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{{Short description|Protestant religious holiday}}<!--intro to "Anniversaries" section, 200th, 300th, 5400th anniversary sections, and Lutheran and Reformed sections have no citations-->
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox holiday
 | holiday_name  = Reformation Day
 | type          = 
 | image         = Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Martin Luther, 1528 (Veste Coburg).jpg
 | imagesize     = 200px
 | caption       = Painting of [[Martin Luther]] by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]]
 | official_name = 
 | nickname      = 
 | observedby    = [[Protestantism|Protestant communities]]
 | litcolor      = 
 | longtype      = 
 | significance  = 
 | begins        = 
 | ends          = 
 | date          = 31 October
 | scheduling    = same day each year
 | duration      = 1 day
 | frequency     = Annual
 | celebrations  = 
 | observances   = 
 | relatedto     = 
}}
{{Reformation}}
'''Reformation Day''' is a Protestant [[Christianity|Christian]] religious holiday celebrated on [[31 October]] in remembrance of the onset of the [[Reformation]]. 

According to [[Philip Melanchthon]], 31 October 1517 was the day [[Martin Luther]] nailed his ''[[Ninety-five Theses]]'' on the door of the [[All Saints' Church, Wittenberg|All Saints' Church]] in [[Wittenberg]], [[Electorate of Saxony]], in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Historians and other experts on the subject argue that Luther may have chosen [[Halloween|All Hallows' Eve]] on purpose to get the attention of common people, although that has never been proven. Available data suggest that 31 October was the day when [[Martin Luther|Luther]] sent his work to [[Albert of Brandenburg]], the [[Archbishop of Mainz]]. This has been verified; it is now regarded as the start of the Reformation alongside the unconfirmed (Melanchthon appears to be the only source for that) nailing of the ''[[Ninety-five Theses|Ninety-five Theses/grievances]]'' to All Saints' Church's door on the same date.

The holiday is significant for the [[Lutheran]] and [[Calvinist|Reformed]] Churches, although other [[Protestantism|Protestant]] communities also tend to commemorate the day. The [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] recognized it only recently, and often sends its official representatives in [[Ecumenism|ecumenical spirit]] to various commemoration events held by Protestants. It is lawfully and officially recognized in some [[states of Germany]] and sovereign countries of [[Slovenia]] and [[Chile]]. In addition, countries like [[Switzerland]] and [[Austria]] provide specifics in laws pertaining to [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches, while not officially proclaiming it a nationwide [[Holy day of obligation|holiday]].

==History==
[[File:Lutherstadt Wittenberg 09-2016 photo06.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Door of the ''[[All Saints' Church, Wittenberg|Schlosskirche]]'' (castle church) in Wittenberg to which Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-five Theses on 31 October 1517, sparking the Reformation]]
In 1516–1517, [[Johann Tetzel]], a [[Dominican friar]] and papal commissioner for [[indulgences]], was sent to [[Germany]] to raise money to rebuild [[St Peter's Basilica]] in [[Rome]].<ref>"[[Johann Tetzel]]," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2007: "Tetzel's experiences as a preacher of indulgences, especially between 1503 and 1510, led to his appointment as general commissioner by Albrecht, archbishop of Mainz, who, deeply in debt to pay for a large accumulation of benefices, had to contribute a considerable sum toward the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Albrecht obtained permission from Pope Leo X to conduct the sale of a special plenary indulgence (i.e., remission of the temporal punishment of sin), half of the proceeds of which Albrecht was to claim to pay the fees of his benefices. In effect, Tetzel became a salesman whose product was to cause a scandal in Germany that evolved into the greatest crisis (the Reformation) in the history of the Western church."</ref>

On 31 October 1517, [[Martin Luther]] wrote to [[Albrecht of Mainz|Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg]], protesting against the sale of [[Indulgence|indulgences]]. He enclosed in his letter a copy of his "[[Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences]]", which came to be known as the ''[[Ninety-five Theses]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171023-how-martin-luthers-ideas-lasted-500-years|title=How Martin Luther's ideas lasted 500 years|last=Ramani|first=Madhvi|date=24 October 2017|website=www.bbc.com|language=en|access-date=2019-09-22}}</ref> Hans Hillerbrand writes that Luther had no intention of confronting the church, but saw his disputation as a scholarly objection to church practices, and the tone of the writing is accordingly "searching, rather than doctrinaire".<ref name="HillerbrandIndulgences">Hillerbrand, Hans J. "Martin Luther: Indulgences and salvation," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2007.</ref> Hillerbrand writes that there is nevertheless an undercurrent of challenge in several of the theses, particularly in Thesis 86, which asks: "Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest [[Marcus Licinius Crassus|Crassus]], build the basilica of [[Saint Peter|St. Peter]] with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?"<ref name=HillerbrandIndulgences/>

