Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Plum Pudding Riots and the Puritan War on Christmas

Starting point is 00:00:00 Christmas is the time of year for getting together with loved one celebrating and giving gifts. As the song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Nobody could possibly dislike Christmas, right? Well, some people don't like Christmas, and historically, some people really don't like Christmas. In fact, in 17th century England, they actually banned Christmas. And that did not go over well. Learn more about the plum pudding riots and the Puritan War on Christmas on this episode of Everything everywhere daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes

Starting point is 00:00:49 you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night and how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. The 17th century attack on Christmas in England wasn't something that came from anti-religious forces. Quite the opposite. It came from extremely religious forces who opposed Christmas on religious grounds. To understand how this happened, we have to go all the way back to Henry V. After the frustration of not getting his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, annulled by the Pope, he personally took over the church, confiscated all church property, and established himself as the head of the Church of England. This caused a conflict between Catholics

Starting point is 00:01:39 and Protestants in England that lasted generations and a series of monarchs who flip-flop between Catholic and Protestant. I've covered this in multiple episodes, but the conflict between Catholics and Protestants wasn't the only religious conflict in England. The other major group in England were the Puritans. Puritans were dissatisfied with what they saw as compromises and felt that the Reformation in England didn't go far enough. Their name came from the fact that they wished to purify the Church of England.

Starting point is 00:02:10 This was because of the Church of England's religious settlement. under Elizabeth I, which aimed at a middle ground between Catholic and Protestant practices. It retained many traditional Catholic practices, rituals, and hierarchical structures. The Hampton Court Conference of 1604 failed to pacify the Puritans. James I opposed their demands, famously declaring, quote, no bishop, no king, tying the church's hierarchy to the royal hierarchy. Chensions escalated as Charles I, and Archbishop of Canterbury William Loud sought to enforce uniformity in worship all over England. Loudre reforms, known as Loudonism, emphasized elaborate

Starting point is 00:02:50 rituals, the use of altars, and reverence for the church hierarchy. This led to widespread persecution of Puritans and their growing opposition to royal policies. Faced with persecution in England, many Puritans just chose to leave. Some Puritans, like the Pilgrims, initially fled to the Dutch Republic, where religious tolerance allowed them to practice their faith freely. In the 1620s and 30s, many Puritans migrated to the New World, particularly in New England. However, those who stuck around in England soon found the political pendulum swinging in their favor.

Starting point is 00:03:24 For 11 years, Charles I ruled without calling Parliament, bypassing the body entirely and raising funds through controversial methods like ship money, which was an ancient tax on coastal communities. This period of personal rule alienated many ministers of Parliament, including Puritans who resented the king's perceived absolutism. When Charles finally summoned Parliament in 1640 to address the financial crisis caused by the

Starting point is 00:03:48 Bishop's War, he faced an increasingly radical body. The short Parliament was dismissed after just three weeks, but the long Parliament convened later that year and became a hotbed of Puritan opposition. Puritanism had strong support among the rising merchant class who shared its values of hard work, thrift, and personal responsibility. This class played an increasingly prominent role in Parliament. The Puritans were staunch Calvinists. Calvinism emphasized simplicity and purity in worship, seeking to align all practices with Scripture while rejecting elements not explicitly prescribed in the Bible. This principle, known as the Regulative Principle of Worship, holds that only those activities directly commanded or modeled in Scripture are permissible in

Starting point is 00:04:36 worship. Calvinists opposed ornate ceremonies, the use of icons, elaborate music, and hierarchical rituals, seeing them as distractions from true spiritual devotion and the remnants of Catholicism. One of the implications of these beliefs is that they hated Christmas. Technically, they didn't like any Holy Day, but they really didn't like Christmas. For the Puritans, Christmas represented an unacceptable mix of pagan customs and Catholic influences. They criticized its association with feasting, revelry, and idleness, arguing that such behavior contradicted the solemnity and simplicity that true Christianity required.

Starting point is 00:05:15 Furthermore, they just viewed December 25th as an arbitrary date, not biblically justified as the birth of Christ. In 1642, a civil war broke out between the forces of Parliament and those of Charles I. In 1644, during the Civil War, Parliament passed ordinances banning Christmas celebrations. They declared December 25th a day of fasting and repentance, rather than, and, and, and than festivity. This ban was further reinforced in 1647 when Parliament abolished all traditional holy days, including Christmas, which involved feasting. To compensate for the removal of feast days, the Puritans created a day of fasting on the last Wednesday of each month. However, fasting is

Starting point is 00:06:00 not feasting and not nearly as fun. The banning of Christmas was deeply unpopular amongst the general population who valued the holiday for its communal and festive traditions. Both Anglicans and Catholics resented Puritan dominance and their attempts to impose strict religious observance. Christmas was a cherished cultural institution that marked a time of communal joy, charity, and family gatherings. Its suppression alienated even those who otherwise were loyal to Parliament. People couldn't even make the traditional mince pies and plum puddings.

Starting point is 00:06:35 The conflict over Christmas came to. ahead in December 1647 when riots erupted across England. The most notable of these took place in the city of Canterbury in Kent. Local officials in Canterbury, under pressure to enforce Parliament's orders, issued directives for shops to remain open and for all citizens to treat December 25th as an ordinary workday. The problem was, only a handful of shops actually bothered to open. The rest of them were closed, as they always were on Christmas Day, in open defiance of the orders of Parliament. As tension simmered in the city, the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, took to the streets, walking through the bustling lanes, and personally urging shopkeepers to

Starting point is 00:07:17 comply with the mandate. He appealed to their sense of duty, or perhaps fear, encouraging them to remain open in defiance of Christmas spirit so cherished by the townspeople. However, the site of the Lord Mayor enforcing such an unpopular decree did not go unnoticed. A crowd began to gather, initially murmuring their discontent, but soon swelling in size and intensity. The mob surged forward and boldened by their shared outrage, only to be confronted by the mayor's armed pikemen, who were ordered to hold the line and prevent further escalation. What began as a standoff quickly descended into chaos. Good started to fly through the air, hurled by angry townsfolk, over the heads of the mayor's men. The crowd's anger transformed into a full-blown mob.

