Christmas Influence On American Culture

The puritans from England not only escaped from the religious pressure by the king but brought their cultures and traditions when they left from their home. The example of those is Christmas. As the believer of Jesus Christ, they had been celebrating the birth of their god by their ways. After their immigration to New England, the religious ritual changed by times.

Ironically, the Puritans banned to celebrate Christmas in 1600s, and it was considered as even taboo. This concept was brought from England. Puritans thought that celebration was referred to the paganism and idolatry, which were against atmosphere of 17th century. Also, they could not find the biblical proofs. As the result, the congress of England was banned celebrating holidays such as Christmas and the Easters in 1643. This law was changed by the Christians who wanted to congratulate Christmas. It was descended to the Pioneers heading to New

Charles Dickens had published “A Christmas Carol” in 1843 and indeed, the Civil War saw the first introductions to the modern image of a jolly and portly Santa Claus through the drawings of Thomas Nast, a German-speaking immigrant. Christmas in the American Civil War (1861–1865) was celebrated in both the United States and the Confederate States of America. However, the day did not become an official holiday until five years after the war ended. The war continued to rage on Christmas and skirmishes occurred throughout the countryside. Celebrations for both troops and civilians saw significant alteration. Propagandists used wartime Christmases to reflect their beliefs. In 1870, Christmas became an official Federal holiday to unify north and south. The Christmas during the brutal war helped the soldiers of both sides to get out of the battlefield and be the window bonding between them and their family and