[[Martin Luther|Luther]] objected to a saying attributed to [[Johann Tetzel]] that "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from [[purgatory]] [also attested as 'into heaven'] springs."<ref>Bainton, Roland. ''Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther''. New York: Penguin, 1995, 60; Brecht, Martin. ''Martin Luther''. tr. James L. Schaaf, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985–1993, 1:182; Kittelson, James. ''Luther The Reformer''. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishing House, 1986), 104.</ref> He insisted that, since forgiveness was God's alone to grant, those who claimed that indulgences absolved buyers from all punishments and granted them salvation were in error. Christians, he said, must not slacken in following Christ on account of such false assurances.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

[[File:Jeorg Breu Elder A Question to a Mintmaker c1500.png|thumb|left|The sale of indulgences shown in ''A Question to a Mintmaker'', woodcut by [[Jörg Breu the Elder]] of Augsburg, {{Circa|1530}}]]

According to [[Philipp Melanchthon]], writing in 1546, Luther "wrote theses on indulgences and posted them on the church of All Saints on 31 October 1517", an event now seen as sparking the Reformation.<ref>Brecht, 1:200–201.</ref> Some scholars have questioned Melanchthon's account, since he did not move to Wittenberg until a year later and no contemporaneous evidence exists for Luther's posting of the theses.<ref>Iserloh, Erwin. ''The Theses Were Not Posted''. Toronto: Saunders of Toronto, Ltd., 1966; Derek Wilson, ''Out of the Storm: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther'', London: Hutchinson, 2007, {{ISBN|978-0-09-180001-7}}, 96.</ref> Others counter that such evidence is unnecessary because it was the custom at Wittenberg university to advertise a [[disputation]] by posting theses on the door of [[All Saints' Church, Wittenberg|All Saints' Church]], also known as "Castle Church".<ref>Junghans, Helmer. "Luther's Wittenberg," in McKim, Donald K. (editor) ''The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 26.</ref>

The ''Ninety-five Theses'' were quickly translated from Latin into German, printed, and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be aided by the [[printing press]].<ref name="Brecht204">Brecht, Martin. ''Martin Luther''. tr. James L. Schaaf, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985–1993, 1:204–205.</ref> Within two weeks, copies of the theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Luther's writings circulated widely, reaching France, England, and Italy as early as 1519. Students thronged to Wittenberg to hear Luther speak. He published a short commentary on [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]] and his ''Work on the Psalms''. This early part of Luther's career was one of his most creative and productive.<ref>Spitz, Lewis W. ''The Renaissance and Reformation Movements'', St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1987, p. 338.</ref> Three of his best-known works were published in 1520: ''[[To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation]]'', ''[[On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church]]'', and ''[[On the Freedom of a Christian]]''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The [[Church Order (Lutheran)|parish order]] for the New Church in Regensburg states that the Reformation of the city is to be observed the first Sunday after 15 October, every year. This document may be from 1567, however the dating is uncertain.{{citation needed|date=October 2010}} The 1569 church order in [[Pomerania]] states that the Reformation was to be observed on [[St. Martin's Day]], which falls on 11 November. The hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, celebrated throughout the Protestant areas of Germany, was observed from 31 October to 1 November 1617, but a standard annual observance began much later, sometime after the two hundredth anniversary commemoration in 1717. The first annual observance was instituted by [[John George II, Elector of Saxony]] in his domains in 1667.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

== Significance ==
It is celebrated among various Protestants, especially by [[Lutheran]] and [[Reformed Churches]]. Due to [[Ecumenism|ecumenical movements]], some other Christian groups now tend to acknowledge or co-participate in church services celebrating Reformation Day. That includes the [[Roman Catholic Church]], as well as various Protestant denominations that are neither Lutheran or Reformed, i.e. those that lack a direct connection to religious events of the 16th century Europe.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

In the United States, churches often transfer the holiday, so that it falls on the Sunday (called '''Reformation Sunday''') on or before 31 October, with [[All Saints' Day]] moved to the Sunday on or after 1 November.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

