A "day of silence" is institutionalized as a worldwide holiday. People stay at home, turn off lights and electric appliances. Airports are shut, motor vehicles are not allowed except for emergencies and everything, from the smallest shops to labyrinthine government offices, is shut down.
Living an isolated life in England and, by many accounts, drinking heavily, the German writer died at home on or about February 23, 1984, but his body was not discovered until some three weeks later.