Check out 10 countries of the world that banned Christmas celebration
Its Christmas again and Christians around the world will be observing the religious holiday associated with the birth of Jesus Christ by celebrating with their families, friends and loved ones.
But not in every country of the world Christmas is celebrated as there are still a number of countries
in this world where Christians are forbidden from celebrating the day
Lets quickly take you through some of this countries who once placed a ban on the celebration and those where the ban still existed.
1. England
Cromwell |
Oliver Cromwell overthrew the monarchy
and oversaw the execution of King Charles I during the English Civil
War, but for many the fiery Puritan leader is better known for banning
mince pies.
Christmas and the celebration of
saints' days was discouraged – if not prohibited – in England between
1647 and 1660 as the country was ruled by a puritanical movement that
considered the feast day 'giving liberty to carnal and sensual
delights'.
They mandated that shops had to remain
open and cracked down on celebrations, leading to violent clashes on
the streets of London and other cities. Life returned to normal after
Cromwell's death in 1658 and the Restoration two years later.
2. Brunei
Brunei banned public celebrations of
Christmas and imposed fines and jail terms for those caught celebrating
the festival in 2014, an edict that was reiterated in 2015 by religious
leaders writing in local newspaper, the Brunei Times.
"These enforcement measures are ... intended to control the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly, which could damage the aqidah [beliefs] of the Muslim community," they said.
It specifically banned the wearing of
Christmas costumes such as Santa hats, the lighting of candles, the
signing of religious songs and putting up decorations such as Christmas
trees. The Sultan of Brunei, a billionaire who owns hotels across the
world, introduced a strict interpretation of Sharia law on the territory
last two years.
3. Tajikistan
The reclusive former Soviet republic
country's education ministry issued a decree in December 2015, outlawing
Christmas trees, the exchange of presents, fireworks and festive meals.
Sky News reported
that while the restrictions in 2015 are the strongest yet,
anti-Christmas regulations have been getting increasingly restrictive
over the last few years in the Muslim-majority country.
In 2014, the Tajik government banned
Father Christmas and three years earlier a man dressed as Santa was
stabbed to death in the capital on New Year's Eve. Tajikistan also bans
Halloween and in 2013 and 2014 police rounded up revellers dressed as
zombies and vampires.
4. Saudi Arabia
Little surprise that Saudi Arabia, a theocracy governed by the strict Wahhabi doctrine of Islam, is not a big fan of Christmas.
In the past, expatriates had quietly
celebrated in the comfort of their own homes (and will likely continue
to) but rumours of illicit Christmas parties prompted state media in January to reiterate that celebrating the festival was not allowed in the kingdom.
It went further by forbidding Muslims from greeting non-Muslims at Christmas, with a Saudi scholar saying:
"If they celebrate the birth of God's son and you greet them... it means you endorse their faith."
In 2015, it emerged that some expatriates in Saudi Arabia were going further, tweeting pictures of their Christmas trees and children dressed for the occasion.
5. North Korea
Back in 2013 North and South Korea
almost went to war after the latter erected a giant Christmas tree at
the border of the two countries.
North Korean state media said that the
huge Christmas tree – which was lit up in a town close to the border
and clearly visible from the North – was an act of psychological
warfare.
North Korea does not officially ban Christianity but is ranked among the most hostile countries in the world towards Christians.
To complicate matters, December 24th – Christmas Eve – is celebrated in North Korea as the birthday of the Sacred Mother of the Revolution, Kim Jong Il's mum.
6. Albania
Albania not only banned Christmas but religion as a whole in 1967, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state.
The ban on any and all religious
worship was only lifted after the fall of the Communist regime in 1990,
when both Christians and Muslims were able to practice for the first
time.
During the Communist years many
priests and religious leaders were rounded up and jailed, but the pious
celebrated Christmas and Easter nonetheless in private. They would have
cake or chicken at meal times as a way of marking the days.
7. USA
Puritans, up to their usual tricks,
attempted to ban Christmas when they arrived in the New World in 1620.
They branded the festival 'Foolstide' and decreed that the only
religious day that should be celebrated was the Sabbath.
The Puritans managed to keep the ban going until the middle of the 18th century,
at one point even arresting the Sir Edmund Andros, the Governor of
Massachusetts, when he tried to sponsor a Christmas service.
8. CUBA
Fidel Castro announced the Cuban
government as atheist as soon as it took power in 1959 but it wasn't
until 1969 that the Communist leader actually banned Christmas, as he
wanted the population to stop partying and start working on the sugar harvest.
It was Pope John Paul II who
eventually persuaded the now late Cuban leader to lift his ban during a
visit in 1998, when Castro agreed to make the day a national holiday.
Somalia banned Christmas in 2013 when a
directive from the Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs stated
that no Christian festivals could be held in Somalia.
Sheikh Ali Dhere, the country's director of religious matters, called a press conference a week before Christmas to make the announcement.
"We alert fellow Muslims in Somalia that some festivities to mark Christian days will take place around the world in this week. It is prohibited to celebrate those days in this country," he said.
It was the first time that the Somali
government had banned Christmas since the country's government collapsed
in 1991. In 2015, the government in Mogadishu went further, banning New
Year's Eve celebrations and ordering the police and army to disperse
any celebrations it found.
10. China
Christmas and Christianity as a whole
were banned in China after 1949 but you would not know that if you were
to visit during the festive season today.
China goes mad for Christmas, and it
is not just Chinese Christians that get in on the act – while Christmas
is not a national holiday it is a widely celebrated festival day, akin
to New Year, with fireworks and fancy dress in abundance.
While Santa Claus costumes and hats
are a common sight on the streets of Shanghai or Beijing during
Christmas, other costumes are less traditional – devil horns, for
example, are sold widely to mark the day.
Couples also like to treat Christmas as akin to Valentine's Day, exchanging gifts and going out for romantic meals.
Local media reported in 2012 that,
like in the West, the Chinese use Christmas an opportunity to hit the
shops, with Christmas Eve the biggest shopping night of the year for some retailers.
Source - IBTimes UK
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