tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post4395481275164515637..comments2024-03-29T03:28:22.296-05:00Comments on Writing In The Crosshairs: You're doing WHAT for CHRISTMAS?Roland D. Yeomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338410857990551352noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-35921817388377376882014-12-20T09:31:15.397-06:002014-12-20T09:31:15.397-06:00Hi Roland .. amazing traditions - I knew nothing a...Hi Roland .. amazing traditions - I knew nothing about them .. the Catalonian log sounds a little extreme ... while the Scandinavian and eastern European traditions and I don't think I'll be visiting Japan for Christmas ... fun to read these .. thanks for sharing - HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-30685586158048120342014-12-18T21:42:26.176-06:002014-12-18T21:42:26.176-06:00VR:
The Spanish settled in America pretty early on...VR:<br />The Spanish settled in America pretty early on - in Florida in 1559 and, being Catholics, would have celebrated Navidad, Christmas and Pascua, Easter and others. That colony failed but one established a bit later - St Augustine in 1565 - has been occupied ever since. The ancestors of our Latino friends were the first to celebrate a major European holiday - Christmas or Easter depending on the date they arrived.<br /><br />But you're right: Prior to the civil war Christmas was not widely celebrated in the USA. Commercialism gave it a kickstart when store owners found they could use the celebration of christmas as a way to boost sales during a time when many people were in the "lean" months of their savings.<br /><br />The first documented Christmas controversy was Christian-led. Puritans (including those who fled to America) sought to remove elements they viewed as "pagan" (because they were not biblical in origin) from Christianity. During this period of Christian oppresion, the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it "a popish festival with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior. The Army were sent to raid homes and confiscate any cooked meat. <br /><br />This led to such resentment that it provoked riots.<br /><br />During the colonial period, celebrating Christmas was punishable by a fine and in 1776 it was still not widely celebrated. <br /><br />The U.S. did not even make Christmas a federal holiday until 1870. <br /><br />In the end, it all comes down to what of America folks lived. Here in Louisiana, we would have celebrated Christmas from the start.<br /><br />Up where you live, the Puritans, those party-poopers, nixed it early on! They had those nifty witch trials to conduct and all! :-)<br />Roland D. Yeomanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00338410857990551352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-35291375598701923922014-12-18T12:47:44.533-06:002014-12-18T12:47:44.533-06:00Fascinating post, Roland. We should keep in mind t...Fascinating post, Roland. We should keep in mind that early America didn't even celebrate Christmas. There was no Biblical justification, so the Puritans considered Christmas a pagan holiday. <br /><br />Christmas wasn't considered a holiday here until the mid-nineteenth century. Give us a few hundred years to catch up, and I bet we can come up with some a few more interesting traditions of our own. ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://vrbarkowski.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">VR Barkowski</a>VR Barkowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04927993233682731113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-3291332629231149242014-12-18T11:20:59.465-06:002014-12-18T11:20:59.465-06:00Yes, protect that Goat. Misfits from Gavle may com...Yes, protect that Goat. Misfits from Gavle may come looking for it! But no fear. They will have to contend with Samson and Faith ... Galve doggie kibble!Roland D. Yeomanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00338410857990551352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-3409347236846058482014-12-18T10:51:44.165-06:002014-12-18T10:51:44.165-06:00My Yule Goat stays on top of my china cabinet, saf...My Yule Goat stays on top of my china cabinet, safe from dogs and other vandals. I loved this post, except for learning about that goat in Gavle. I have to go Google it now to learn more. Ingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02924736131382149056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-74105951652102772232014-12-18T10:11:53.225-06:002014-12-18T10:11:53.225-06:00Folks around the world sure are strange, but I am ...Folks around the world sure are strange, but I am sure they say the same about us!! :-)Roland D. Yeomanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00338410857990551352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-88115118809551250802014-12-18T06:57:39.233-06:002014-12-18T06:57:39.233-06:00That last one wins for weirdness. Although the bur...That last one wins for weirdness. Although the burning goat is rather funny.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-34280963498312969562014-12-18T00:34:08.433-06:002014-12-18T00:34:08.433-06:00And I have a fridge magnet which says that the onl...And I have a fridge magnet which says that the only normal people are those you don't know very well. I hadn't realised it was a Twain paraphrase. The merriest of Christmases to you too.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-89729050002011644282014-12-18T00:09:12.989-06:002014-12-18T00:09:12.989-06:00Elephant's Child:
The world is stranger than w...Elephant's Child:<br />The world is stranger than we believe, isn't it? Mark Twain wrote: Everyone is normal until you get to know them! :-) Merriest of Christmases!Roland D. Yeomanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00338410857990551352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681132888977525688.post-49889797848863798932014-12-17T23:56:20.928-06:002014-12-17T23:56:20.928-06:00And I had thought that my family had some weird ce...And I had thought that my family had some weird celebratory habits...<br />Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.com