The strange but true story of how Christmas was once banned in Scotland

There’s nothing quite like Christmas fever is there? For one month, Glasgow is gripped with festive mania as we shop, prep, daydream and put up decorations in time for the big day.

Unfortunately, 2021 has been a different kettle of fish – and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the lockdown restrictions for next week’s festivities are still up for debate.

Still, the holiday has seen worse times here in the history of not-so-sunny Glasgow.

Yes, long before ‘bubbles’ and ‘social distancing’ were a thing, it seems that Christmas was banned in Scotland.

In 1640, during the time of the Protestant reformation, celebrating Christmas became a punishable crime across our country.

In the time of Oliver Cromwell – a man known for his puritanical views and dislike of extravagance – celebrating Christmas, or Yule as it was then known, was considered unforgivably indulgent.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Ana Sanchez, Visitor Services Supervisor at the city centre attraction Tenement House, said: “Yule, as it was known then, was banned for a reasonably long time.

“They thought that celebrating it was a luxury and more festive than it should be.

“In the 1700s, they allowed it to be celebrated a little bit more, but not on paper until the mid-20th century.

“In fact, it wasn’t until 1958 that Christmas became a public holiday.”

But what exactly would happen if you were caught celebrating Christmas? There are records of people being excommunicated from the Presbyterian church, arrested and put to trial, with even singing a Christmas carol enough to get you in trouble with the law.

Ana said: “If you celebrated Christmas, it was a serious crime. We have records of people being excommunicated and punished that were caught.

“In Glasgow, there was a trial held for five people for celebrating Christmas. Each of them were forced to repent.

“It was more that during those times, you weren’t supposed to be celebrating – it was about honouring.”

After Cromwell’s death in 1658, things slowly started to relax, however the ban was not lifted straight away and remained officially in place until 1686.

It’s no secret that Hogmanay has always been more important in Scotland than across the rest of the UK. After all, we even have our own name for New Year’s Eve and the ban goes a long way to explaining our love affair with seeing in the new year.

Ana explains,”This is why people in Scotland focus more on Hogmanay than other parts of the UK. It has actually been a holiday for far longer than Christmas in Scotland.”

So there you have it – your Christmas may not be as you like it this year, but at least we’re allowed some tinsel in 2021!

Article first published on December 25, 2021.

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