The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-25
CHRISTMAS DAY.
The Puritan Prejudice Against CcIe-
brating ".
U,,.,
baltimore SUM-
TO NOW r. como our i0yfuIaF feast.
Let every man he Jolly,

go now IL come our ioyfulst feast
Let every man he Jolly:
Each room with ivy leaves II drnat
And every post with holly
SO sang George Withcra, and every ono whe
reiinnta upnn Ghriaimaaildn ia history ite
festivities. its songs and carrots will cOncoje
that II not only is. but ought TO 10 "our jny-
fullest feast" Not every one either. for the
Purltans have not yet como to that pass.
though they are rapidly learning to take n
more liberal view of the festivals Of other
people, even while refusing to participate ~
Them themselves. They certainly do not hold
Christmas IN anything like tho same horror
that they did some two hundred and thirty or
forty years ago. when the diversions of the
season were not only treated aa incense
offered ~ thr old ahc-dragun W Babylon but
also az criminal ofIcnscs to b. punished with
the stocks and the carts tail PryHuc, In ha
"Histtio- Mastix. says:
n"Our Christmas lords Of mlsrulp. together
with dancing, masks, mumm"res, stage
players and such other Christmas disorders
now in use with Christians, were derived
from these Roman saturnals and bacChana
liam festivals. which should cause all pious
Christians 10 abominato them"
The bOnrs head, tho mincc pic, Tho plum
pudding wore never served on Puritan tables
though the most of the tribe were valiant
tronchmcu, and the minced pie, especially,
was tnat Of orthodoxy No dissnnt"r could
cat Il without exposing himself 10 the sus.
picion of being no better than he should be
Up 10 the time of the Puritan ascendancy. If
we may trust Porc Cyprian, Christmas was
celebrated In England and especially ut the
court, with greater ceremony than In any
other realm But under the Commonwealth,
every sort of observance Of the day was made
penal. John Evelyn, in his diary, notes three
Christmas days under the sour-fac"i regime.
The first, 1854, he says: mo sermon any
where no church being permitted TO
be open. go observe IL at home" The
second 1854, he writes "No churches or pub
lie assembly. ! was fain 10 pass the dovotions
OF that blessed day with my family mt home.
The third, 1857 Evelyn writes: Il went to
London with my wife 10 celebrate Christmas
Day, Mr.. Cunning preaching in Exeter
Chapel on Micah vii, g. Sermon ended; IA
he was giving Va tho Holy Sacrament tho
chapel was surrounded with soldiers, and al
the communicates and assembly surprised
and kept prisoners 10y them, some in the
house. othcrs carried away. These
were men Of high flight and above ordinances.
and spoke spteful things OF our Lords nativ
ity As we went up to receive tho sacrament
the mscreants held their muskets against
us, IA If they would have shot us ut the altar,
but yet suffering us to finish the Office Of COM
munion, as perhaps not having instructions
what to do In case they found ns in that &C,
ton; so got home late the next day, blessed
be God" II was natural reaction against
this strained condition Of things that, after
the restoration, FOR a while the Christmas
revea were resumed In tho shape of what
Evelyn himself calls unlicensed and brutal or !.
gtes, Mt which mono were moro disgustod than |
he. In poem Of tho period (Anno 1860 we
find the verses:
"Old Christmas ia come for to keep open house. |
Re scorns TO he guilty Of starving n mouse:
Then come. boys. aud welcome for diet the
chief
Plum budding, goose, caron. minced pies and
roast beet.
A long time together he hath been forgot
They scarce could afford for 10 hang ON the pot /
Such miserly aueakiug in England hath been, /
As By our forefahers ne'er used 20 be seen"