Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

War on Christmas? Under the ultra religious Puritans, it was illegal.

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU
 
tanyev Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:03 PM
Original message
War on Christmas? Under the ultra religious Puritans, it was illegal.
When Dec. 25 rolled around in the colonial 1600s and 1700s, most Long Islanders did what they did on any other day of the year. Women cooked or spent the day catching up on the wash. Men worked in the barns or, if weather permitted, in the fields preparing for the next growing season.

``You have to remember that Long Island during the colonial period was heavily Puritan,'' explained Alice Ross, a local historian who has researched the Island's early Christmas celebrations. ``Puritans did not celebrate Christmas because they thought it was a very pagan ritual.

``People didn't walk around in the woods singing Christmas carols. The Puritans thought these things very severe.'' In fact, Ross added, Christmas is very rarely mentioned in letters, diaries or official documents of the day.

Christmas celebrations were actually declared illegal from 1659 to 1681 in New England, the hotbed of Puritanism, historian Stephen Nissenbaum noted in his recent book, ``The Battle for Christmas,'' which chronicles the evolution of the holiday in America. If anyone was caught observing Christmas by drinking, partying or song, they were fined five shillings.
http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs346a,0,6961091.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigation
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
Lindacooks Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:08 PM
Response to Original message
1. I love Dave Barry's words on the Puritans...
The rest of the people in England said 'glad to see the back of them' because they were always putting people in stocks for crimes like 'suspicion of cheerfulness'.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AX10 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:11 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. The Puritains were not persecuted. They were the persecutors.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
sam sarrha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:14 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. they left Europe because the Inquisition wasn't severe enough
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AX10 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 10:24 PM
Response to Reply #4
10. The Puritains were terrorists in that respect.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
MountainLaurel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 11:16 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. 'Splains a whole lot
Edited on Fri Dec-02-05 11:17 PM by MountainLaurel
About why our nation is in the shape it's in compared to Europe, now doesn't it? Basically, our country was founded by the Taliban (with those capitalist pigs in Virginia for good measure).
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DanCa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:11 PM
Response to Original message
2. Man I used to love christmas as a kid.
Edited on Fri Dec-02-05 09:11 PM by DanCa
The fundie loosers ruin everything.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:43 PM
Response to Original message
5. Why do you hate freedom? n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
tanyev Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:47 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose....
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Mutley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 06:36 AM
Response to Reply #6
17. Good song.
:thumbsup:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Tom Yossarian Joad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 09:49 PM
Response to Original message
7. Thanks for the link and information! K&R!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
I Have A Dream Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 10:16 PM
Response to Original message
8. Very interesting! n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
area51 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-02-05 10:24 PM
Response to Original message
9. Puritans
Let's declare a war against the Puritans; they were against Christmas, those heathens, uh, Christians. </facetious>

Somebody better tell Talibornagain mullahs Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, etc. about these godless, er, Christian Puritans.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Qibing Zero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 02:25 AM
Response to Original message
12. Haha, yes.
This is good info. I really dislike how warped the American views on holidays are when compared to the actual history of them. Thanksgiving gets me all worked up every year.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
nightperson Donating Member (550 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 03:55 AM
Response to Original message
13.  As a descendant of Puritans, I just gotta ...
thank you for reminding people of this. This article is good for cracking people up during the holidays.
State of the art theology, far as I know. How many years can some people exist, before they finally get a grip?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
tanyev Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 11:24 AM
Response to Reply #13
20. Good links! Thank you.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
NMMNG Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 04:01 AM
Response to Original message
14. Geez, nowadays if people aren't allowed to run around screaming
Edited on Sat Dec-03-05 04:02 AM by BuffyTheFundieSlayer
about their religion in the streets and erect monuments every five feet they're being "persecuted". To think, they claim this country was a fundie haven when it was founded. :eyes:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
spooky3 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 06:34 AM
Response to Original message
15. The fundies can't have it both ways...
to get the govt. to legally sponsor a holiday tree, they agree it is not an endorsement of any one religion--or even of religion at all, since some atheists celebrate solstice. It's just a "tree" (like the Ten Commandments are a "historical document)."

But now they want to be exclusive and demand that it be called a "Christmas" tree. Fine. Then get it off government property, or give equal time and resources toward symbols of other religions and non-religions.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Nikki Stone 1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 06:37 AM
Response to Reply #15
18. Good point
:kick:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Mutley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 06:35 AM
Response to Original message
16. Hm. Well at least the Puritans recognized that Christmas
was/is a very pagan holiday. I can give 'em that much.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
ComerPerro Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-03-05 07:43 AM
Response to Original message
19. Christians today don't even have any idea what real oppression feels like
They don't know what its like to be actually persecuted and singled out for your beliefs.

They call anything that doesn't let them force their views on society "persecution".
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri May 03rd 2024, 10:22 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC