Which 10 countries in the world do not celebrate Christmas?

Many will believe that the arrival of Santa Claus, the remembrance of the birth of the baby Jesus, or a family gathering, especially in these times of epidemics, is celebrated around the world, but they are not. 10 countries that do not hold traditional festivals by government order or for religious reasons.

Most of those places are for reasons of religious obligation, and it is forbidden to place decorations that mark multiple dates and to celebrate it publicly and privately. This can lead to imprisonment or even death.

It is certainly strange that we all think that there are places in the world where people are forbidden as we consider December as a reunion festival and wish new greetings for the coming year.

But 10 countries that do not celebrate it Christmas, Although there are some exceptions.

North Korea

The country is one of the biggest drivers of the Kim dynasty and there is no need to fulfill this holiday, for this reason many Americans point out that Kim Jong Un is the “grinch” who stole Christmas.

The only thing the country celebrates this month is the birthday of Zhang Un’s late grandmother Kim Jong-suk, which falls on the same December 25th. Christmas has been banned since the beginning of the dynasty in 1948 and any religious practice or spiritual festival celebrated by an individual or a group of people is subject to imprisonment or severe punishment.

Despite such “threats” from the government, many Christian communities in the rest of the country are still celebrating Christmas illegally in remote areas.

Somalia

The country’s population is entirely Muslim and due to prolonged conflict, the community has become unstable, allowing people to flee to other places such as Africa, Asia and Europe.

Those returning citizens introduced new practices in Somalia, which led to the government’s adoption of Sharia and Muslim law in 2009. Condition And in 2015 they banned any celebration or event outside of it. However, this ban does not include foreigners because they can only meet in their homes.

“All events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are against Islamic culture, which can damage the faith of the Muslim community. Islamists celebrating Christmas in Somalia is not the right thing to do, it’s like abandonment, ”Sheikh Mohammed Cairo of Somalia said in 2015.

China

This country generally has various restrictions on cultural celebrations from other places and Christmas is not a separate case. From 2018, the government has ordered that people should only promote celebrations of Chinese culture and not Western celebrations.

In some cities, businesses selling Christmas items or greeting Christians celebrating Christmas are closed. “We are afraid to meet in public because they are designated as illegal meetings,” a Shandong pastor told Rfa in 2019.

There are currently about 68 million Protestants living in China, 23 million of whom worship in state-affiliated churches, and nine million Catholics, and 5.7 million in government-sponsored institutions.

Xi Jinping considers Christianity to be the most dangerous foreign religion because they believe it is an infiltration of hostile Western powers.

Israel

Christmas is celebrated in the country not in the sense of waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus, but rather they celebrate the festival of Hanukkah, which conquered the Maccabees over the Greeks and cleansed the temple.

Let us remember that Israel is the cradle of Christianity, and at this time places like Bethlehem, Nazareth or Jerusalem are attracting many foreigners to visit the cities and the history behind them.

Saudi Arabia

The government has established that Christmas is strictly forbidden in the Muslim country and that anyone celebrating or performing an event on this date will be arrested by the religious police. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average Catholic.

Sheikh Mohammed Al-Orifi in 2015 He ruled that no Muslim could greet a Christian, and that if he did so he would support that belief, and that supporting it would be against Sharia and would be subject to severe punishment.

Brunei

Situated on the Asian continent, this country is known for its spectacular beaches. But despite this recognition, the government is establishing some prohibition guidelines because it is a place hostile to Christians.

Since 2014, state authorities have imposed a ban against Christmas, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a $ 20,000 fine for people celebrating a Christian holiday in the area.

The rulers, quoted from the 2015 Al Jazeera chain, pointed out that “the use of religious symbols such as crucifixes, candlelight vigils, placing Christmas trees, singing religious songs and sending Christmas greetings is against the Islamic faith.”

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Unlike in other countries, foreigners are not allowed to celebrate the holiday.

Iran

In this case, the majority of the population is Muslim, which is why Christmas is not celebrated, but some Christian communities do.

Tajikistan

The Central Asian country is located on the border of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China and has a population of about 8 million, most of whom are Muslims. Despite being declared a “secular” country by the constitution, the Emomali-led government has banned all Christmas and New Year celebrations since 1991.

But things got worse when a man dressed as “Santa Claus” was killed in 2011, and the family suspects it was done by police. In 2013, the government decided to ban this representative image of Christmas on all television screens.

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Finally, in 2015, crackers, festive foods, gifts, fundraising and the installation of live or artificial Christmas trees were completely restricted.

Algeria

This case is special because Christmas is not banned, but it does not focus on holiday related sales or decoration. 98% of the people in this African country are Islamists and the rest are divided into Christianity and Judaism.

Thailand

Finally, this secular country with Buddhist influence does not celebrate Christmas, but it is not banned either. Since the main influence of the economy comes from foreigners and visitors, hotels and restaurants are allowed to organize Christmas dinners.