== Roman Catholic attitudes ==
[[File:2bishopsReformation.jpg|thumb|Bishop [[John M. Quinn]] (left) of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona]] and Bishop Steven Delzer of [[List of ELCA synods|Evangelical Lutheran Southeastern Minnesota Synod]] leading a Reformation Day service in 2017|229x229px]]

On 31 October 1999, the [[Lutheran World Federation]] and the [[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity]] signed the ''[[Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification]]'',<ref name="declaration">{{cite web|author1=[[Lutheran World Federation]]|author2=[[Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity]]|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html|title=Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification|website=Vatican.va|access-date=6 August 2018}}</ref> regarding a resolution on some points of doctrinal disagreement between [[Mainline Protestant|mainline]] [[Lutheran Church]]es and the Catholic Church<ref name="declaration"/> (See also [[Criticism of Protestantism]]). The [[World Methodist Council]] formally recognized the ''Declaration'' in 2006.<ref name="labarr">{{cite news |url=http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.1863123/k.FF49/World_Methodists_approve_further_ecumenical_dialogue.htm |title=World Methodists approve further ecumenical dialogue |last=LaBarr |first=Joan G. |date=20 July 2006 |publisher=[[United Methodist Church]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721210415/http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.1863123/k.FF49/World_Methodists_approve_further_ecumenical_dialogue.htm |archive-date=21 July 2006}}</ref><ref name="wooden">{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0604186.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20060725190303/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0604186.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 July 2006 |title=Methodists adopt Catholic-Lutheran declaration on justification |last=Wooden |first=Cindy |agency=[[Catholic News Service]] |date=24 July 2006 |access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref>

In 2013, the Joint International Commission between representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church published a report entitled ''From Conflict to Communion'', anticipating the forthcoming ''Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017'', which noted that "in 2017, Lutheran and Catholic Christians will commemorate together the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation".<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/lutheran-fed-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_2013_dal-conflitto-alla-comunione_en.html From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017], accessed 31 October 2017</ref> The "common commemoration" was a year-long remembrance concluded on Reformation Day 2017.<ref>[http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2017/10/31/171031a.pdf Joint Statement by the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on the conclusion of the year of the common commemoration of the Reformation, 31 October 2017], 31 October 2017, accessed 2 November 2017</ref>

== Anniversaries ==
{{Quote box
| quote = Ten years after the indulgences have<br>been destroyed; in memory of this we<br>both drink and are comforted at this hour.
| author = — [[Martin Luther]] to Nikolaus von Amsdorf<br>on 1 November 1527<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krey|first=Philip D. W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a9EwDwAAQBAJ&q=Ten+years+after+&pg=PA2|title=Reformation Observances: 1517-2017|date=2017-08-09|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-5326-1656-3|pages=2|language=en}}</ref>
}}
In [[Germany]], with wars related to the Reformation reaching [[Peace of Westphalia|into 1648]], and continued Catholic–Protestant animosity all over Europe well into the early 20th century, most of the following Reformation anniversaries were tainted by a degree of [[anti-Catholicism]] and nationalism. In 1617, the celebration of faith concentrated on [[Lutheran orthodoxy]], while in 1717, the event was more focused on the liberation from the papal rule. Luther was celebrated as God's elected tool against the slavery of the new [[Whore of Babylon|Roman Babylon]]. In 1817, the victory over Napoleon influenced the celebrations and led to the anniversary's national orientation: Luther became the German hero and the ideal role model for the bourgeoisie; he was depicted time and again in festive parades and popular prints. The "German Luther" also drew wide attention in 1917 during the [[First World War]] when nationalist themes were still recurring; at the same time, serious research of Luther's theology gained increasing importance.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

When the Lutheran areas of [[West Germany]] celebrated the Reformation anniversary in 1967, 450 years after the posting of the theses, the event took place during an "ice age" in the relationship between the state and the Church in [[East Germany]]. This became clear through the attempt to secularise the Reformation with the concept of the "early bourgeois revolution" and through the pointed marginalisation of events organised by the Church, for example by means of holding celebrations of the October Revolution at exactly the same time. In the Federal Republic of Germany, there were only local celebrations organised by the churches of the respective states. A central church event in Wittenberg on 31 October 1967 was held in order to keep up at least a pretence of an all-German Evangelical Church.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

