Most Germans want Reformation Day to become an official holiday
Playmobil figure of Martin Luther. Photo EPA, Clemens Bilan
Central Europe
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the town church in Wittenberg. Today, this day is celebrated as the so-called Reformation Day. Most Germans would like the last day of October to become an official national holiday.
Even among Catholics, there is a majority that supports the institution of Reformation Day as a public holiday, research for IDEA showed on Tuesday, as reported by Katholisch.de. About 62 per cent finds Reformation Day important enough to be nationally celebrated.
Sale of indulgences
That is remarkable, as Martin Luther's theses were directed against the Roman Catholic Church in 1517. For example, he criticised the sale of indulgences with which people could buy entrance to heaven.
Of Protestants, 69 per cent wants to make Reformation Day a public holiday. In Free Churches, this percentage is 66. Of the non-denominational believers, 58 per cent supports the institution of Reformation Day as a national holiday. Looking at the general population of Germany, 61 per cent would like to have Reformation Day as a holiday.
For the survey, 2,007 adults were interviewed between October 21st and 24th.
Nationwide
Some German states have already introduced Reformation Day as an official holiday, for example, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. In 2017, the year that the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was celebrated, October 31 was a nationwide public holiday for once.
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