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IIRC, mince pies were once made illegal, since they were made in a shape alleged to be that of a crib, and therefore deemed blasphemous. (I even once read that this law remains on the statute books....)
IIRC, mince pies were once made illegal, since they were made in a shape alleged to be that of a crib, and therefore deemed blasphemous. (I even once read that this law remains on the statute books....)
IIRC, mince pies were once made illegal, since they were made in a shape alleged to be that of a crib, and therefore deemed blasphemous. (I even once read that this law remains on the statute books....)
IIRC, mince pies were once made illegal, since they were made in a shape alleged to be that of a crib, and therefore deemed blasphemous. (I even once read that this law remains on the statute books....)
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this is yet another popular fallacy.
According to the Law Commission, the only Christmas Day on which eating mince pies was illegal was in 1644, as 25 December that year fell on a legally-mandated day of fasting. Subsequently, the Long Parliament of the Interregnum banned all celebrations of Christmas (An Ordinance for Abolishing of Festivals, 1647). However, mince pies themselves were never banned, although they were strongly disapproved of as a symbol of the immoral excesses of the festive season. Further legislation was proposed in 1656 to clamp down on illicit Christmas celebrations, but it was never enacted.
Statutes of the Interregnum were held to be invalid following the Restoration of the Monarchy, as they had been passed without Royal Assent. Some statutes were later re-enacted by Charles II, but the 1647 Ordinance that banned Christmas was not amongst them
"I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
Lady Bracknell The importance of Being Earnest
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