Halloween isn't the only celebration going on today. October 31st is also Reformation Day, which is a holiday in several German states (although not in the one I live in, unfortunately). On this day in 1517, a Catholic monk named Martin Luther nailed his
95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church (
Schlosskirche) in Wittenberg, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
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| The Castle Church ("Schlosskirche") in Wittenberg |
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| top of the church tower; it reads "Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott" (a mighty fortress is our God)--the title of Luther's most famous hymn. |
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| The original door on which Luther had nailed the 95 Theses burned in 1760; King Friedrich Wilhelm IV had it replaced with a bronze door with the 95 Theses inscribed. |
Luther's writings may have made him popular with the people, but not so much with the pope and the emperor. Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521, but he continued to preach in the City Church (
Stadtkirche) in Wittenberg. That year, the
Stadtkirche went against the Catholic Church and held its first "Lutheran" (in German,
Evangelisch) service.
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| The Stadtkirche in Wittenberg where Martin Luther preached; it was also where he married and where his children were baptized. |
It's hard to imagine the sleepy, picturesque town of Wittenberg fomenting any kind of fervor, religious or otherwise. I saw a number of tourists in Wittenberg this weekend, but there weren't any
Reformationstag festivities. Surely something would be happening on the days before the actual Reformation Day, right? (Of course, I come from a place that, if people realized that could make money out of it, would turn Reformation Day into Reformation Month.) To the Germans' credit--and most likely their economic detriment--they began setting up for
Reformationstag only the afternoon before (Sunday, October 30th).
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| workers setting up the Reformation Day celebration on the town square; the top of the city church (Stadtkirche) is in the background |
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| near the entrance to the Lutherhaus, the Luther museum; it was originally a monastery, but later housed Luther and his family |
It is a shame, though, because this town looks like it could use an economic boost. I heard, though, that the town has a large celebration that lasts for several days in the summer:
Luthers Hochzeit (Luther's wedding).
