Categories
Crime and Punishment

Too cool for yule

From 1573 to 1712, celebrating Christmas was either illegal or illicit in Scotland. Many businesses didn’t close on 25th Dec until 1958 when it became a public holiday.

In 1650, Bessie Sands of Limekilns was tried for “superstitious absenting from work on Yule”

Between 1573-1712 the Church of Scotland made it illicit by an act at the General Assembly. Between 1640-1661 and 1690-1712, the ban was made a legal one by the Scottish Parliament.

Barclay, Jean (2018) The Kirk that Stole Christmas. Dunfermline Historical Society. https://dunfermlinehistsoc.org.uk/the-kirk-that-stole-christmas/