Where was Christmas first celebrated in the United States?

Answer 1

For certain, De Soto, Cortez, etc. celebrated Christmas in the early 1500's. The early East coast colonists did too. The USA of course only dates from 1776. So it's hard to know--depends on your definition. As far as known from some sources of American history, the pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas and outlawed the celebration as it was not in keeping with their Christian beliefs. There are many pagan traditions associated with it's celebration. A history professor of mine, in class, stated that it was the Roman Catholic Church's way of inventing a holiday to combat the influence of the eastern religions from the pressing Ottoman Empire. Essentially, Christmas has no Biblical roots and was not celebrated by the apostles, who would have celebrated the Jewish holidays instead. But some claim that it was the German Immigration to the United States that first brought Christmas to the forefront as a major holiday. However, with no Christian connections per se, but many mystical connections.