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Reformation Day 2025: public holiday or working day? The country overview!
On October 31, 2025, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania celebrates Reformation Day, which commemorates Martin Luther's posting of his theses.
Reformation Day 2025: public holiday or working day? The country overview!
Today, October 31, 2025, Protestant Christians in Germany and beyond celebrate Reformation Day. A holiday that not only commemorates Martin Luther's courageous act in 1517, but is also considered a public holiday in nine German federal states. Numerous church services and events highlight the significance of this day and celebrate the achievements of the Reformation, which brought about far-reaching social changes.
In Germany, this holiday primarily commemorates the posting of theses, when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. He wanted to draw attention to grievances in the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences, which enabled believers to make financial gifts in exchange for renouncing sins. This courageous act became the cornerstone of the Protestant Church and is considered a milestone in Christian history. Luther also called for a reform of church practices and firmly believed in the justification of sinners through faith alone. This is often discussed in today's church services, and Luther's well-known hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” is often sung.
Reformation Day as a public holiday
In Germany, nine federal states celebrate Reformation Day as a public holiday. This includes:
- Brandenburg
- Bremen (seit 2018)
- Hamburg (seit 2018)
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Niedersachsen (seit 2018)
- Sachsen
- Sachsen-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein (seit 2018)
- Thüringen
However, in many other federal states, including Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate, a public holiday is celebrated on November 1st, like All Saints' Day. Interestingly, there are no public holidays in Berlin and Hesse on these two days, which means that employees there have to work regularly!
A look at history
Although Reformation Day has been celebrated in some federal states since 2018, the origin of this holiday is much older. Uniform days of remembrance for Protestants were established as early as the 17th century, and October 31st was eventually adopted as the official date. Historically, the exact process of posting Luther's theses is controversial, but its effects are undisputed. It not only led to the founding of the Protestant Church, but also to a translation of the Bible into German, which was to have a significant impact on the education and moral ideas of society in Germany.
Even if Reformation Day is not celebrated today as a family celebration in the style of Easter or Christmas, it still has a permanent place in the collective memory of many people. Especially in Protestant households, this day is often associated with reflection and tradition and shows the influence of the Reformation to this day. But not everyone sees the holiday positively; Some organizations, including the Central Council of Jews in Germany, were critical of Luther's anti-Semitic statements and called for protests against his commemoration.
In summary, Reformation Day is not just a holiday, but a day of reflection on faith, church and the meaning of changes in the past - very popular with Protestant Christians and an important part of German cultural history.