===50th anniversary===
According to some sources, Reformation Day has been commemorated since 1567. Exact dates for the holiday varied until after the two hundredth celebration in 1717 when 31 October became the official date of celebration in Germany and later expanded internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/a-brief-history-of-germanys-reformation-day/|title=A Brief History Of Germany's Reformation Day|first=Lily|last=Cichanowicz|website=theculturetrip.com|date=26 October 2016|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

=== Centenary ===
[[File:Göttlicher Schrifftmessiger print.jpg|alt=Print showing Luther inscribing a church door with a giant quill. The opposite end of the quill pierces a lion's head. There are many other symbolic and historical figures.|thumb|upright=1.3|Print made for the 1617 Reformation Jubilee showing Luther enscribing the ''Theses'' on the Wittenberg church door with a giant quill]]
In 1617, the celebration of faith concentrated on Lutheran orthodoxy.<ref>{{cite web |title='We drink in remembrance of this' – Reformation anniversaries over the course of the centuries |url=https://www.luther2017.de/en/wiki/anniversary/we-drink-in-remembrance-of-this-reformation-anniversaries-over-the-course-of-the-centuries/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020839/https://www.luther2017.de/en/wiki/anniversary/we-drink-in-remembrance-of-this-reformation-anniversaries-over-the-course-of-the-centuries/ |archive-date=7 November 2017 |access-date=8 April 2018 |website=Luther2017 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In early 1617, the Lutheran duke and elector [[John George I of Saxony]] received a politically delicate dispatch. The University of Wittenberg asked for permission to celebrate the memory of its former lecturer Martin Luther. The duke agreed and made the commemoration obligatory for all of Electoral Saxony. The worship services and sermons were, however, all prewritten and prescribed in detail and provided as a recommendation to other Protestant regional rulers as well. They did not want any trouble with the Catholics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Perspectives 2017: Writings on the Reformation|url=https://www.ekd.de/download/perspektives2017.pdf|website=Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland}}</ref>

=== 150th anniversary ===
In 1667, [[John George II, Elector of Saxony]] made it an official holiday for the first time in his domains. After celebrations in 1717 and 1817, it became more and more popular across Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stichwort: Reformationstag|url=https://www.luther2017.de/de/wiki/reformationstag/|access-date=2021-01-01|website=www.luther2017.de}}</ref>

=== 200th anniversary ===
After the [[Thirty Years' War]] ended in 1648, it made an impact with observations in 1717 being largely anti-Catholic.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== 300th anniversary ===
The 1817 anniversary was largely nationalist in outlook, being impacted by some of the most important events in human history: the [[French Revolution]], the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and political and territorial rearranging of Europe with the [[Congress of Vienna]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== 400th anniversary ===
[[File:Wilhelm II Auguste Viktoria Jerusalem 1898.jpg|thumb|left|Emperor Wilhelm II, who was the ''Supreme Governor of the Evangelical Church of Prussia's older Provinces'', and Empress [[Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg|Augusta Victoria]] after the inauguration of the [[Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem|Evangelical Church of the Redeemer]] in Jerusalem (Reformation Day, 31 October 1898)]]
The 1917 anniversary was held amidst the [[First World War]]. The theme of "German Luther" was rather muted, marked by Germanophobia throughout the Anglo-Saxon world. In Germany, the anniversary was celebrated with nationalist elements.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== 499th anniversary ===
On Reformation Day in 2016, [[Pope Francis]] of the [[Catholic Church]] travelled to Sweden (where the Lutheran Church is the [[national Church]]) to commemorate the Reformation at [[Lund Cathedral]], which serves as the seat for the Lutheran [[Bishop of Lund]].<ref name="MacKinnon2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-francis-visit-sweden-october-mark-reformation-anniversary-113851358.html|title=500 years after reformation, Pope knocks on Lutherans' door|last=MacKinnon|first=Angus|date=25 January 2016|publisher=Yahoo News|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017|quote=Pope Francis will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by attending an ecumenical service in Sweden as a guest of the Lutheran Church, the Vatican said Monday. In a highly symbolic act of reconciliation that would even recently have been unthinkable for a Catholic pontiff, Francis will visit the Swedish city of Lund on 31 October for a commemoration jointly organised by his own inter-faith agency and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).|archive-date=23 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223045342/https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-francis-visit-sweden-october-mark-reformation-anniversary-113851358.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Sherwood|first=Harriet|date=2016-10-31|title=Catholics and Lutherans sign joint declaration 'accepting common path'|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/31/catholics-lutherans-joint-declaration-pope-francis-christian-sweden|access-date=2020-03-08|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> An official press release from the [[Holy See]] stated:<ref name="HSPO2016"/>

