Christmas is the biggest holiday in America. Millions of people get together to celebrate this joyous occasion and spread its love, so they’re shocked when they discover not every country celebrates the festive event.
Although Christmas is a Christian holiday, it’s open for everyone to share. This is why countless are surprised to learn that many countries vehemently deny the holiday, and some have even banned it.
Here are 12 countries that surprise us with their lack of Christmas spirit:
North Korea
Finding out North Korea doesn’t celebrate Christmas isn’t too surprising since we rarely know much about it. However, it’s clear the North Korean government doesn’t allow for Christmas celebrations, but not for the reasons you think.
The North Korean government emphasizes North Korean traditions and holidays, leaving little room for Christmas. Unfortunately, the country is strictly isolated from the international community, so it may not understand Western celebrations.
China
China strongly encourages celebrating Chinese holidays over Western ones, so Christmas is rarely observed. Politics aside, China doesn’t have much reason to celebrate Christmas because of its non-Christian majority population.
Most Chinese refrain from celebrating Christmas because they aren’t aware of it. The small portion of the population that celebrates Christmas sees it as a shopping spree, so they may not share the sentiments.
Laos
Laos is predominantly a Buddhist nation. While Buddhism doesn’t refrain believers from partaking in specific festivities, the people of Laos practice Buddhism strictly and refuse to share events and festivities like Christmas.
Laos’ Buddhist-majority population makes it challenging for people to see Christmas as the joyous occasion that we do. Christmas is just another day for them, so they spend more time and effort with their traditions.
Japan
Japan probably has the weirdest take on Christmas. The holiday itself might not exist on paper; most Japanese only see Christmas as a day to eat KFC (yes, you read that right), not a memorable holiday.
Japan has a small Christian population, so it rarely indulges in celebrations and festivities related to Christ. Of course, we can’t blame Japan for ignoring Christmas since it heavily prioritizes New Year's Eve.
Nepal
Nepal is a relatively isolated nation. While the country is open to thousands of tourists, it has a surprisingly strict adherence to cultural and traditional beliefs, most of which derive from Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.
Nepal's Buddhist and Hindu majority population has thousands of holidays collectively, so it rarely leaves room for Christmas. Nepal’s Christian population is less than 2% of the nation, so Xmas is unusual.
Armenia
Here’s the thing: Armenia technically celebrates Christmas, but not the way you think. While we quickly pass over Epiphany and focus our attention on Christmas Day, Armenians do the opposite.
Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6, almost a month before the American holiday. Armenian Christmas focuses more on Epiphany and less on gifts, so the celebration drastically differs.
Albania
Albania has the most curious take on Christmas: it’s banned altogether. And while we may question its decision, Albania’s reasons to deny Christmas are rooted in profound secularism. The country follows the same rules for every religion.
The population in Albania is religiously diverse. The nation collectively banned religious events and festivities to preserve peace and bonding within the country and maintain its secular status.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has the saddest reason to prohibit Christmas. The nation is Muslim-majority, and while countless Muslim-majority nations encourage Christian holidays, Saudi Arabia maintains a staunch stance against it.
The nation has banned the celebration of any holiday that a non-Muslim religion might celebrate. Its population dramatically lacks non-Muslims, so the decision is widely accepted by its citizens.
Somalia
Following Saudi Arabia’s footsteps, Somalia discourages celebrations of non-Muslim holidays. Although it initially permitted Christmas celebrations, it suddenly declared against them in 2015 and hasn’t looked back.
Unfortunately, it’s not for a lack of Christians. The country is Muslim-majority but has a less than 1% Christian population, which has no choice but to abide by the country’s unusual rule.
Bhutan
Bhutan is a Buddhist-majority nation, so it encourages Buddhist celebrations. While the country doesn’t prohibit Xmas, some Christians celebrate Christmas, which looks nothing like the holiday we celebrate.
Bhutan celebrates hundreds of Buddhist-related events and festivities yearly. Such celebrations leave no room for others. It also rarely interacts with Western culture, so people lack awareness about Christmas.
Russia
Like Armenia, Russia celebrates Christmas in January (although on the 7th). It primarily focuses on New Year’s Eve, a more significant holiday than Xmas. However, there are several more reasons why Russians don’t celebrate Christmas.
The Soviet regime prevented the nation from dipping into its religious and cultural roots. Its fall quickly invited an openness, but it prefers celebrating Epiphany and New Year's Eve over Christmas.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is another Muslim-majority nation, so it encourages Islamic and local holidays over Western ones. However, the country hasn’t banned Christmas; its citizens don’t care about our beloved holiday.
Kyrgyzstan has no room for Western holidays since it celebrates countless traditional festivities yearly. Only some people in Kyrgyzstan know about Christmas, but a lack of Western influence dramatically differentiates the celebration from ours.
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