Starting point is 00:08:02 It's energy driven by the collective determination to uphold their cherished Christmas traditions. Nearby, a merchant, overwhelmed by the scene, decided to shudder his premises. The mayor determined to assert his authority, approached the merchant, and demanded that he reopen his shop. When the merchant refused, the mayor threatened to have him placed in stocks for disobedience, a punishment to humiliate and deter. The crowd, witnessing this confirmation erupted with fury. They surged forward again, rallying in defense of the shopkeeper and directing their rage towards the mayor. The air was thick with shouts of anger and chants supporting the defiant merchant. As the mob pressed closer, their numbers overwhelming, the

Starting point is 00:08:42 Lord Mayor's composure faltered. He lashed out in an attempt to regain control, but his efforts were futile. The crowd retaliated, and he was violently knocked to the ground. The mayor's situation grew dire as he struggled to rise. He was trampled in the mud, his ceremonial robes and garments shredded amidst the chaos. Draged by his feet through the gutter, he became the symbol of the people's rebellion against the enforcement of the Puritan regime's Christmas band. Despite the humiliation and pain, the mayor somehow managed to regain his footing. Gathering his remaining strength, he called for order with a commanding voice. Miraculously, the crowd grew silent, their attention focused on their battered Lord Mayor. Summoning what authority he could muster,

Starting point is 00:09:24 the Lord Mayor issued a stern order. They were to disperse immediately. His words hung in the air, a plea for calm, amid the fervor of rebellion. And just then, instead of the mob getting worse, something happened that was totally out of left field. Someone brought out two inflated pig bladders, the makeshift balls of that era. And soon a massive unruly game of football erupted in the streets.

Starting point is 00:09:50 This was a far cry from the modern game of football, regardless of whatever sort of football you happen to be thinking of. These were the days before rules, goalposts, and referees. Entire towns would participate in such matches with boundaries extending across fields, streets, and into neighboring villages. The population, whether enthusiastic or reluctant, often found themselves drawn into the melee, as these games were as much about community spirit as they were about sheer pandemonium. These town-wide matches were notoriously violent with participants frequently,

Starting point is 00:10:23 sustaining injuries in the fray. If it wasn't technically a riot, it was the next closest thing to a riot. As the pig bladders were kicked, thrown, and wrestled over, the people of Canterbury charged wildly through the streets shouting cries of conquest. Their shouts echoed through the town as they transformed the day into a lively, albeit rebellious, celebration. Adding to the festive atmosphere, some residents took the opportunity to decorate their homes with holly bushes, a traditional symbol of the holiday season. Others organized impromptu entertainment, offering a sense of camaraderie and defiance against the Puritan opposed restrictions.

Starting point is 00:11:00 Basically, the people of Canterbury did all of the things that the Puritans hated. Canterbury was not the only place where similar events happened. In London, in the heart of the Puritan government, there was widespread discontent over the suppression of Christmas. While large-scale riots were avoided due to the strong presence of government troops, many citizens defied the ban by decorating their homes with Holly and Ivy, refusing to open their shops and gathering privately to celebrate. The city of Norwich, known for its strong ties to traditional Anglicanism,

Starting point is 00:11:31 saw a more organized resistance. Citizens openly refused to comply with orders to treat Christmas as a regular workday. Church bells rang out in defiance of the ban, and large gatherings formed in the street. Authorities attempted to intervene, but their efforts were met with jeers and illicit acts of Christmas, similar to the events in Canterbury. In Ipswich, another town deeply affected by the Puritan ban, the townspeople similarly resisted. Market stalls were shuttered despite orders to remain open,

Starting point is 00:11:59 and gatherings in the town square celebrated the holiday with caroling and feasting. Despite all this resistance to banning Christmas, Parliament doubled down on its anti-Christmas policies, imposing fines and penalties on those who celebrated it. Troops were deployed to restore order in affected areas, and leaders of the unrest were arrested. arrested and punished. Pamplets denouncing Christmas as a pagan and Catholic invention were widely distributed to justify the ban. The ban on Christmas remained in place during the interregnum period

Starting point is 00:12:29 until 1660 when Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans ruled the country. Still, celebrations persisted underground or in defiance of the law. The restoration of Charles II in 1660 marked the end of the Puritan experiment and the revival of traditional Christmas festivities. Charles II recognized Christmas and restored it as a public celebration. It turns out that Christmas is really hard to stamp out. The Soviet Union tried to ban Christmas for totally different reasons than the Puritans from 1929 to 1935. Celebrations were outlawed including the sale of Christmas trees.

Starting point is 00:13:05 Stalin eventually changed strategy in 1935, brought back Christmas trees, and turned it into a compulsory New Year's celebration. It just goes to show that whether it's for religious or non-religious reasons, Christmas is something that is very hard to extinguish. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Benji Long and Cameron Kiever. I want to give a big shout out to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon, including the show's producers.

Starting point is 00:13:36 Your support helps me put out a show every single day. And also, Patreon is currently the only place where Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the top tier of supporters. If you'd like to talk to other listeners of the show and members of the Completionist Club, you can join the Everything Everywhere Daily Facebook group or Discord server. Links to everything are in the show notes.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Plum Pudding Riots and the Puritan War on Christmas

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