{{quotation|The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Roman Catholic Church joint event will highlight the 50 years of continuous ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts of this collaboration. The Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of 499 years of the Reformation is structured around the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. The aim is to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask forgiveness for division perpetuated by Christians from the two traditions.<ref name="HSPO2016">{{cite web|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/06/01/160601e.html|title=Preparations to commemorate 500 years since the Reformation|date=1 June 2016|publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>}}

An [[ecumenical]] service was presided over by [[Munib Younan|Bishop Munib Younan]], President of the [[Lutheran World Federation]]; {{ill|Martin Junge|de}}, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation; and Pope Francis, Leader of the [[Catholic Church]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/25/pope_to_travel_to_sweden_for_joint_reformation_commemoration/1203462|title=Pope Francis to travel to Sweden for joint Reformation commemoration|date=26 January 2016|publisher=[[Vatican Radio]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Representatives from the [[Anglican Communion]], [[Baptist World Alliance]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], and [[Salvation Army]] also participated in the predominantly Lutheran and Roman Catholic event.<ref name="Agnew2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/pope-to-attend-ceremony-marking-500-years-since-reformation-1.2510015|title=Pope to attend ceremony marking 500 years since Reformation|last=Agnew|first=Paddy|date=25 January 2016|publisher=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Pope Francis, in a joint statement with Bishop Munib Younan, stated that "With gratitude we acknowledge that the Reformation helped give a greater centrality to sacred Scripture in the Church's life".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/world/europe/pope-francis-in-sweden-urges-catholic-lutheran-reconciliation.html|title=Pope Francis, in Sweden, Urges Catholic-Lutheran Reconciliation|last=Anderson|first=Christina|date=31 October 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>

=== 500th anniversary ===
{{Quote box
| quote = Luther set a stone in motion that was<br>unstoppable and changed the world forever.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ekd.de/reformationstag-festakt-wittenberg-30079.htm|title=Luther hat die Welt für immer verändert|website=www.ekd.de|date=31 October 2017 |access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>
| author = — [[Angela Merkel]], [[Chancellor of Germany]]<br>in [[Wittenberg]] on 31 October 2017
}}[[File:ESA 500JahreReformationProgrammtipEisenach2017.jpg|thumb|right|Street advertising for 500 years of Reformation in [[Eisenach]], [[Thuringia]]]]
31 October 2017 was an official holiday in all of Germany.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.reformationstag-2017-einmalig-bundesweiter-feiertag.b7e189b3-a33d-41a3-a0f4-141cd13df54e.html |title=Reformationstag – 2017 einmalig bundesweiter Feiertag? |newspaper=Stuttgarter Zeitung |date=29 October 2013 |language=de}}</ref> As a legal basis, German states which usually do not celebrate Reformation Day annually passed legislation or made regulations. These states are Baden-Württemberg,<ref>Gesetz über die Sonntage und Feiertage (Feiertagsgesetz – FTG) [http://www.gaa.baden-wuerttemberg.de/servlet/is/16487/1_3_1.pdf ArbZ 1.3.1]</ref> Bavaria,<ref>Gesetz zur Änderung des Feiertagsgesetzes vom 12. April 2016 ([https://www.verkuendung-bayern.de/files/gvbl/2016/04/gvbl-2016-04.pdf#page=2 GVBl. S. 50])</ref> Berlin,<ref>[http://www.parlament-berlin.de/ados/17/IIIPlen/protokoll/plen17-067-pp.pdf Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin, Plenarprotokoll, 25. Juni 2015]</ref> Bremen,<ref>''Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes über die Sonn- und Feiertage'', Drucksache des Landtags vom 7. Mai 2013 [http://www.bremische-buergerschaft.de/drs_abo/Drs-18-896_3d1.pdf]</ref> Hamburg,<ref>''Fünfte Verordnung zum Feiertagsgesetz (Verordnung über den Reformationstag 2017)'' vom 30. April 2013 [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305005617/http://www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/jportal/portal/page/bshaprod.psml?showdoccase=1&doc.id=jlr-FeiertGVHA5rahmen&st=lr]</ref> Hesse,<ref>''Verordnung zur Bestimmung des Reformationstages 2017 zum gesetzlichen Feiertag'' vom 16. Oktober 2013 [http://starweb.hessen.de/cache/GVBL/2013/00025.pdf]</ref> Lower Saxony,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voris.niedersachsen.de/jportal/portal/page/bsvorisprod.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&showdoccase=1&js_peid=Trefferliste&fromdoctodoc=yes&doc.id=jlr-FeiertGNDpP7&doc.part=X&doc.price=0.0|title=VORIS NFeiertagsG – Landesnorm Niedersachsen – Gesamtausgabe – Niedersächsisches Gesetz über die Feiertage (NFeiertagsG) in der Fassung vom 7. März 1995 - gültig ab: 01.01.1995|website=www.voris.niedersachsen.de|access-date=8 April 2018|archive-date=4 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704220708/http://www.voris.niedersachsen.de/jportal/portal/page/bsvorisprod.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&showdoccase=1&js_peid=Trefferliste&fromdoctodoc=yes&doc.id=jlr-FeiertGNDpP7&doc.part=X&doc.price=0.0|url-status=dead}}</ref> North Rhine-Westphalia,<ref>''Gesetz über die Bestimmung des 31. Oktober 2017 als 500. Jahrestag der Reformation zum Feiertag in Nordrhein-Westfalen'' vom 25. Juni 2015 ([https://recht.nrw.de/lmi/owa/br_vbl_detail_text?anw_nr=6&vd_id=15102&ver=8&val=15102&sg=0&menu=1&vd_back=N GV. NRW. S. 496])</ref> Rhineland-Palatinate,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rlp.de/fr/aktuelles/einzelansicht/news/detail/News/zusaetzlicher-feiertag-2017/|title=Zusätzlicher Feiertag 2017|first=Staatskanzlei|last=Rheinland-Pfalz|website=www.rlp.de|access-date=8 April 2018|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107023516/https://www.rlp.de/fr/aktuelles/einzelansicht/news/detail/News/zusaetzlicher-feiertag-2017/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Saarland,<ref>''Verordnung zur Erklärung des 500. Reformationsjubiläums am 31. Oktober 2017 zum Feiertag'' vom 18. Juni 2014, Amtsbl. S. 283, [http://sl.juris.de/cgi-bin/landesrecht.py?d=http://sl.juris.de/sl/gesamt/RefT2017V_SL.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306062414/http://sl.juris.de/cgi-bin/landesrecht.py?d=http%3A%2F%2Fsl.juris.de%2Fsl%2Fgesamt%2FRefT2017V_SL.htm|date=6 March 2016}}</ref> and Schleswig-Holstein.<ref>''Landesverordnung über den Reformationstag 2017'' vom 24. November 2014 [http://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/Landesregierung/IV/Service/GVOBl/GVOBl/2014/gvobl_15_2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1]</ref>

In the [[United States]], the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] hosted an event to commemorate the Reformation in the [[Washington National Cathedral]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], on Sunday, 29 October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cathedral.org/event/lutheran-reformation-service-2017-10-29/|title=Lutheran Reformation 500 Service |website=Washington National Cathedral |access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref> The [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]] had various special Reformation services in their various districts to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reformation 500 |url=http://www.portagelutheranchurch.org/page/180011422/180112080/Reformation-500 |website=Cross of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church |access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=REFORMATION 500 |url=https://www.nwd-wels.org/reformation-500-service.html |website=WELS Northern Wisconsin District |access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref>

In Germany, representatives from [[Lower Saxony]], [[Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Hamburg]], and [[Bremen]] concluded a decision had to be made by state parliaments on whether to make Reformation Day a permanent official holiday in these respective states.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/karriere/reformationstag-norddeutschland-soll-einen-neuen-feiertag-bekommen-a-1190993.html|title=Reformationstag: Norddeutschland soll neuen Feiertag bekommen|newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=1 February 2018|access-date=8 April 2018|via=Spiegel Online}}</ref> The bill was passed by Schleswig-Holstein Parliament on 22 February 2018.<ref>{{cite news | title = Neuer Feiertag im Norden | newspaper = Süddeutsche Zeitung | date = 22 February 2018 | access-date = 31 October 2025 | url = https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/schleswig-holstein-neuer-feiertag-im-norden-1.3879697 | language = de }}</ref> It was then followed by Hamburg Parliament on 28 February,<ref>{{cite news | title = Hamburg bekommt einen neuen Feiertag | newspaper = Die Zeit | date = 28 February 2018 | access-date = 31 October 2025 | url = https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2018-02/reformationstag-hamburg-feiertag-beschluss-2018 | language = de }}</ref> Lower Saxony Parliament on 19 June,<ref>{{cite news | title = Niedersachsen: Reformationstag nun Feiertag | newspaper = Deutsche Welle | date = 19 June 2018 | access-date = 31 October 2025 | url = https://www.dw.com/de/der-reformationstag-wird-neuer-feiertag-in-niedersachsen/a-44296646 | language = de }}</ref> and Bremen Parliament on 20 June, all within the same year.<ref>{{cite news | title = Auch Bürgerschaft beschließt Reformationstag als Feiertag | newspaper = Neue Presse | date = 21 June 2018 | access-date = 31 October 2025 | url = https://www.neuepresse.de/der-norden/auch-buergerschaft-beschliesst-reformationstag-als-feiertag-K4N2XIRS7NAPMWODUEDYZ3WWAQ.html | language = de }}</ref>

