (and to 18,878 to Israel, and 10,000 to USA).
Germany, 2003: 200,000 Jews - fasted growing Jewish population in the world - third-largest in Europe (excluding Russia???) after UK and France. Of these, 100,000 are members of Jewish communities; and 100,000 are "of Jewish descent" (but not practicing?).

Holidays

Germany (green: fixed school holidays in Bavaria)

Canada

January

1: New Year

6: Epiphany (holiday in Southern Germany)

February

14: Valentine's Day

The week before Lent [in Feb. or March]:
In Romance tradition along the Rhine: "Carneval"
In Germanic tradition in Southern Germany: Bavarian "Fasching" in Bavaria & Austria, Alemanian "Lent Night" (Fasnet) in BW and German Switzerland

Thu: "Women's Lent Night" (Weiberfastnacht)

Fri

Sat

Sun

Mon: "Rose Monday" (Rosenmontag) - main day of Carneval processions (with political statements, eg. 2004: nude chancellor Schröder figure scaring his party)

Tue: "Fasching Tuesday"/"Lent Night" (Faschingdienstag/Fastnacht)

Tue in France: Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") - originally: the day to eat all the fatty stuff in your home

Ash Wednesday - starts 6 weeks of Lent until Maundy Thursday

... Fri

March

April

1: April's Fool Day

Sun before Easter: Palm Sunday

...

Holy Week (Karwoche)

Thu: Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag)

Fri: Good Friday (Karfreitag)

Sat

Sun: Easter Sunday

Mon: Easter Monday

...

Sun after Easter: Low Sunday ("White Sunday")

May

1: Labour Day - international holiday since 1890, originally a demonstration for the 8-hour workday, after 1918 national holiday in some European countries.

3rd Sun after Easter: Mother Day

19: ...

June

50 days (7 weeks) after Easter [May or June]: Whitsun

Sun: Whit-Sunday

Mon: Whit-Monday

... Sun ...

Thu 3 weeks after Ascension: Corpus Christi (holiday in catholic states = Southern + Western Germany)

Fri

July

1: Canada Day

August

1: Celebration of Federation (Switzerland)

six weeks of summer vacations in and around August

15: Mariae Assumption (holiday in Saarland and in catholic communities of Bavaria)

September

1: ...

October

3: Day of German Unity

13: ...

26: National Day (Austria)

31: Reformation Day (protestant holiday, holiday in East German states)

Halloween - the night before All Saints'

November

1: All Saints' Day (holiday in catholic states= Southern + Western Germany, except Hesse) - catholic remembrance of all saints

2: All Souls' Day - catholic remembrance of all deceased believers

the eve before Martin's Day: Martin's fire, children's march with Martin's lamps & Martin's singing

11: Martin's Day - day of St. Martin of Tour (patron of the Merowian-Franconian empire), celebrated with Martin's goose
Also: 11/11 at 11:11 o'clock: official opening of the carneval season

11: Remembrance Day - national remembrance of the victims of the world wars

cf. UK: Remembrance Sunday - closest Sunday to Nov 11th

2nd Sun before 1st Advent: Remembrance [Sun]Day (Volkstrauertag) - national remembrance of the victims of the world wars and national-socialism (BRD since 1951)

Wed before Totensonntag: day of prayer and repentance (Buß- und Bettag) (holiday in Saxony)

last Sun before 1st Advent: Totensonntag - protestant remembrance of the dead (since 1814)

December

6: Santa Claus

8: Mariae Empfängnis (national holiday in Austria)

24: Christmas Eve (national 1/2 holiday)

25: First Christmas Holiday
26: Second Christmas Holiday

31: Silvester (national 1/2 holiday)

Muslims (in millions, latest estimates) [what was my source???]			Muslims [Economist]
France	4-5 (4.5 [Economist Apr 8, 2004])	min 7%	5 mio
Germany	around 3	3.4%	3.5 mio (2.6 mio from Turkey, 170,000 from Bosnia)
UK	around 1.7 (1.6 [Economist Apr 8, 2004])	2.7%
Italy	0.9 - 1	1.4%
Netherlands	0.9	2.0%
Spain	around 0.7	1.1%
Belgium	0.4	3.4%
Sweden	0.4	3.9%
Denmark	0.2	2.0%
Norway	0.1	1.6%