CHRISTMAS was once cancelled in England – and it wasn’t by the Grinch. It sounds like a nightmare – no mince pies, no carols, not even a Christmas tree in sight – but for almost 20 years in England, festive cheer was illegal. The holiday was officially cancelled in the 1640's.
![[Shopkeepers on Canterbury High Street rebelled against the ban on Christmas]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2KFMXK7jpg-JS952590478.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
MP Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan supporters launched a brutal crackdown on Christmas. They didn’t just frown upon celebrations; they outright banned them, from feasting to decorations. A December 1643, a law passed which demanded the holiday be marked with “solemn humiliation” rather than joy.
![[In Canterbury (pictured), when one shopkeeper refused to open on Christmas Day, locals took to the streets in what became known as the Plum Pudding Riot]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2YMJE5Rjpg-JS952590406.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Parties and holiday cheer were strictly off the table. By 1644, the restrictions only intensified – Christmas was to be treated like any other day. Festive classics like mince pies and plum puddings were banned outright. According to Historic England: "Shops and markets were told to stay open on 25 December.
![[MP Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas in the 1640s]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/papjpg-JS952590238.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"And in the City of London soldiers were ordered to patrol the streets, seizing any food they discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations.". But enforcing the ban was far from smooth sailing. In Canterbury, when one shopkeeper refused to open on Christmas Day, locals took to the streets in what became known as the Plum Pudding Riot.
![[Canterbury High Street, pictured above, remains festive as ever in 2024]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2YMJEJCjpg-JS952590400.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Angry crowds smashed windows, tore up the mayor’s robes, and even forced him to flee. This rebellion sparked a wave of protests in cities like London, Norwich, and Ipswich, and sailors in Kent laid siege to ports. Yet Cromwell’s ban stayed in place for years.
![[Christmas was banned for 20 years (stock image)]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NINTCHDBPICT000956545999.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
