|
America, as the country we know today, was founded by descendants of Christians who immigrated from Europe, and as such Christmas has been celebrated in the country since the earliest Europeans arrived. How they and their descendants celebrated the holiday season, however, was very much dependent on what part of the new nation they called home.
Christmas in New England circa 1776 was a pretty somber affair. New England was founded by Puritans, and though most formally established Puritan denominations had stopped practicing in the colonies by the 1740s, their influence on the practice of Christianity in the region was long lasting. The Puritan version of Christianity was very strict and Fundamentalist, and did not endorse fun nor festive activities like parties. They believed such merriment, which most of us enjoy today to celebrate the holiday, was a Perversion of what Christmas was supposed to be-- which, in their view, was a time of reflection and a time to praise God for their good fortune. A typical Puritan Christmas included several hours of a church sermon, followed by a Christmas meal with family; this practice at Christmas was the predominant one in New England throughout the revolutionary war. Many other cities, such as New York, were much more influenced by English Christmas traditions than the Puritans, and while their Christmas day also included a sermon at a church, the sermon was typically followed by much more familiar celebrations (to us), such as parties and dances (and even drinking-- a big no-no for Puritans and their descendants!). In these other cities, it was also not uncommon for the very richest people in a community to fund a public day of celebration, which often included food, drink, activities and sometimes even games for everyone! Homes were decorated familiarly too, with greens such as holly hung in celebration-- and inside, festive meals with special dishes (such as unusual puddings and foods with unique ingredients such as pineapple-- a very rare luxury in the 18th Century) were the norm. Another important tradition shared by most cities (that weren’t established by Puritans, that is) was the burning of the Yule Log. A yule log was a special log that was carefully prepared to be pleasant to sight and smell, and was burned in the hearth as part of Christmas celebrations, accompanied by food and drink. While the traditions based around its burning are highly varied (some burned the yule log for the 12 days of Christmas, for instance, while others burned it on either Christmas eve or Christmas day only), almost all of America burned a yule log to celebrate the Christmas through New Year season. Often, family and friends would gather to view the burning of the log while they visited with one another; this practice is the direct descendant of the video yule log (for the modern home with modern conveniences, like televisions and central heating), which is so popular today that there are cable channels and Netflix streams dedicated to it 24 hours a day the entire holiday season! While Christmas celebrations were common in the colonies for civilians during the revolution, soldiers on Christmas day didn’t always have the luxury of a holiday-- and in one very famous instance, Christmas day was home to one of the revolution’s most successful military campaigns. During the famous Battle of Trenton, colonial soldiers crossed the Delaware River (as depicted in the famous painting on the next page) on Christmas day to attack an unsuspecting camp of Hessians the day after (a term for German troops hired by Great Britain to fight for The Crown during the revolution). The sneak attack was a huge success and a very important victory for the then struggling revolutionaries, mostly because General George Washington knew the hired German soldiers (who celebrated Christmas in a VERY non-Puritanical way, with parties and drink) would be especially unprepared for the battle-- and the American’s routed them. One thing atypical of Christmas in America at that time was, surprisingly, gift giving! Very few people in America gave gifts at Christmas, and most of the modern emphasis on gift giving we enjoy now is actually the result of merchants using the holiday to promote sales through advertising that started in the early 1800s. During the revolution, gifts were actually more likely to be given at New Year’s, if they were given at all. So the Christmas of the American Revolution was, in many ways, very similar to the Christmas we still now enjoy. Just be thankful jumping in some boats to cross the Delaware for a Hessian ambush isn’t still part of the festivities. Merry Christmas! |
|
GLOSSARY
Battle of Trenton important battle of the American Revolutionary War on December 26, 1776 in Trenton, New Jersey, where General George Washington and his patriots ambushed hired German troops (fighting for the British) who were ill-prepared for an attack due to celebrating the Christmas holiday the day before.
Fundamentalist one who believes in a “fundamental” strict, literal interpretation of a religion’s scripture.
Hessians approximately 30,000 German troops hired by the British to fight during the American Revolutionary War.
Perversion altering something from its original intent or meaning.
Puritans strict English protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted to “purify” the Church of England from Catholicism.
Washington, General George a founding father of the United States of America; also the nation’s first president and, during the American Revolutionary War, the General of the Continental Army.
Yule Log a specially selected log, burnt on a hearth, as a Christmas tradition, originally from Europe.
Fundamentalist one who believes in a “fundamental” strict, literal interpretation of a religion’s scripture.
Hessians approximately 30,000 German troops hired by the British to fight during the American Revolutionary War.
Perversion altering something from its original intent or meaning.
Puritans strict English protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted to “purify” the Church of England from Catholicism.
Washington, General George a founding father of the United States of America; also the nation’s first president and, during the American Revolutionary War, the General of the Continental Army.
Yule Log a specially selected log, burnt on a hearth, as a Christmas tradition, originally from Europe.
