Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on Oct. 31. It provides an alternative for people of faith and churches who do not want to celebrate Halloween, which is seen by many of them as having occult and satanic undertones. Reformation Day celebrates the anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on Oct. 31, 1517. This act led to the Protestant Reformation.
Costumes
It is still possible to wear costumes to celebrate Reformation Day. Rather than ghouls and superheroes, children should dress as religious leaders. Since Reformation Day occurred during the Renaissance, costumes related to the 16th century, including those of noblemen and peasants, would also be appropriate.
Pin the 95 Theses or Pin the Beards
Like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, these games see children try to hit a mark on a wall after being blindfolded and spun around. For 95 Theses, kids should try to pin a piece of paper on a door drawn on a wall. You could use tape and take this game outside to your church doors. For the beards, post a picture of Martin Luther and have children try to attach a beard to his face.
Bible Smuggling
Have children smuggle Bibles under their clothes to commemorate the fact that it used to be illegal for Bibles to be printed in languages that a non-priest could read. One student should put on a pair of over-sized pants over his normal pants. Once the pants are on, the other children should fill up the pants up with several Bibles. The designated child should run to a set mark and back, at which point he changes out of his pants and passes them on to the next child. Do this as a relay competition between two or more groups.
Charades or Pictionary
Using words important to the Reformation, play a game of charades or Pictionary. In charades people take turns acting out the word for their team to guess. In Pictionary the word is drawn on a piece of paper while others try to guess what is being drawn. Possible words include: Bible, 95 Theses, Martin Luther, devil, priest, diet, worms and law.