Abolishing holy days did not abolish recreation
A slip in the definitions might stop all the dances; might wither all the Christmas trees or break all the Easter eggs.
There is a real historical counterpart to the threat against festive life. Parliament's ordinance of June 1647 abolished observance of Christmas, Easter, Whitsun and other holy days in England and Wales. But the same enactment provided monthly recreation for scholars, apprentices and servants, subject to their masters' permission, with disputes referred to a justice of the peace. The source inspected is an undated modern transcription of the 1647 ordinance, not an original printed copy. Ordinance banning festivals, opening and recreation clauses.
That qualification matters: the policy transferred legitimate recreation away from the religious calendar rather than simply declaring all pleasure unlawful. Historian Rosalind Johnson explains that the Directory of Public Worship rejected these festivals for lacking biblical authorization, and shows from churchwardens' accounts that festal communion and some celebrations continued despite prohibition. Her evidence supports Chesterton's connection between religious definitions and ordinary customs, while resisting his imagery of total extinction. It does not establish a specific prohibition of Christmas trees or Easter eggs. Johnson, 'Christmas Under Cromwell' (2021), paragraphs on the Directory, the ordinance and parish accounts.
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