In 2017, the press of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] released a stamp to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation; the stamp depicts Luther and [[Melanchton]] kneeling before a crucified Jesus.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-11-23|title=Vatican releases postage stamps on Reformation, St. Francis of Sales|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2017-11/vatican-releases-postage-stamps-on-reformation--st--francis-of-s.html|access-date=2020-03-08|website=Vatican News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Crux Staff|date=26 November 2017|title=Vatican issues stamp featuring Martin Luther for Reformation anniversary|url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/11/vatican-issues-stamp-featuring-martin-luther-reformation-anniversary/|access-date=2020-03-08|website=Crux}}</ref>

The anniversary prompted historians to reflect on the memory, meanings and influence of the Reformation over five centuries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Thomas A. |title=Remembering the reformation: an inquiry into the meanings of protestantism |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-875419-0 |edition=First |location=Oxford New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Remembering the Reformation |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-05484-6 |editor-first=Brian |editor-last=Cummings |display-editors=etal |series= |location=Abingdon}}</ref>

== Legal status ==
It is a [[civic holiday]] in the [[states of Germany|German states]] of [[Brandenburg]], [[Hamburg]], [[Bremen]], [[Lower Saxony]], [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]], [[Saxony]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Schleswig-Holstein]] and [[Thuringia]]. [[Slovenia]] celebrates it as well due to the profound contribution of the Reformation to that nation's cultural development, although Slovenes are mainly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]. With the increasing influence of Protestantism in [[Latin America]] (particularly newer groups such as various [[Evangelical Protestants]], [[Pentecostals]] or [[Charismatics]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/10/31/look-whos-celebrating-reformation-day-today/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015070719/http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/10/31/look-whos-celebrating-reformation-day-today/|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2009|title=Look who's celebrating Reformation Day today|website=Reuters|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref> it has been declared a national holiday in [[Chile]] in 2009,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-01|title=Reformation Day in Chile|url=http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/other_churches/reformation_day_in_chile.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201103754/http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/other_churches/reformation_day_in_chile.html|archive-date=1 December 2010|access-date=2021-01-01|website=Episcopal Café}}</ref> and in Peru in 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://elperuano.pe/noticia/60756-el-dia-de-las-iglesias-evangelicas | title=El día de las iglesias evangélicas }}</ref>

== Lutheran church ==
[[File:Biblia.svg|thumb|250px|"I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach" (Revelation 14:6). This passage is interpreted by some Lutherans as referring to Luther.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-10-26|title="An Eternal Gospel to Proclaim" (Revelation 14:6-7)|url=https://stmatthewbt.org/2019/10/26/an-eternal-gospel-to-proclaim-revelation-146-7/|access-date=2021-01-01|website=St. Matthew Lutheran Church|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hartung|first=Bruce|date=2014-10-14|title=Reformation Day • Revelation 14:6–7 • October 26, 2014|url=https://concordiatheology.org/2014/10/reformation-day-%e2%80%a2-revelation-146-7-%e2%80%a2-october-26-2014/|access-date=2021-01-01|website=Concordia Theology|language=en-US}}</ref>]]
Within the [[Lutheran]] church, Reformation Day is considered a lesser festival, and is officially referred to as '''The Festival of the Reformation'''. Until the 20th century, most Lutheran churches celebrated Reformation Day on 31 October, regardless of which day of the week it occurred. Today, most Lutheran churches transfer the festival, so that it falls on the Sunday (called '''Reformation Sunday''') on or before 31 October and transfer [[All Saints' Day]] to the Sunday on or after 1 November.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Year A Time after Pentecost 22-23 |url=https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/YearA_TimeafterPentecost_22-23.pdf |access-date=October 30, 2023 |website=Evangelical Lutheran Church in America}}</ref>

