Wacky Christmas Laws and Practises
In the Spirit of Christmas, here are some strange practises and wacky Christmas laws from around the world:
- In England, it was illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day from 1653 to 1658;
- In America, Christmas was banned from 1659 to 1681;
- In Caracas, Venezuela, on Christmas Day, the roads are closed, so people roller skate around the city; and
- On Christmas Eve at noon, the Declaration of Christmas Peace is read in a formal ceremony in South Finland which states that any behaviour which jeopardises the joy of the holiday will be met with the full force of Finnish law.
New Zealand’s laws are not as wacky; however, the following is worth a mention. Christmas Day was not considered a public holiday until the Arbitration Act 1894, and the Holidays Act 1910 implemented the legal entitlement to take Christmas Day off.