In 17th century Massachusetts, Puritan leaders made Christmas observances illegal due to their dislike of the holiday’s pagan roots and association with alcohol and sexual activity. The ban lasted for two hundred years until it was repealed in 1681, but Christmas did not become a public holiday in Massachusetts until the 19th century. Despite this history, a 2013 study found that 92% of Americans celebrate Christmas, including 87% of non-Christians. The current “War on Christmas” has no basis in reality.
In 2013, the Pew Research Center found that 92 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. In fact, the study concluded that 87 percent of non-Christians observe the holiday in some way. While the current so-called “War on Christmas” may function as political theater, it actually has no basis, especially when compared to life in Massachusetts in the mid-1600s, when the Puritan leadership passed a law making Christmas observances a crime. . Conservative Puritans hated the boisterous Christmas parties of the time, citing society’s penchant for “alcoholism and free sexual activity.” They also argued that the holiday had nothing to do with the birth of Christ, and instead had roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, an annual pagan celebration tradition that coincided with the winter solstice.
Two hundred years without Christmas?
Puritans argued that there was no scriptural basis for Christmas. The Bible, they said, does not mention a season, or a single day, that marked the birth of Jesus.
The Yuletide ban was on the books in Massachusetts for an entire generation. In 1681, the Massachusetts Bay Colony reluctantly repealed the law.
However, until the 19th century, businesses and schools remained open on December 19, while many churches were closed, a clear attempt at willful non-observance. In the 25th, Christmas finally became a public holiday in Massachusetts.
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