Christmas: It's History Since the 4th Century

Soon after it's instigation, one of the leaders of the Greek church, St Gregory Nazianzen, warned against "feasting in excess, dancing and crowning the doors". The whole twelve days of Christmas were a time for feasting and merrymaking, with Epiphany being at least as big a celebration as Christmas Day. It was hard to see any reverance for Jesus in Christmas, it took on so many of the pagan winter festival traditions.

When Augustine arrived in Britain in 597AD he received instructions from Pope Gregory the Great on integrating the traditions of pagan festivals into Christmas, and genuine Christian influence remained superficial until the Norman conquest of 1066.

In the medieval and Tudor king's court, the nobility came together for lavish celebrations -including banquets, balls and sporting events- and Christmas was an opportunity for lobbying and favour-asking, manoeuvering and general power politics. See www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval/christmas.htm

Carol singing, a nativity play and eating turkey all became part of Christmas. Carols as Christ-mas songs evolved from the singing and dancing that was a part of the long-standing Celtic, Roman and Germanic mid-winter festivals, but with a change to a Christian theme. The nativity play was invented to teach people about the birth of Jesus in an entertaining, easy to understand and memorable way, and really helped with the Christianisation of the 25th December. And as the popularity of Christmas grew, Christmas significantly helped with the Christianisation of Europe. In Tudor times the Spanish brought turkey back with them from The Americas which, being exotic and expensive, was considered a Christmas treat.

The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation: the religious movement of the 1500s which rejected the authority of the pope, the use of Latin in services, and having to go to a priest to get forgiven. The Reformers wanted Christianity to be based on the teachings in the Bible, not corrupt church rules and regulations. From the middle of the 17th century until the early 18th century these "Puritans" tried to suppress Christmas celebrations in Europe and America, regarding it as irredeemably interwoven with Paganism and too raucous and alcohol fueled. After the English Civil War, Cromwell's Parliament passed a law in 1644 banning all Christmas activities, and making decorating houses with evergreens and eating mince pies a criminal offence! It was during a time of huge upheaval, riots and unrest and was widely disregarded, but the Puritans were determined to get rid of it and made another effort in 1647 to put the ban into effect. It was not offically allowed again until 1660 when Parliament brought King Charles the Second back from exile.

Christmas came back in a slightly tamer version, with more of an emphasis on family celebration, and remained popular until the beginning of the nineteenth century when the designated holidays became fewer and fewer until only Christmas Day itself was left. 

The Victorian era (1837-1901) saw a resurrgence of Christmas, popularised by the publication of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, Prince Albert's enthusiasm for Christmas celebrations, and the new British and American middle classes having disposable income to treat themselves. The Bank Holiday Act of 1871 made Boxing Day a holiday, helping to extend the holiday mode.

20th century Christmas is the history of the explosion of Christmas shopping, electric lights, Father Christmas / Santa Claus dressed in red courtesy of Coca Cola (yes, really!), the survival of the Christmas spirit through the two world wars, and a shift away from "family time" back to a social acceptance of an emphasis on drinking and partying.

The Christmas we celebrate in the UK today is a combination of ancient pagan, medieval, Tudor, and Victorian influence, with evergreens, carols, nativity plays, Christmas trees, turkey, crackers and present-giving all in the mix.

[A full list of sources used to compile this article can be found under Links - Acknowledgements for Christmas information]