Thousands of young people celebrate youth consecration or confirmation

Thousands of young people in Saxony are about to take a big step towards adulthood over the next few weeks: They will be celebrating their Jugendweihe or confirmation.

Around 12,150 girls and boys have registered for a Jugendweihe with the Saxon Association for Youth Work and Youth Consecration this year, according to spokeswoman Carla Hentschel. The number of participants has remained relatively constant at around 12,000 for years.

Number of participants relatively stable

Confirmation season also begins on Palm Sunday (April 13). This year, around 4,000 young people aged 14 will be confirmed or baptized in the period leading up to Pentecost, according to the Saxon state church office.

This number has hardly fallen in recent years. In 2019, the Protestant state church reported the number of confirmands at just under 5,000.

At confirmation, young people renew their profession of faith and receive a personal blessing. Youth consecration is a ceremony without a religious background. However, both festivities are usually celebrated in large groups with the families.