A History of Christmas in America
2023-12-23
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1From VOA Learning English, I'm Caty Weaver.
2Today, Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith present a special program on Christmas traditions in the United States during the first half of the 19th century.
3During this period, there was no set way of celebrating the day, which was not yet an official holiday.
4Communities around the country honored the day in different ways.
5Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day honoring the birth of Jesus.
6Others celebrated the day with parties, music, drinking and eating.
7And, some communities did not celebrate the day at all.
8But, it was during this period that Americans began to reinvent the holiday.
9They combined ancient Christmas traditions from different cultures with modern American influences.
10Here are Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith.
11In 1819, the popular American writer Washington Irving wrote a series of five essays published in a book called The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
12The essays describe a wealthy British landowner who invites his farm workers into his home to celebrate Christmas.
13The landowner recreates a traditional Christmas as it would have been celebrated in the distant past.
14Irving praised this looking back to ancient traditions.
15He liked the idea of different levels of society coming together to enjoy a festive and peaceful holiday.
16Washington Irving seemed to express concern about the lack of such unifying Christmas traditions in modern America.
17Penne Restad wrote a book Christmas in America: A History.
18It shows how Americans began to slowly shape Christmas into a unifying national holiday during the first half of the 19th century.
19She describes how Christmas had different meanings for Americans who came from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
20Many immigrants brought Christmas traditions from their own countries.
21Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday.
22Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas.
23But groups such as Episcopalians and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations.
24By mid-century, Christian groups began to ignore their religious differences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways.
25Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home.
26More and more Christian Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts.
27Christians believed that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings.
28German immigrants brought their tradition of putting lights, sweets and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes.
29This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes.
30So did the practice of giving people presents.
31As these traditions increased in popularity, the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew.
32As Christmas became more popular, some states declared the day a state holiday.
33Louisiana was the first state to make the move in 1837.
34By 1860, 14 other states had followed.
35It was not until 1870 that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday.
36Americans already knew old Christmas songs that came from England and other areas of Europe.
37But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular.
38For example, in eighteen forty-nine, a religious leader from Massachusetts wrote the words to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.
39The song Jingle Bells appeared seven years later.
40And, a year later, a religious leader in Williamsport, Pennsylvania wrote the song We Three Kings of Orient Are.
41And of course, no discussion of Christmas would be complete without talking about of one of the holiday's most famous representations, Santa Claus.
42This character is based on the story of Saint Nicholas, a Christian holy person believed to have lived in the third century.
43Saint Nicholas became known as a protector of children.
44Different cultures have given him different names.
45These include Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle and Father Christmas.
46But for most Americans his most popular name would become Santa Claus.
47In the 19th century, many Dutch immigrants living in the United States celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6.
48Saint Nicholas was especially important to New Yorkers because of their history as a Dutch colony.
49In 1809, Washington Irving published his History of New York.
50It lists Saint Nicholas as the patron saint of New Yorkers.
51He describes the saint wearing a low hat, large pants, and smoking a pipe.
52Does this description sound familiar?
1From VOA Learning English, I'm Caty Weaver. 2Today, Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith present a special program on Christmas traditions in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. 3During this period, there was no set way of celebrating the day, which was not yet an official holiday. Communities around the country honored the day in different ways. Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day honoring the birth of Jesus. Others celebrated the day with parties, music, drinking and eating. And, some communities did not celebrate the day at all. 4But, it was during this period that Americans began to reinvent the holiday. They combined ancient Christmas traditions from different cultures with modern American influences. 5Here are Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith. 6In 1819, the popular American writer Washington Irving wrote a series of five essays published in a book called The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. 7The essays describe a wealthy British landowner who invites his farm workers into his home to celebrate Christmas. The landowner recreates a traditional Christmas as it would have been celebrated in the distant past. Irving praised this looking back to ancient traditions. He liked the idea of different levels of society coming together to enjoy a festive and peaceful holiday. Washington Irving seemed to express concern about the lack of such unifying Christmas traditions in modern America. 8Immigrants shape Christmas traditions 9Penne Restad wrote a book Christmas in America: A History. It shows how Americans began to slowly shape Christmas into a unifying national holiday during the first half of the 19th century. She describes how Christmas had different meanings for Americans who came from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Many immigrants brought Christmas traditions from their own countries. 10Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday. Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas. But groups such as Episcopalians and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations. 11By mid-century, Christian groups began to ignore their religious differences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways. 12Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home. More and more Christian Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts. Christians believed that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings. German immigrants brought their tradition of putting lights, sweets and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes. 13This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes. So did the practice of giving people presents. As these traditions increased in popularity, the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew. 14Christmas as a holiday 15As Christmas became more popular, some states declared the day a state holiday. Louisiana was the first state to make the move in 1837. By 1860, 14 other states had followed. It was not until 1870 that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday. 16Americans already knew old Christmas songs that came from England and other areas of Europe. But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular. For example, in eighteen forty-nine, a religious leader from Massachusetts wrote the words to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.The song Jingle Bells appeared seven years later. And, a year later, a religious leader in Williamsport, Pennsylvania wrote the song We Three Kings of Orient Are. 17And of course, no discussion of Christmas would be complete without talking about of one of the holiday's most famous representations, Santa Claus. 18This character is based on the story of Saint Nicholas, a Christian holy person believed to have lived in the third century. Saint Nicholas became known as a protector of children. Different cultures have given him different names. These include Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle and Father Christmas. But for most Americans his most popular name would become Santa Claus. 19In the 19th century, many Dutch immigrants living in the United States celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6. Saint Nicholas was especially important to New Yorkers because of their history as a Dutch colony. In 1809, Washington Irving published his History of New York. It lists Saint Nicholas as the patron saint of New Yorkers. He describes the saint wearing a low hat, large pants, and smoking a pipe. Does this description sound familiar? 20Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. 21_________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23society - n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values 24festive - adj. cheerful and exciting: suited to a celebration or holiday 25unifying - v. to cause (people or things) to be joined or brought together 26decoration - n. something that is added to something else to make it more attractive 27practice - n. something that is done often or regularly