Christmas Ban
Q: How many years did the English parliament’s 1647 ban of Christmas last?
A: 13 years
Why Christmas was banned
In 1647, during the English Civil War, the Puritan-controlled Parliament in England officially abolished Christmas. To them, Christmas had three major problems:
• It wasn’t biblical enough
There is no mention of celebrating Christ’s birth on 25 December in the Bible. Puritans believed the holiday was a Catholic invention layered with superstition.
• It encouraged bad behaviour
Christmas in the 1600s was loud, boozy, and chaotic. Think street feasts, gambling, excessive drinking, cross-dressing, and social role reversals where servants mocked masters. Puritans wanted sober prayer, not public revelry.
• It felt too Catholic
The Puritans were aggressively anti-Catholic, and Christmas traditions like feasting, decorations, and church festivals smelled suspiciously like Rome to them.
What the ban looked like in practice
Parliament didn’t just cancel the day. They tried to erase the vibe entirely:
• Churches were ordered to stay closed on Christmas Day
• Shops were forced to open as if it were a normal workday
• Soldiers patrolled streets looking for decorations, feasts, or celebrations
• Mince pies and Christmas puddings were confiscated
• People caught celebrating could be fined or jailed
In London, shopkeepers were sometimes attacked by crowds for daring to open on Christmas Day. The public mood was very much “you can take our carols, but you’ll never take our pies”.
Public reaction
Unsurprisingly, people ignored the ban whenever they could.
• Secret celebrations happened behind closed doors
• Christmas riots broke out in several towns
• Pamphlets circulated defending Christmas as a joyful and ancient tradition
In Canterbury, protests turned so fierce that they helped spark wider unrest. Christmas had become a symbol of resistance against strict religious rule.
How long did it last?
The ban lasted until 1660, when the monarchy was restored and King Charles II took the throne. One of the quiet victories of the Restoration was Christmas returning in full force, bells ringing, feasts restored, and probably a lot of very smug pudding eaters.
A lasting legacy
In short, Christmas was banned because it was too fun, too Catholic, and too chaotic for a society obsessed with order and moral discipline. History eventually sided with the mince pie