Ban on dancing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Announcement of a ban on dancing in the Uetersener Nachrichten from 1914

A dance ban is a prohibition on holding public dance and sporting events on certain days or at certain times of the year. The origin of the ban on dancing is moral . Dance bans exist in various religions and can also be imposed for secular reasons.

Historical background

Police Ordinance on Dance Pleasure in War of January 17, 1942, published in the German Reichsgesetzblatt

Certain days or periods of time with dance bans for moral or traditional reasons existed in many cultures. In addition to general moral concerns about dancing, a ban mostly related to certain periods of time for which the exuberance of the dance was considered inappropriate, in Christian culture to the closed times of Advent and Lent . In the closed times of the church year, it was not allowed to dance or celebrate lavishly. As a result of Puritanism and Pietism , the ban was extended beyond Holy Week to include Easter Sunday , as this was to be kept free from worldly pleasures. Other occasions include All Saints' Day and the Remembrance of All Souls Day , the Sunday of the Dead and the National Memorial Day .

In the Franconian and Alpine folk dance scene , the tradition of prohibiting dancing in closed times is still maintained; large dance festivals take place regularly before these times begin ( Kathrein dance , carnival ).

General dance bans were occasionally imposed in Germany, for example during the First World War ; it was canceled on New Year's Eve 1918. In September 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War, the National Socialist government banned public dance events ("according to the seriousness of the situation"). Both the invasion of Poland (1939) and the campaign in the west (1940) ended quickly, victoriously and with relatively few losses; afterwards the Nazi propaganda spread the victorious mood in the German Reich. The ban on dancing was not consistently obeyed and was temporarily lifted, as dance conversations for soldiers were classified as "vital to combat strength". The general ban on dancing, which was renewed on April 6, 1941, by decree of Reichsführer SS and Chief of Police Heinrich Himmler , was not consistently followed. It was relaxed on June 10, 1941 (from then on, dancing was allowed three days a week). This relaxation was seen by the population as an indication of an imminent Russian campaign , about which there had been rumors in many places. The attack on the Soviet Union began on June 22, 1941. Dance events were strictly forbidden from February 1943 after the lost battle of Stalingrad with the surrender of the 6th Army (Wehrmacht) . The Nazi propagandist Walter May-Hermannstadt defended the ban on April 11, 1943 in an editorial published in regional weekly newspapers. The ban on dancing is an expression of the solidarity of the youth with the fighting front .

In some cases, official dance bans were also issued due to an attitude that generally viewed dance as immoral or harmful. Certain dances, such as the Viennese waltz , the tango or rock 'n' roll , were sometimes viewed as violating propriety or the commandment of chastity .

Situation in German-speaking countries

Germany

Today the dance ban in Germany is a state-regulated ban on public dance events on so-called silent days (e.g. Good Friday or National Day of Mourning ).

The “dance ban” generally not only affects dance, but also other public events such as sporting events, as these too go beyond the “bar and restaurant” and can therefore be prohibited according to the wording of the law. There are also some special regulations: In Bavaria, for example, on Good Friday, in addition to the general ban on dancing, there is a general ban on musical performances of any kind in rooms with bars. In contrast, a large dance sport tournament begins in Berlin every year on Good Friday.

The days affected by the dance ban differ in the federal states and are regulated by the respective public holiday laws or additional ordinances.

Day / country BW BY BE BB HB HH HE MV NI NW RP SL SN ST SH TH
New Year 04-12
Ash Wednesday 02-24
Maundy Thursday 18-24 02-24 04-24 05-24 18-24 04-24 04-24
Good Friday G G 04-21 G 06-21 02-24 G G G G G G G G 02-24 G
Holy Saturday 00-20 G 00-04 00-02 G 00-18 G 00-06 G G 00-02
Easter Sunday 04-12 00-16
Easter Monday 04-12
Ascension 04-12
Pentecost Sunday 04-12
Whit Monday 04-12
Corpus Christi 04-12
All Saints Day 03-24 02-24 05-18 04-24 04-24
All Souls K 00-18
Memorial Day 05-24 02-24 04-21 04-24 06-17 06-15 04-24 05-24 05-24 05-18 04-24 04-24 03-24 05-24 06-20 03-24
Day of Prayer and Repentance 03-24 02-24 04-18 03-24 05-24
Dead Sunday 05-24 02-24 04-21 04-24 06-17 06-17 04-24 05-24 05-24 05-18 04-24 04-24 03-24 05-24 06-20 03-24
Christmas eve 14-24 13-24 17-24 13-24 13-24 16-24 13-24 14-24 16-24 15-24
1st Christmas Day 04-12 00-16
2nd Christmas Day 04-12

Legend:
     G        all-day ban on dancing
     K        05-24 pm in communities with at least 40 percent Catholic population
 13-24    with the time
               no ban on dancing

In addition, there is a special provision that church services must not be disturbed by noise. In Hesse, the ban on dancing also applies on Sundays from four to twelve o'clock.

Baden-Württemberg

In Baden-Württemberg the Public Holidays Act (FTG) regulates dance bans. According to Section 13 (2) FTG, violations can be punished as an administrative offense with a fine of up to € 1500. In addition to the above-mentioned special holidays with a ban on dancing, there was a ban on all public dance entertainment from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on every Sunday, except May 1st and October 3rd, until the 2015 amendment pursuant to Section 10 (2) FTG. On November 25, 2015, the state parliament decided to change the regulation, which was one of the strictest up until then. Thereafter, the ban on dancing will no longer apply on the following days: All Sundays, New Year, Epiphany, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Christmas Day. The ban on dancing continues to exist on the following days: All Saints' Day, General Day of Repentance and Prayer, National Mourning Day, Remembrance Day, Maundy Thursday (from 6 p.m.), Good Friday, Holy Saturday (until 8 p.m.).

Bavaria

Up to and including July 2013, there was an all -day ban on dancing from midnight to midnight on all protected days in Bavaria . On July 2, 2013, however, the Bavarian State Parliament decided to change the law on public holidays and thereby loosen the ban on dancing, so that the protection of the silent days does not begin until 2 a.m., but the all-day ban on dancing from 0 a.m. on Good Friday and Easter Saturday remains. This should respond to the changed habits when celebrating today and still protect the quiet days. As before, the 24.12. only protected from 2 p.m. These changes took effect on August 1, 2013. This was preceded by years of political discussion between the CSU and the FDP . Parts of the CSU feared erosion of the Christian holiday culture, the FDP argued that the quiet day did not start the night before.

On November 30, 2016, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the strict protection of Good Friday, as it had previously applied in Bavaria, to be unconstitutional. The general ban violated the freedom of assembly and belief . Good Friday is especially protected as a quiet day; to exclude any possibility of exemption from the outset is however disproportionate. The lawsuit was brought by the Bund für Geistesfreiheit .

Bremen

On April 29, 2011, the petition for the “Abolish dance ban” campaign was handed over to the Bremen state parliament, the Bremen citizenship, with 790 signatories. At that time it was one of the five online petitions with the largest number of supporters. The Committee on Petitions passed this on to the political groups in January 2012 on the following grounds: "In view of the broad agreement that the petitioner's request received, the Committee on Petitions is of the opinion that a broader political discussion is necessary." Public discussion brought the government factions of the SPD and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen an application for the two-stage abolition of the dance ban in the state of Bremen. This provides for the ban on dancing on Good Friday to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Memorial Day and Sunday of the Dead to 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and to allow dancing on all other days on which it was previously prohibited. In addition, these time restrictions are also to be lifted at the end of February 2018, and the dance ban is to be finally abolished. With the votes of the SPD, the Greens and the Left, against the votes of the CDU and BIW, the Bremen citizenship passed this change in the law on March 13, 2013 in a second reading. It came into force before Good Friday 2013. In 2017, however, it was decided not to abolish the dance ban, but to keep it permanently.

Almost identical petitions from other petitioners were also submitted in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, but did not lead to any result.

Schleswig-Holstein

Up to and including March 25, 2016, there was an all-day ban on dancing from midnight to midnight on all silent holidays in Schleswig-Holstein. In January 2016, however, the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament decided to change the ban and thereby loosen the ban on dancing, so that protection begins at 2 a.m. on Good Friday and lasts until 2 a.m. on the following Easter Saturday. The ban on dancing on the day of national mourning and on the Sunday of the dead "applies from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m."

Austria

In Austria there was only a dance ban in Tyrol (until 2004) and in Upper Austria (until 2007). In most federal states, "events that [do not] do justice to the character of the day" or "are likely to hurt the religious feelings of the population" are prohibited on Good Friday by the respective event law and in some federal states also on December 24th. Events that go beyond midnight usually do not have to be canceled. All events are generally prohibited in Carinthia. There are no restrictions in Styria and Vorarlberg, and restrictions have even been prohibited in Upper Austria since 2008.

Switzerland

The ban on dancing is regulated by the cantons. Currently (2012) there are regulations for high public holidays under this name in six cantons, namely in the cantons of Aargau , Glarus , Uri , Obwalden , Solothurn and Appenzell Innerrhoden .

In the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, the Great Council approved at the beginning of February 2009, following criticism from Catholic circles, that the ban on dancing over Holy Week should be maintained.

In the canton of St. Gallen , public events of a non-religious nature are prohibited on major public holidays, except in closed rooms and with fewer than 500 people.

In Aargau, the provision in the cantonal hospitality law restricts the opening times on five major public holidays such as Good Friday, Easter, Whitsun and Christmas. The inns have to close at 12:15 a.m. - instead of at 2 a.m. on other days. Or, with the approval of the municipality, not until four o'clock. However, there has been no actual dance ban in Aargau since 1997. Dancing as well as public dance, cultural and concert events are allowed on all Christian holidays.

In all other cantons there is no longer a ban on dancing, the last time the canton of Lucerne lifted their dance ban in 2009 and the canton of Baselland in 2011.

Conflicts

Since Bavaria tightened the public holiday law in 2008 because of “brutalizing morals”, there have been conflicts with restaurateurs who are only allowed to hold Halloween parties until midnight, unless they are closed societies. The postponement of the dance ban from midnight to two o'clock in 2013 made the criticism largely obsolete.

Positions on dance ban

The Humanist Association of Germany sees the dance ban, which forbids public events on certain ecclesiastical and secular occasions, a disadvantage for people of different faith and non-denominational people and calls for a change in the holiday laws . This criticism was also shared by the Federation for Freedom of the Mind , the Giordano Bruno Foundation and parts of Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen , the Pirate Party Germany and the Young Liberals .

From circles of the Pirate Party it was said that the ban on dancing "for religiously motivated reasons interferes in an impermissible form with general freedom". Sigrid Beer , member of the state parliament in North Rhine-Westphalia , church policy spokeswoman and parliamentary director, explains on her website: “The Greens stand for religious diversity and a social image of plurality and tolerance. ... For me as a Christian, Good Friday is and will remain a stumbling block in society. ... That is why this society needs a quiet holiday like Good Friday, on which it is thrown back on itself. No change is planned to the public holiday law. ”In contrast, the Green Youth emphasized in 2012 that“ it is not the task of the state to prescribe devotion to everyone ”, and that legally prescribed customs are incompatible with a secular state.

The German Association of Towns and Municipalities demanded a relaxation of the holiday laws in 2017. What is needed is a "greater adjustment to social reality".

“Heidenspaß-Party” on Good Friday

A “Heidenspaß-Party” planned by the Association for Freedom of the Mind in Munich on Good Friday 2007 was banned by the city. The basis for the ban was the Bavarian Law on the Protection of Sundays and Holidays: According to Article 2, Paragraph 2, “[a] on the quiet days […] public entertainment events are only permitted if the serious nature of these days is preserved . "Article 5 allowed the municipalities" to grant exemption from the prohibitions of Articles 2, 3 and 4 in individual cases for important reasons, but not for Good Friday. "The association sued the prohibition and was initially unsuccessful in April 2009 before the Bavarian Administrative Court . However, the First Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court then decided on October 27, 2016 a. A. "Article 5 clause 2 of the Bavarian Law on the Protection of Sundays and Holidays is incompatible with Article 4 Paragraph 1 and 2 as well as Article 8 Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law and is void." In its judgment, the Federal Constitutional Court recognized the claim of the planned event as ideological work by a recognized ideological community , which is particularly protected by the Basic Law, so that the event “was to be permitted as an exception if it was understood in accordance with the constitution”.

Petition and demonstrations against the ban on dancing

In 2004, the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg rejected a petition against the ban on dancing (according to § 10 FTG) and justified this with the "great importance attached to the constitutionally required protection of Sundays and public holidays".

In 2011, following the announcement by the Frankfurt / Main regulatory department that it wanted to enforce the ban on dancing on Good Friday, a public debate took place on the subject. In the years before that, despite the ban on dancing, dance events had mostly been tolerated, so that some hosts cited the risk of high economic damage as an argument against the law. While the FDP and CDU and the churches defended the ban, it was rejected as "out of date" by some of the press, such as the Frankfurter Rundschau , and members of other parties, such as the green parliamentarian Sarah Sorge and the Hessian young liberals . On April 22, 2011 between 800 and 2000 people demonstrated against the dance ban on Frankfurt's Römerberg . A Good Friday procession by the Croatian Catholic community was also disrupted by mobbing and whistling, for which the organizers of the demonstration then apologized.

