Handel's "Messiah"

Ever heard of Handel's "Messiah"?  George Frideric Handel's Messiah was originally an Easter offering.  It was first played publicly on the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742.  The record attendance of 700 was accomplished because ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses "without hoops" in order to make "room for more company."  Or so says the Smithsonian Magazine.  Now Messiah is a "must play" during the Christmas season.

What has that got to do with colonial Williamsburg?  Well, the above harpsichord was played by none other than Handel himself!  Right here in Williamsburg in the British Governor's Palace!  When did Handel's Messiah make it to America?  It was performed here in 1770, two years before it was first performed in Handel's home country of Germany!  But it is very doubtful that it was played during Christmas.

Of those who kept diaries or journals from that time, many don't even mention Christmas on, before, or after December 25th.  You see, the church back then frowned on Christmas carols because they just might lead to (horror!) dancing!  (Sounds Baptist to me.  Baptist's frown on dancing because John the Baptist was beheaded for a King to please a woman during a raucous dance party.  Baptist's came into being in Amsterdam in 1609 and made it to North America in 1638.)  

In 1647, the English Parliament abolished celebrating Christmas, and they followed up with a resolution in 1652 stating:  "No observation shall be had on the five and twentieth day of December commonly called Christmas-Day; nor any solemnity used or exercised in churches upon the day in respect thereof."

WOW!  Who knew?  

Now, this wasn't enforced during colonial times in Virginia - but it's probably the reason folks weren't writing about celebrations in their diaries and journals.  So when did things ease up a bit?  It might surprise you to know that Christmas celebrations were pretty much ignored well into the 19th Century!  Boston Public schools, as late as the 1870's, were open on Christmas Day, and (Old Scrooge would be glad to know) missing work on December 25th would get you fired!