REFORMATION DAY, OCTOBER 31ST.
On OCTOBER 31st., 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Church. These 95 Theses expressed his concerns over corruption found in the Catholic church. One of his primary concerns was the church selling “indulgences” to people in order to release them from having to serve penitence for their sins. An act which he considered to be people trying to buy their way into heaven. This act opened up a debate with religious scholars of the time that eventually lead to the Protestant Reformation.
Reformation Day has been observed as a holiday since the mid-16th century, but its official date of October 31st was set until about 1717. This is when it became an official German observance and the date from which it would spread on an international level.
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