Reformation Day: Happy Holiday

Dear users, dear authors,
Today is Reformation Day. Since it marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his theses to the door, today is a one-time nationwide
holiday. What does Reformation Day mean to you? Is it more than just a holiday for you?
Let me know.
I wish you a pleasant day.

For me, it’s an extra day off.

Happy holiday

Gabi

Many people aren’t even aware of the significance of Reformation Day. Back when I was in school, we actually still discussed it in class.
Today, it’s more like many people are more likely to know that today is “Halloween” than to know what happened 500 years ago today.

But even when it comes to Halloween, very few people know its true meaning.

I don’t want to sound too preachy, though, so I won’t go into that any further. ^^

I’m happy about the additional public holiday (even though I’m working today, of course), and I think it’s a shame it isn’t a holiday every year. At least for Protestants—they have far fewer holidays than Catholics anyway. ;-)

Here in Catholic Austria, it’s just a normal workday. But I’d still like to wish everyone who has a public holiday today a lovely day off!
Personally, I don’t really relate much to religious holidays. I was baptized Catholic, but as soon as I came of age and could decide for myself, I left the Church because I just can’t believe. But that’s a whole other topic. Enjoy the day off!

Since my ancestors were Evangelical Lutherans and my grandparents were baptized and confirmed, the day does hold some significance for me—but only in terms of (family) history.
I’d like to take this opportunity to boast that I’m the proud owner of my grandmother’s baptismal certificate and my grandfather’s confirmation certificate. These documents are now almost 100 years old.

The first birthday gift my husband gave me was a reprint of the original Luther Bible.
It’s a wonderful thing—I’ve even read some of it already… but, of course, the language from that era makes it a bit of a challenge (and the content itself, naturally, isn’t exactly light reading either *laughs*).

I’m Protestant, and so are the kids—only my husband is Catholic.
We also live a Christian life; for example, we say grace before main meals and again in the evening when putting the kids to bed.
The congregation in Neuss is Lutheran, so they’re really celebrating the Luther Year. And today is the highlight. The kids in elementary school have learned a lot about Luther and the Reformation over the past few months.
I think that’s great, not just because I’m Protestant myself, but because I believe that what happened back then is part of general knowledge.

I, too, learned in school what this day is all about.

Still, for me, it really only has one meaning today—an extra day off!
Since we also have a holiday tomorrow in Baden-Württemberg and I’m taking Thursday off (appointments with tradespeople), all in all, it’s shaping up to be a great week for me :) 

@Inna
Those are real treasures! You can definitely show them off with a clear conscience—they’re truly something special. 

@Michaela,
I’m glad you feel the same way.
These documents have endured so many hardships (including deportation and emigration) that it’s a miracle they even exist.

I meant “adversities” :-).

Inna: It’s really something very special. I think very few people have ever seen anything like it. I’d be proud of that, too.

I’m at home right now anyway, so for me it was just a day when my husband was home too. And he was really sweet today. I’m slowly starting to feel the lack of sleep. Anton is a pretty sweet and laid-back baby, but I still have to get up at night, and I usually can’t manage to take a nap in the afternoon. This morning, after breastfeeding Anton, I handed him to my husband and went back to bed, where I slept for almost 3 hours.
Oh man, that felt so good. 

@Arni, how nice that the extra holiday did you some good :-).

Inna, those are truly beautiful documents!
Here in the Canton of Bern (Reformed), we’ve had many Luther-related events throughout the year, including a major church festival in the federal capital, but it wasn’t enough to make today a holiday. And tomorrow, All Saints’ Day, only our neighboring Catholic cantons are celebrating, which we’ll notice in the form of extra traffic in the city (which is already congested due to construction).
I wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing holiday!