7 Countries That Don’t Celebrate Christmas

1. Somalia, Africa

For the past eight years, since 2015, Somalia has banned the celebration of Christmas outright. In 2009, the country adopted the Sharia Law, a religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on the scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the Hadith. Government officials give out warnings that anyone who partakes in these Christian activities could threaten the Muslim faith of the nation.

2. North Korea, East Asia

North Korea has a non-existent relationship with Christmas. This holiday and the celebration of it was officially banned in 2014. Christmas is regarded as being a Christian holiday, so the government of North Korea sees it as a direct competition with their religion of Juche. With this country being hailed as a Hermit Kingdom, allowing Christmas is viewed as a sign of Western influence. So, North Korea has sought to keep Western culture out of its country and has even gone as far as punishing anyone celebrating Christmas.

3. Afghanistan, Central Asia

Afghanistan is a predominately Muslim country, so Christmas is not celebrated as a national holiday. Back in the 90s, during the heightened reign of the Taliban, anyone choosing to celebrate Christmas ran the risk of some persecution. However, foreigners wishing to do so can now celebrate the holiday in churches, military bases, or embassies.

4. Yemen, West Asia

With Islam being the official religion of Yemen, Christmas is not a publicly celebrated holiday. The country has not observed Christmas for several decades. However, in 2020, six years after a civil war broke out in the country, a small neighborhood in Al-Jahmiliya lit hundreds of candles on December 25th to draw the world’s attention to end the war in their city Taez.

5. Tajikistan, Central Asia

Tajikistan has a reputation for banning many different things. As a result, one of the more recent bans for this country was Christmas. This included giving presents, collecting money, Christmas dinner, Santa Claus or Father Frost, and Christmas trees. So, the education ministry prohibited all of the secular aspects of the holiday through a decree. With the country being mostly Muslim, leadership sees any perceived ‘deviation’ from cultural norms as suspicious. However, extremists who celebrate these holidays sometimes face harassment and persecution.

6. Brunei, Southeast Asia

For roughly the past eight years, Christmas has been illegal in Brunei. That said, people breaking this law can receive a fine of up to 20,000 dollars, spend five years in prison, or both. The Ministry of Royal Affairs has said that this law was implemented to control Christmas celebrations openly and excessively. It is feared that the holiday could damage the creed of the Muslim community.

Roughly two-thirds of the population in Brunei is Muslim. The remaining one-third can attend church and celebrate privately in their homes. However, anyone wanting to celebrate must notify the authorities.

7. Comoros, Africa

With the country of Comoros being 98% Sunni Islam, Christmas is not a public holiday. Less than two percent of the country celebrates this holiday. These numbers have taken a toll on the part of the population that observes Christmas. Sadly, Comoros has also been on the World Watch List for the past 22 years for their persecution of Christians.