Much of the world is waiting for Christmas to celebrate as a family. But there are countries where the mere fact of commemorating this holiday can be considered a crime. In North Korea for example, such is the seriousness that they can even impose a death penalty.
This happens because Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25, belongs to the Christian religion, and in some countries, they do not profess it.
Christmas, for many, is a reason to exchange gifts and share with loved ones. However, there are governments that prohibit these acts or any behavior alluding to the Christmas theme.
In North Korea, Christmas has not been celebrated since 2016, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un banned any type of celebration related to this holiday. However, there is a celebration, the birthday of his grandmother, Kim Jong-suk.
This event is called the “Sacred Mother of the Revolution.” Jong-un replaced the Christmas celebration with a more meaningful one for him. “Pyongyang has established a system whereby members of party organs report people’s economic difficulties on a daily basis, and has banned any gathering related to drinking, singing and other entertainment,” Yohap news agency quoted the official as saying. South Korean Intelligence Service (NIS).
According to the article of the constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in that country, there is freedom of religion, but thousands of North Korean Christians must practice their faith in secret.
North Korea is a communist country that does not want to know anything about Jesus Christ, so practicing religion is the cause of imprisonment, torture and even the death penalty. Local media have estimated that approximately 60,000 people have been jailed since the ruling.
Christmas is one of the most important holidays in Christianity and on the planet, along with Easter and Pentecost.
On December 24, Christmas Eve is commemorated and on December 25 the birth of the baby Jesus; I mean, Christmas.
In Somalia Christmas was banned in 2015 because they practice the Muslim religion and did not want their beliefs affected. The same thing happened in Brunei, but in 2014.
The penalty imposed by the Government of both countries for those who celebrate Christmas parties is five years in prison.
In the case of Iran, its citizens mostly belong to Islam, which is why it is not allowed to celebrate Christmas in most of its cities. The places that do have permission are Urumiyeh and Jui, in the northwest of the country. The number of years in prison is according to the seriousness of the events.
Although Israel is a country where not everyone celebrates Christmas, there the celebration of Hanukkah. This is also known as the Festival of Lights or Luminaries. It is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the rebellion of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire.
In addition, Israel brings together Judaism, Islam and Christianity, so that several religious festivals coincide such as the liturgical worship in Bethlehem and the communal holidays, due to a mismatch of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
As of 2018, those shops that have Christmas products have been banned, in search of promoting the autochthonous Chinese culture. This is due to a political stance not to adopt Western celebrations that refer to both social and economic countries and cultures.
Although in China there are countless churches and Christian faithful, in recent years no official meetings have been held every December 25.
Thailand has a population that is mostly Buddhist and another small minority is Muslim. Therefore, Christmas is not an important celebration and is not part of your social agenda. Very few celebrate it.
In Algeria they also practice the religion of Islam. However, there are small and rare Christmas celebrations on the part of believers of Christianity who have arrived from other countries, such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Source-larepublica.pe