Also on Good Friday 2012 there were protests against the ban on dancing in several German cities, in Hesse the rally "Dancing against the ban on dancing" had previously been banned.

Polls on the dance ban

According to a 2016 survey by YouGov , 53% were in favor of keeping the dance ban on Good Friday and 38% in favor of lifting it. In a new survey in 2017, the values ​​were almost unchanged. Above all, it is people aged 60 and over who speak out against lifting the ban on dancing.

Situation in Muslim countries

In many Middle Eastern countries, dancing is often perceived as negative or disreputable. Antony Shay calls this view choreophobia . Furthermore, dancing in Muslim societies is generally seen as a potential for apostasy and disturbance of social peace. A few exceptions are permitted ( halāl ) as long as the dance is dedicated to the memory of Allah and the dance does not originate from worldly pleasures. In Egypt and Iran there are therefore dance bans. However, dancing and music are not explicitly regulated in the Koran .

Others

The film Footloose (1984) is about a ban on dancing.

Web links

Commons : Ban on dancing  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christine Stöllinger-Löser: 'Teaching against dancing and about the maypole'. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume V, Col. 670-672.
  2. ↑ June 1941 - What happened in June 1941? In: chroniknet.de. Retrieved April 15, 2017 .
  3. ↑ News - Blue Ribbon. In: blauesband-berlin.de. Retrieved April 15, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Sunday and holiday laws of the federal states. In: saarheim.de. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Law on Sundays and Public Holidays (Public Holidays Act - FTG) in the version published on May 8, 1995. Accessed on March 24, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Law on the protection of Sundays and public holidays in Bavaria, last changes valid since August 1, 2013. In: gesetze-bayern.de. Retrieved August 1, 2013 .
  7. ↑ Law on Sundays and Holidays. In: gesetze.berlin.de
  8. ↑ Ordinance on the protection of Sundays and public holidays (Public Holiday Protection Ordinance - FSchVO). In: gesetze.berlin.de
  9. ^ Law on Sundays and Holidays of November 12, 1954. In: transparenz.bremen.de. Retrieved March 25, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Holiday Protection Ordinance in the version of February 15, 1957 (Hamburg State Law). In: landesrecht.hamburg.de
  11. ↑ Public holiday law. In: Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport. Retrieved January 12, 2017 .
  12. ^ The North Rhine-Westphalian Sunday and Public Holidays Act (FTG NW) and commercial activities. Leaflet of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce (PDF).
  13. ^ A b Schleswig-Holstein shortens the ban on dancing on quiet days. In: kathisch.de. January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  14. ↑ 03–24 if All Saints Day falls on the weekdays Monday to Friday, otherwise 05–24
  15. ↑ § 8 Lower Saxony law on public holidays. In: mi.niedersachsen.de
  16. ↑ Law on Sundays and Holidays (Public Holidays Act - FTG) in the version published on May 8, 1995, Section 13. Accessed on March 24, 2016 .
  17. ↑ The ban on dancing on public holidays will be relaxed. State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, accessed on March 24, 2016 .
  18. ↑ Amendment of the Bavarian Public Holiday Act on July 2, 2013. In: bayern.landtag.de , accessed on August 1, 2013 (PDF; 121 kB)
  19. ↑ Protected Sundays and Holidays (BW) - leaflet -. Law on the protection of Sundays and public holidays in Bavaria, last changes valid since August 1, 2013 .
  20. ↑ A general ban on dancing on Good Friday in Bavaria is unconstitutional. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . November 30, 2016.
  21. ↑ Thorsten Kraft: Dance bans on public holidays restrict individual freedom. In: My freedom blog. December 1, 2016, accessed December 1, 2016 .
  22. ^ EPetition Bremen Citizenship. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013 ; accessed on October 4, 2019 .
  23. ^ Report of the Petitions Committee No. 5 of January 18, 2012 , Drs. 18/208
  24. ↑ Ban on dancing and celebrations. ( Memento from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: Radio Bremen. November 20, 2012.
  25. ↑ Karin Mörtel: Discussion on the ban on dancing. In: Weser courier. November 20, 2012.
  26. ↑ Discussion about silent holidays. Radio Bremen, November 21, 2012, archived from the original ; Retrieved April 20, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Drs. 18 / , Amendment to the Bremen Public Holidays Act (PDF; 18 kB)
  28. ↑ Daniela Wakonigg: Public Holiday Law in Bremen "Members were taken to prayer". hpd, September 6, 2017, accessed March 25, 2018 .
  29. ^ Lifting of the ban on dancing on public holidays in Hesse. In: openPetition .
  30. ^ Amendment of the state law on the protection of Sundays and public holidays. Retrieved October 4, 2019 .
  31. ↑ Silent Holidays: Ban on dancing on Good Friday in SH: Downturn in events? Puff cake! In: shz.de. March 23, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  32. ↑ Karl Gaulhofer: Anyone who dances here is breaking the law. In: DiePresse.com. March 31, 2012, archived from the original on December 25, 2016 .;
  33. ↑ RIS - total query - hit list. Retrieved October 4, 2019 .
  34. ↑ Ban on dancing: In Aargau there is nothing to celebrate on public holidays. In: Aargauer Zeitung
  35. ↑ Collection of laws of the Canton of Glarus, Law on Public Rest Days (Rest Day Act) , Art. 4c, as of 2007.
  36. ↑ Too much sex appeal and sorcery in dance. In: 20 minutes online
  37. ↑ Various bans in the cantons on major Swiss public holidays. In: swissinfo.ch
  38. ↑ The dance leg is not swung. ( Memento of April 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: 20 minutes online
  39. ↑ Law on Rest Day and Shop Opening , Article 5
  40. ^ Dance ban definitely lifted. ( Memento from July 16, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) In: 20 minutes online
  41. ↑ Ban lifted - nobody is arrested after dancing at Easter. In: Basellandschaftliche Zeitung
  42. ↑ Bavarian fun brake. In: sueddeutsche.de
  43. ↑ Halloween in Munich: Party ban in the whole city. In: Abendzeitung.de
  44. ↑ Press release on the Hessian Holiday Act. In: Humanistic Association of Germany , LV Hessen. Retrieved January 5, 2013 .
  45. ^ Horizons - Interview with Michael Schmidt-Salomon, board spokesman of the Giordano Bruno Foundation on the topic of dance ban. Retrieved May 20, 2015 .
  46. ↑ Pirate Party calls for a dance demo on Good Friday. In: Berliner Kurier . April 3, 2012, accessed January 5, 2013 .
  47. ↑ Karin Prummer: A lot of fun instead of hell. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . August 11, 2010, accessed January 5, 2013 .
  48. ↑ sigrid-beer.de
  49. ^ Controversy over the ban on dancing on Good Friday . In: The time . April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  50. ↑ Make the silent holidays contemporary. German Association of Towns and Municipalities , April 13, 2017, accessed on April 14, 2017 .
  51. Jump up ↑ Ban on dancing: Municipalities demand looser law. Norddeutscher Rundfunk , April 14, 2017, accessed on April 13, 2017 .
  52. ↑ a b https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayFTG
  53. ^ Prohibition of the “Heidenspaß-Party” on Good Friday is legal. ( Memento from July 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) In: Handakte WebLAWg
  54. ↑ It is legitimate to prohibit a "great fun party" on Good Friday. ( Memento from March 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) In: jura-lotse.de
  55. ↑ a b Resolution of the First Senate of October 27, 2016 - 1 BvR 458/10. Federal Constitutional Court , October 27, 2016, accessed on April 14, 2017 .
  56. ↑ tanzverbot.stefan-bach.net (archived version from 2006) ( Memento from November 30, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  57. ↑ Dance the dinosaur! In: Frankfurter Rundschau . Retrieved April 23, 2011 .
  58. ↑ Party dispute reaches state parliament. In: Hessischer Rundfunk . Archived from the original on October 4, 2019 ; Retrieved April 23, 2011 .
  59. ↑ JuLis: Abolish dance ban! In: Young Liberals Hessen. Retrieved April 23, 2011 .
  60. ↑ 1,500 protest against the ban on dancing. In: Hessischer Rundfunk. Retrieved April 23, 2011 .
  61. ↑ Croatian community still angry. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. Retrieved April 7, 2012 .
  62. ↑ Pirate demo against dance ban is badly received. Welt, April 4, 2012, accessed March 25, 2018 .
  63. ↑ a b Majority supports the ban on dancing on Good Friday. In: Rheinische Post . April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017 .
  64. ^ A b c Antony Shay: Dance and Human Rights in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. In: Naomi Jackson, Toni Shapiro-Phim (Eds.): Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice: Dignity in Motion. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD 2008, ISBN 978-0-8108-6149-7 , pp. 67-85.
  65. ↑ JC Bürgel: Omnipotence and Mightiness: Religion and the World in Islam. LIT Verlag, Münster 2017, ISBN 978-3-643-13605-3 , p. 267ff.