QuickQuotes
Though Christmas is generally associated with peace to men of good will, there are plenty who bear ill will toward the holiday. Following are some lumps of coal that the latter have left under the tree at one time or another.
“Forasmuch as the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ, Easter, Whitsuntide, and other Festivals, commonly called Holy-days, have been heretofore superstitiously used and observed, be it ordained, that the said Feasts, and all other Holy-days, be no longer observed as festivals; any law, statute, custom, constitution, or canon to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.”
This ordinance, passed in 1647 by the British Parliament, was effectively repealed in 1660 when Charles II ascended the throne.
“From 1789 to 1799, the holiday went underground. Religious services were banned and carols were altered ‘by substituting names of political leaders for royal characters in the lyrics, such as the Three Kings.’ The anti-clerical laws even affected pastries. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Galette des Rois (King Cake) was briefly replaced with the Gâteau de l’Égalité (Cake of Equality).… Christmas was rechristened Le Jour Du Chien (Dog Day).”
Writing for HistoryBuff.com in 2015, Julia Mason detailed atrocities hurled against the holy season by perpetrators of the Reign of Terror.
JBS Member or ShopJBS.org Customer?
Sign in with your ShopJBS.org account username and password or use that login to subscribe.
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA)
*Available Outside USA - Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically