Who abolished Christmas in 1647?

In 1647, The English Parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Oliver Cromwell, Puritan leader, believed feasting and revelry on what was suppose to be a holy day was considered immoral. Thus, he banned all Christmas activities.

Anyone caught celebrating would be immediately arrested. For the nearly two decades that the ban on Christmas was in place, semi-clandestine religious services marking Christ’s nativity continued to be held on 25 December, and people continued to sing in secret. Christmas carols essentially went underground. The ban was only lifted when the Puritans lost power in 1660. However, the Puritans in America banned Christmas as well between 1659 and 1681.

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12 Comments

billyboy915

Repressive, religious dogma has no business in government.

Jacqueline Tattam

Great question

Louella Wilson

Cromwell was only opposed to the feasting and revelry. Not the religious celebration of Christmas.

Elsy O. Stromberg

Never heard that before. Would have made more sense to ban the secular stuff, but allow religious services and celebrations.

pabjetster

What an adorable picture. Sometimes the pictures are better than the questions. Not this one, because I thought it was pretty good. But the picture is still cute!

Richard D. Boyle

Excellent slice of historical trivia rarely taken note of. There’s a lesson there somewhere.

David Holmes

billyboy915, that's why we threw them out and got our King back. In more modern times think of the USSR and a few other dictatorships. Repressive but anti any religion.