Christmas Old and New
Tracing the evolution of the Christmas celebration from its early beginnings to its modern traditions.
Christmas Outlawed
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform and zealotry resulted in the cancellation of Christmas. This occurred when Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645. Fiery in their righteousness, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. Their day in the sun did not last very long and by popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the celebration of Christmas.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their strict Puritan beliefs than Cromwell, if less outspoken. They also refused to celebrate Christmas. So it was that Christmas was not a holiday in early America.
After the American Revolution, English customs understandably fell out of favor, including the celebration of Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America’s new constitution. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
Reinventing Christmas
The early 19th century was a period of upheaval, bringing with it class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and there was considerable resentment against the upper classes. This dissatisfaction exhibited itself in rioting by the lower classes often occurring during the Christmas season. This motivated certain members of the upper classes to undertake the formidable challenge of changing the way Christmas was celebrated in America.
In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. To his way of thinking, Christmas should be a peaceful, loving and warm holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Touched by his vision of the perfect holiday, the public took up the call, abandoned their irreverent ways and began celebrating Christmas in much the way we know it today.
Gift Giving
In American/English tradition, gifts are opened on Christmas Day, having arrived during the night from jolly old St. Nick. There is also caroling, feasting, and happiness and good cheer all around, as friends and family come together to create that special Christmas atmosphere.
The custom of gift-giving on Christmas began with the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends. The very first gifts were much simpler than the more elaborate ones we’ve grown accustomed to nowadays. They were items such as twigs from a sacred grove to be used as good luck emblems. Soon, as is the way with human nature, that escalated to food, small items of jewelry, candles, and statues of gods. To the early Church, gift giving during Christmas was a pagan practice and therefore severely frowned upon and routinely discouraged. However, people refused to give up what they considered to be a harmless and fun custom, and eventually some justification was found, (although grudgingly), in the original gift giving of the Magi, and from figures such as St. Nicholas. By the Middle Ages gift giving was accepted.
Sources:
Liked it
