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Joined: 02/09/09
Posts: 4713
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It wasn't waged by atheists but rather by Puritan Christians.An Outlaw ChristmasIn the early 17th century, a
wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in
Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in
1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their
effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored
to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.
The pilgrims,
English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more
orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas
was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration
of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the
Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution,
English customs fell out of favor, including 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. http://www.history.com/topics/christmas
Following the Protestant Reformation, groups such as the Puritans strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas,
considering it a Catholic invention and the "trappings of popery" or
the "rags of the Beast."[80] The Catholic Church responded by promoting
the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of
England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed
estates in midwinter to keep up their old style Christmas
generosity.[79] Following the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I
during the English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647.[80]
Protests followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities
and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated
doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.[80] The book, The
Vindication of Christmas (London, 1652), argued against the Puritans,
and makes note of Old English Christmas traditions, dinner, roast apples
on the fire, card playing, dances with "plow-boys" and "maidservants",
and carol singing.[81] The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended
the ban, but many clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration.
In Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland also discouraged
observance of Christmas. James VI commanded its celebration in 1618,
however attendance at church was scant.[82]
In
Colonial America, the Puritans of New England shared radical Protestant
disapproval of Christmas. Celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659
to 1681. The ban by the
Pilgrims was revoked in 1681 by English governor Sir Edmund Andros,
however it was not until the mid-19th century that celebrating Christmas
became fashionable in the Boston region.[83] At the same time,
Christian residents of Virginia and New York observed the holiday
freely. Pennsylvania German Settlers, pre-eminently the Moravian
settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Lititz in Pennsylvania and the
Wachovia Settlements in North Carolina, were enthusiastic celebrators of
Christmas. The Moravians in Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in
America as well as the first Nativity Scenes.[84] Christmas fell out of
favor in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was
considered an English custom.[85]
George Washington attacked Hessian (German) mercenaries on Christmas
during the Battle of Trenton in 1777, Christmas being much more popular
in Germany than in America at this time.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#Reformation_into_the_19th_century
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