Thou shalt not shop on the holy Sabbath

It's written in scripture, enshrined in the German Basic Law and has just been confirmed by the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe: we’re to take Sundays off. Starting in 2010, the nation’s shops will remain closed on all but eight Sundays a year, even in December. The court found for the Catholic and Protestant churches of Berlin against the over-liberalisation of the Sabbath in the capital. Frankfurter Rundschau points out that the judges grounded their ruling on religious traditions, to be sure, but also on social rights and the protection of the family. “This is a potent signal aimed at that Berlin odd couple, namely the [left-wing] coalition and retailers: Sundays and holidays are not be sacrificed on the altar of commerce and consumption,” sums up the Frankfurt daily.