This editorial illustration was created for the German weekly newspaper der Freitag, accompanying an article about the secularization of public holidays in Germany. The piece explores how many traditional, Christian holidays no longer reflect the diversity and values of today’s society and suggests that it’s time to rethink who and what we celebrate.

I approached the topic by imagining the calendar as an apartment. In the illustration, the “old tenants” – religious holidays – are moving out, while new, secular celebrations take their place. International Women’s Day, Children’s Day, German Unity Day, Eid al-Fitr, and the Peace Festival are depicted as cheerful party guests at a housewarming. The atmosphere is lively and optimistic, but there’s also a quiet moment of reflection as the religious figures watch from outside.

I enjoyed playing with visual metaphors – like the calendar as a home – and weaving in small, personal elements: I was apartment hunting at the time myself. The project gave me the chance to translate a complex social shift into an accessible, playful scene that invites viewers to think about the holidays we live by.

Sketch: