WHEN
Ο
N. Wednesday, De- comber 22, 16-17, the stolid townsfolk .of the ancient Cathedral city of Canter- bury rioted angrily through their picturesque streets.
For nearly u work they stoned and bludgeoned and manhandled their
way around the city.
A contemporary
brenthiessty
ates -
angry
they witinuta in arm adat Tuesday morning.
The
Home S yet dead, but distre
(many) dangerously hurt."
He adds with slacked pro- priety, that the riter had broken every window
$ 1.
mayor's house and then travel to net re to it.
What had happened, which ca
roused The
people of
the
slumbering back water?
liv
Just this: dictator Cromwell ang bli sin-suited Puritan enchim hund deaded that Christmas ar as fepag was La be banned throughond England And 321
Kood
Canterbury had been ifl-ady red
спе
enough to monių sut crier with fr
his town- crament
that "The 'rotector's" edley was Kolag ix be enforced Canterbury
(A3 11 happonesi, Canterbury outburst ended in a compromise, The rioters turned in their
weapons in exchange for an official undertaking that there would be no prosecutious}
☆
THE townsfolk of Canterbury
were not alone in their anger, Throughout the county of Kent and in London, Oxford and Ipswich riola flared. And as in Canterbury they were touched off by the town-erlers' proclamu- tion banning the reicbration Christinas,
of
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1950.”
ENGLAND HAD NO CHRISTMAS
CHE
WBS a
RY
MAS
to s
***The affair utmost ex-
By Yorke Henderson
the
In
his
tho
ON
put up their shutters at Christ- openly to church on Christmas and so in order to enjoy this would be contrary, to the never quite got back to what 18
much had been before Cromwell mas, Whillo masters and appren- Day stood in danger of being trional deliency without fear liberty of, conseterice so
persecution, bakers and owned by the Protector and his> Uces made mercy in traditional arrested, "grilled" Gestapo-style of
"In fact, "" 13 2 swine 'a better style,
by Roundheads, and released housewives changed the shape friends,"
With his unparalleled gift for Christmas For It was de merry There were a fow fape-saving after a few hours' detention to the normal round form which
his cake and eating it, no before, but without the old and tolken arrests of harmless (esiculated to scare them into exists today.
ono So, Cromwell or no, Christ offenders. But the punishments keeping in line). Such a
weet himself-publicly- "EXCOSSES,
Elsewhere, though, the Purl- meted out to them were light was John Evelyn, the famous mas and its celebration persisted be persuaded that, despite the
nobility of his conscience, he tannical influence persisted. In country in diarist, who Wis a staunch in England....in secret. short, the
was bound to do his unpleasant Massachusetts, whero carly general quietly humbed its nosa Episcopalian, He was arrested as
Who could bold out he left Exeter Chapel on Chrla- longest.....Cromwell
duly. The troops were, orderòd Puritan pilgrims had settled, Cromwell and at dictator
out to their suppresking,
Christmas did not become mas Day, 1057. self-righteous henchmen.
people?
dawful holiday until 1050, In the last year of his fo
And the Scots, who had, in came the
Cromwell eign that was weakening; that he wanted, COON afterwards Cromwell fed thoir abhorrence of Christmas
Cromwell's somehow, to mellify the people. cut his Puritan Common- ante-dated
11, palgns by nearly a thubered He was approached by zealots wealth crumbled. Charles who wanica his permission to the. Merry Monarch, retamed to years, never really have official- suppress "heathenish" ongoings ins Throne, and with him came ly acknowledged the existence
Christmas' ingnin..
Christmas, preferring to among Christmas celebrants,
But even in the roaring daya colcbrate Hoamany (New, Year's Publicly, Cromwell let it be known that he felt much action of the Restoration, Christmas Eve).
But Cromwell, whose tactics would not be out of place in prenent day international to play: politics, had a trump
turned Ho
the full
power of his puppet press on to an anti- Christmas propaganda campalan The "Mercurius Civicus" went so far an to tell its readers that It wou far more probable that Christ was born in September than in December. And it urged those of its readers, worldly want holidays, tu
enough to
"keep the Afth of November
(anniversary of the Catholic
plot to blow up parliament) and
other days of that nature.
The "Kingdom's Weekly Messenger" kept up a barrage of pinpricks like "Lecember 25, vulgacy kuown by the name of Christinas Day.”
studiously
Parliament itself nored Christmas Day by sung every December 20.
Had
ነኛ
UCE
INDER
Cromwell's influence England's traditional Christ man mince pics changed
their shape. Hiherto they had been baled appropriately in the form of the crib of the Infant Christ, But to the "Prolector" and his friends this savoured of popery;
THE
T
GREAT PLOT
man
Kan
of
Cam-
By CHARLES
KENNEDY
► J
HE
are paid in cash, the lake. What would we find? A great annual to make you end I pay and bonuses
on Great Plot to defeat the Great pay income tax And if you reeipients on paying. conspiracy of shop don't believe that bit about the
keep
them. But if the the guts Plot. keepers to part me Christmas tree, just try planting come in the form of whisky or
Last year, the Red bosses in from
my money yours and see how long it lives. cigarettes, the tax
afford to be indulgent. He has Czechoslovakia told their citizens begins a little earlier every It's all part of what shop-
not Even 10 give Christmas year.
No sooner
have I keepers euphemistically term the lady collected his share.
boxes to the garbage man. Such rise in retall soles."
a gesture, it was said, was r- A few returned from my summer "ersonal
of us (comparatively can't work it out exactly, We
the goings-oD in 1 holidays, it seems, than
but we can get a rough ide low, anyhow) try, of course, to miniscent of
countries and
there- am assalled from all sides what they extract from
dodge the Big Pit at home. We capitalist our
fore to be deplored. get on ships and planes and by exhorlations: "Shop pockets.
head for foreign parts. Some of early for Christmas."
In Communist Eastern Ger- us may be dreaming of a White
fouring the Christmas, perhaps in Switzer- many, the leaners,
vi "diversionist land. Others, with simpler ideas, introduction may be concentrating
from the Wez, paina- on night matter' club parties and wine aflowing. takingly opened tens of thou- But this is to get embroiled in sands of parcels. the Big
Plot all over again-- abroad.
Than
Д
the
น
Arst
at But most of us remain home, where our children are the unwitting accomplices of conspiracy.
And if
We are
childless, There are charities
This was re
Pilmcx of # pura: y chronizler: compaign the Puritans had been was carried waging for some years,
tent" When the Civil War broke out Long before the Purlians un- Crowwell seized power, In 1942, one of the first moves der
Cromwellian rebel par- they had hated Christmas. They if the
Y1617, Cromwell was con- lament was to "modify" tradi- never did like to see people cn- joy thrives and, in addition, Christmas celebrations, tional
vireed that the propagada nation-wide machine
As a start, there are the comple:td There was certainly room for they associated the
I tould be glad, 1 suppose. 1 Christmas with
wwds, which revelries moderation. For by tradition, Chistmas
softening
proces", Bnd Christmus
time of un- extravagances
the of
Royal clamped down complete.y
do not live in Amerien. There, peck shyly from shop windows Christmas cards bedeck the shop early in September. Few of us bridled extravagance in Eng- Court which they detested.
the celebrating of Christmas.
midsummer. But think seriously of buying them land. During the festive period So their first tentative move
The singing of carols and the windows by
Americans doubtless be- till weeks later. Then there is a the usual authorities at all levels when they took over the reins sale of garoj broadsheets were
ieve they save money by getting stampede-and they all go into banned. As in every such case,
in belure the rush starts.
the letter boxes at oace. The they immediately went under-
Anyhow 1 resolved long ago Post Office lets us know, and the broadsheets
ever to Around,
buy
Christmas card te pluintively, how hectic is often black-minckeled like ever were
at all. It's another thing that the zeramble.
In other Iron Curtain countries seditious
Carols propaganda,
the Red leaders trave sought to the falls always ni nerve
obliterate the very word Christ- were sting Indoors white louk-1
last moment. And by that me
mas from the calendar. And, outs kept watch for patrolling the only cards left to me bear the marks of a thousand Angers.
alas, the Big Plot on the other Roundheads or government formere.
My only satisfaction that
side of the Curtain has yet worse The cards are only a trifle. We parentless? The Purilans might have en- fought the shopkeepers every just draw out our wallets and which draw our attention but in store. For workers are urged forced their views Even more meh of the way. Fought and find over 10 note from our let it be stressed these are de- to the factories on Boxing Day,
for the flare-up ruthlessly bul
the one in not even for the greater glory Last pay picket. We don't serving. Yes, even
Santa Claus, Massachusetts.
but to miso of rioting of which the Canter-
There, of I decided sise to start a one- really reckon this into the Big Boston,
A bright idea their work norms for the state. the somebody hit on bury uprising was typleal.
There is litle doubt that the man resistance movement against Plot. The Big Plot means
Well, maybe we'd be better of paper holly and presents, the celebrations. Need in World War I. loved the forces government would have
Everybody, it seems, had been |colton-wool snow. That was on we say mure? We have to go to to be able to squash once and
the day when I discovered the bank to get our heavy am- remembered, except the horses. off after all collaborating in the for all the "heathenish aboming-Christmas trees have their roots munition to fight the conspiracy. So somebody decided to collect Big Piot at home.
What did I hear that shop- on which Christmas Day was tolled before you buy them. A Then
Then, of course, there are the money to give the city's toracs.
Christmas slap-up
feed-a keeper say? A bottle of to them. But they were politi- very restrictive practice, I told rely
who, with no savings at
served in favourite wine as a presenti And to know that the salesman who looked at me all,
on their employers three-course menu, revolt might
that little extra nose-bags,' of grain, carrots and that Communist who once tried be rather sharply es if he thought generosity for nallon-wide
to bore me in the pub? "Merry appies. touched off
if they
went too I'd already been celebrating too something.
But it could be worse; yes Christmas," I'm sure he said.... far,
And there, are the lucky ones well. So they confined themselves
bonus stakes indeed, much worse. We might Yes, I've given in. I am an in the Christmas who receive gifts. "in kind." If be living behind the Trat "Cur- accomplice to it all over again.
Λ
pre Cromwelltun described it thus:
Now kings and queens
port
poor
sheep coles (coats) have, And mate with everybody; The honest men now play 10
knave,
In-
1:st.
Food natured!? relinquined of government was to suppress There unhappy officials, how their offices to Lords of Misrule the trudit.onal Christanas plays, ranged from the ever, were only doing their job. (usually men who were under. There play's For in June of that year Crom-n, of one kind or another, humble "Inumming" of rustigs
(1 of which well's parliament had ruled that for the rest of the year).
survive even the feast
of Christmas abould
today to the extravaganzaN of the Court, with scripts by Ben Johnson and decor by Inigo Jones, world-famous architect.
the endly days of in
their regime the Puritans were un- certain of how far they could go in abolishing Christmas. This uncertainty was sunted by the
clans enough was on populate who, therefore, did not pay too much attention to pur-
lament's anti-Christmas laws.
For instance, shops which had been ordered to remain open as on other dark of the year still to pinpricks People who went indeed, all part of the campaign
a few
no longer be observed under pain of punishment. And they had ordered, too,
too, that fron then on town-criers throughout
Wouk! England
remind U10 people of the new law days before Christmas, They had to tell the growling mobs that "Christmas day atid all other superstitious
were to the law and that market should be kept and shops remain open on Decem ber 25.
contrary
festivals"
And wise men play the noddy
(Cool)
The Lord of Misrule occasion provided with a "lady" who married" him to the ac- companiment of readings from the Book of Common Prayer, Disafvetly reports ព contem
A restrictive practice it is
my
For men of distinction- the watch
of distinction
Vacheron & Constantin
I
Sanufactured Horlogerie Vacheron & Constantin
Genève
fandee en 1755
Certificat d'Origine et de Garantië
thors cortifions you lamentre HC)
boste ser
DI 18 Kt jauns, mad. 4870 codronteres ralief'or
a sto zenetrate dest
eprewres
Les
VACHERON
CONSTANTINY
Established in Geneva 1755
Lens sex
'de prest mantlin
THE MOST
RELIABLE
AUTOMÁTIC
OLDEST IN TRADITION.
Co.,Ltd
Import Expo Trading C
..
ROYAL
Chronometer
MERON:
ONSTANTIN
THIS
CHRONOMETER
I'S TIMED TO
A SECOND
FOREMOST IN PROGRESS
from