1. READING 1
THE YEAR THAT CHRISTMAS WAS CANCELLED
The idea of calling off Christmas entirely may sound impossible, but in 1647 that is exactly what happened. Christmas was banned in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland after the Parliamentarians gained the upper hand over the Royalists in the English Civil War.
These newly governing Puritans, later led by Oliver Cromwell, who would rule the British Isles as Lord Protector, saw Christmas as a Pagan festival and believed it was an excuse for drunkenness, gambling and bad behaviour. As a result, they banned gatherings, exchanging presents and decorations such as holly and ivy. Churches were locked to stop them offering festive services while shops and markets were forced to remain open during the 12 days of Christmas from 25 December to 5 January.
Martyn Bennett, professor of early modern history at Nottingham Trent University, argues that the political battle over Christmas resulted in a revolution. The ban led to violent protests as pro-Christmas demonstrators took to the streets, causing looting and rioting in Canterbury, Kent. Illegal Christmas parties in 1647 and the rioting that followed carried on until the Second English Civil War in the summer of 1648 and the trial and subsequent execution of King Charles I the following year.
Christmas continued to be banned throughout the English Interregnum, the period between Charles’s execution in 1649 and the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660, when the Puritan Parliament was in power. Following The Restoration, the Church of England was restored as the country’s national church and Christmas celebrations were allowed to return without suppression.
In a podcast discussing the Christmas ban, Professor Bernard Capp, a historian at the University of Warwick, said: “The Puritan ban had the perverse effect of making Christmas less religious as people still stopped work on the 25 December and secretly treated it as a time to eat, drink and enjoy themselves.”
Adapted from: “The year that Christmas was cancelled in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales”, by Ross McGuinness, December 25, 2020. shorturl.at/cjzGO
Answer the questions.
1.Which sides faced each other in the English Civil War?
2. Why was Christmas banned by the Puritans?
3. What did the Christmas ban affect?
4. How long did the ban last?
5. What effect did the Puritan ban have?
Match an element in the first column to one in the second one.
1. 1647 a. Start of the Second English Civil War
2. 1648 b. Restoration of King Charles II
3. 1649 c. Lord Protector (ruler) of the British Isles
4. 1660 d. National Church of England
5. Church of England e. Christmas ban
6. Oliver Cromwell f. Execution of King Charles I
Search the Internet for information on The Prohibition in the United States (1920-1933). Do you think it has any similarities to the Puritan ban on Christmas? Discuss it in class.