Reformation Day (''Reformationsfest'') was celebrated in Leipzig in [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s time with a service, [[List of church cantatas by liturgical occasion#Reformation Day|for which he composed church cantatas]], including [[Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79|''Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild'', BWV&nbsp;79]] and [[Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80|''Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'', BWV&nbsp;80]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

== Reformed church ==
Although not shaped by Luther's doctrine, [[Calvinist]] churches throughout the world do not regard the Reformation Day as less important, and celebrate it in a similar manner to Lutherans. The nailing of the ''Ninety-five Theses'' sparked the discussion about Catholic beliefs and practices of the day. Reformed theology first emerged in 1516 with [[Huldrych Zwingli]] in [[Switzerland]] who decided to participate in this European-wide discussion after seeing Luther's postulates; all this would not have happened without the events of 31 October 1517. Zwingli’s reform movement in Zürich emphasized a return to scriptural authority and rejected the use of images in worship, laying the groundwork for iconoclastic movements within Reformed communities. French theologian and former lawyer John Calvin entered the Reformation debate in 1536 with the first edition of his ''[[Institutes of the Christian Religion]]'', which he continued to revise throughout his life.

==Other Protestant churches==
Other Protestant denominations differ in their celebration of this holiday from the Lutheran and Reformed way of honoring the events, to a complete lack of observance. In recent decades, several Protestant churches have used Reformation Day as an occasion for ecumenical services with Catholic and Orthodox communities, emphasizing dialogue and reconciliation rather than division.

In 2016, Anglicans from the Diocese of Chile of the [[Anglican Church of South America]] participated in the March for Jesus on Reformation Day as a celebration of their Protestant heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2016/10/chilean-anglicans-to-march-for-jesus-on-reformation-day.aspx|title=Chilean Anglicans to March for Jesus on Reformation Day|last=Drake|first=Gavin|date=18 October 2016|publisher=Anglican Communion News Service|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> Many Anglican / Episcopal churches hold Reformation Day services in observance of the holiday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allsoulsnj.org/2017/09/25/reformation-day-service-600pm/|title=Reformation Day Service – 6:00PM|last=Jansma|first=Henry|date=25 September 2017|publisher=All Souls Anglican Church|language=en|access-date=31 October 2018|quote=All Souls Anglican adjourns its normal 4:00 pm on October 29th to join our fellow reformed churches at 6:00 pm to remember God's gracious providence displayed during the Protestant Reformation of the 15th and 16th Centuries at the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.}}</ref>

[[The United Methodist Church]] offers a theological reason for its observance of Reformation Day, stating that:<ref name="DM2017"/>
{{quotation|Our roots are deep in the Anglican tradition: Both [[John Wesley|John]] and [[Charles Wesley]] were priests in the Church of England. There are a number of reasons we should observe the day. The themes of the Reformation remain the great themes and principles of our own faith today. The great schism that occurred in the church remains with us. Our fractured denominations have entered into dialogue and cooperative activities that have brought us closer together. Today we may observe Reformation Day with a sense of moving toward unity and community. It is an opportunity to repent of the sins and excesses of the past and to celebrate our common faith, even if we still cannot celebrate a common ritual and sacrament. Reformation today can represent healing of old wounds as, together, we all work to build and strengthen Christ's church and love one another as Christ has loved us.<ref name="DM2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/reformation-day-what-why-and-resources-for-worship|title=Reformation Day: What, Why, and Resources for Worship|last=McIntyre|first=Dean|publisher=[[Discipleship Ministries]]|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>}}

Alongside Reformation Day, many Protestant Churches observe [[Halloween|All Hallows' Eve]] on 31 October, the vigil of [[All Saints' Day]].

==See also==
*''[[Buß- und Bettag]]'', a unique Protestant holiday observed in [[Saxony]] and, to some degree, also in [[Bavaria]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170413072642/https://www.luther2017.de/en Martin Luther – 95 Theses – 500th anniversary] Official Site
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[[Category:1517 in Christianity]]
[[Category:Protestant holy days]]
[[Category:Martin Luther]]
[[Category:October observances]]