Who invented holiday

If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe.

When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in , they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims , English separatists that came to America in , were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell.

As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From to , the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident. After the American Revolution , English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas.

Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the s piqued American interest in the holiday? The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season.

This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early s.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around A. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.

The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in , when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continues with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the s.

Discover the history of the Christmas tree, from the earliest winter Turning on the Hoodie-Hoo. Thomas Roy. Koopersmith isn't alone in her love for wacky holidays. Thomas Roy loves them, too. Roy started creating holidays "on a lark," he said, while looking for ideas for the morning radio show he hosted in Pennsylvania back in the mids. He was thumbing through Chase's Calendar of Events -- the go-to reference book on holidays -- when he noticed a form in the back of the book asking readers to submit their own ideas.

His mind raced, trying to gin up a new holiday. Then, he remembered it was February. It's February. It's winter, and everyone is sick of winter,'" he recalled.

And just like that, Northern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day, which aims to help us deal with cabin fever, was born. He submitted the idea, then was shocked to see it listed in Chase's next edition. Hoodie-Hoo Day -- which you celebrate by grabbing a beach blanket or sunglasses and waving them at the winter sun while twice yelling, "Hoodie-hoo! It even made Roy something of a media darling for a time, with a front-page story in USA Today, an appearance on the Australian version of the "Today" show because he also created Hug an Australian Day, April 26 , and more radio and TV interviews than he can remember.

He's appeared on the BBC more than any other network to talk about his holidays. That's because the Brits "love crazy Americans," Roy said. One Pennsylvania county once celebrated Hoodie-Hoo Day with a parade, complete with a marching band. Roy and his wife drove up for it, and he couldn't believe it. But now, Roy, who is also a movie actor who appeared in the film "12 Monkeys," doesn't create holidays.

His wife forbids it. Of hot toddies and accordions. John-Bryan Hopkins. Another holiday creator is food blogger John-Bryan Hopkins. He also includes National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day November 12 on his list, which is a good thing, because anchovies are gross.

And then there's Tom Torriglia, an accordionist based in Italy who created National Accordion Awareness Month celebrated in June because he felt his instrument wasn't getting the attention it so rightfully deserves.

Chasing down the dates. The semiofficial arbiter of all things holidays is the aforementioned Chase's Calendar of Events, a page tome dedicated to holidays, commemorations, events and special observances of all kinds. Oliver Burkeman explores how you'd be better off taking some time to daydream and ponder every day. It was rumoured that Sir John Lubbock was so keen on cricket he chose the bank holiday dates to fall on the days when village matches were played in his home county!

True or not, the masses were ecstatic with the holidays. The country with the highest number of public holidays is India, with a whopping 21 days!

The only country with fewer public holidays than us is Mexico, coming in with just seven days. In parliament debated replacing the May Day bank holiday with a different holiday in October. This would have spread out the bank holidays a bit more evenly throughout the year. These plans were scrapped. The second bank holiday in the month of May exists because it used to be held on the day-off in the Christian calendar after Whit Sunday or Pentecost.

Whit Sunday always falls seven Sundays past Easter Sunday. Since however, this bank holiday has always been held on the last Monday of the month.