It’s strange to imagine, in an age where Christmas seems to start in October, as the shops gear up for a winter spending spree, that there was a time when the festive season wasn’t just discouraged — it was actually illegal in Britain.
Yes, Christmas was cancelled.
In 1647, right in the aftermath of the English Civil War, Parliament cancelled Christmas. And not just for a year or two. For thirteen years, Christmas Day, decorations, feasting, and merriment were all banned by law.
England in Turmoil
By 1647, the first English Civil War had ended. Parliament’s forces had defeated the Royalists after seven years of conflict. But the fighting didn’t immediately stop. There was a brief and bloody second war, and eventually King Charles I was taken prisoner.
Negotiations failed, and compromise was impossible. In early 1649, England executed its king. Power now rested firmly with Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians. The country was declared a republic. In the aftermath, the Church of England was abolished and replaced with a strict Presbyterian system.
And the Puritans were now in charge.
To the Puritan mind, Christmas had drifted away from its religious roots. They saw it as a day of excess, idleness, drinking, feasting, dancing, and wastefulness. In general, people are having too much fun. It was everything they disapproved of.
So Parliament abolished it.
Not just the day, but the entire Christmas season. No Twelve Days of Christmas. No feasts, decorations, games or parties, and no church services marking the Nativity.
While the shopping experience was very different compared to today, shops were ordered to stay open, including Christmas Day. The aim was to make it feel like the rest of the year — business as usual.
Enforcement of the new laws was taken seriously. Soldiers patrolled the streets, and town criers were sent out to proclaim, “No Christmas! No Christmas!”
For most people, who were leading a harsh and hard life as it was, banning Christmas must have been seen as an act of spite. The one time of year when people and families came together was now just another day.
The People Push Back
As you might guess, it didn’t go down well.
Christmas was an English tradition, part of the culture for centuries. It was a time of communal feasting, charity, family gatherings, and midwinter celebration.
People weren’t about to give it up quietly. Some defied the ban openly, while others held secret services. Behind closed doors, many carried on decorating their homes. Riots broke out, and the defeated Royalists encouraged resistance, no doubt delighted at the public resentment toward Parliament.
Despite all of Cromwell’s power, the nation’s affection for Christmas remained.
A Dictator in All But Name
As time passed, Cromwell’s rule grew increasingly authoritarian. He had defeated the monarchy and hierarchy, only to replace it, effectively, with a military dictatorship led by him. By the late 1650s, many people who had once supported him questioned what exactly they’d fought for.
In the end, the monarchy remained quite popular, and the decision to ban Christmas was unpopular. Cromwell died in 1658, and there was a power vacuum that followed, which ultimately led to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
As for Cromwell?
Even in death he found no rest. His body was exhumed, and his severed head was displayed on a spike outside the Tower of London for thirty years.
In British history, he remains a controversial figure. On the one hand, a military dictator; on the other, a force for liberty from the old elites of royalty and privilege. It should be remembered that at the time, there was no democracy, elections, universal suffrage, or anyone fighting for it.
The Restoration (and the Return of Christmas)
In 1660, Charles II returned from European exile to reclaim the throne. The monarchy was restored. So was the Church of England.
And Christmas came back as well.
A Festive Footnote
So the next time we grumble that Christmas starts too early now (it does!), or that it’s become too commercial (it has!)… Spare a thought for the 1640s.
There was a time when you could be arrested in Britain for celebrating Christmas at all.
Image by Ron Porter from Pixabay
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