Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macau), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, the Sahrawi ...
Christmas Day in Japan
The holiday season in Japan seems to be celebrated the exact opposite way as it is in western countries. In Japan, Christmas is the time for friends and couples to have parties, make plans to meet up for dinner and celebrate as much as they can.
This is because inside North Korea – a country widely deemed to be one of the most hostile and repressive towards organised religion – you can be imprisoned, tortured or ordered to death for simply celebrating Christmas.
In Korea, Christmas Day is a national holiday, just like in Canada or the United States. I bet you'd be surprised to learn that Korea is the ONLY East Asian country where this is the case. This is mostly because there are more Christians in Korea, than in most East Asian countries.
St. Nick and his reindeer flew over Pyongyang on Christmas Eve to deliver presents, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, whose official map of Santa's travels showed his airborne sleigh over the North Korean capital around midnight, local time.
The celebrations of Christmas in the Philippines have deep influences of Catholicism, tracing their roots back to Spanish colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. Currently, the Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season in the world, which begins on September 1.
Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland, has become synonymous with Christmas and Santa Claus. The town of Rovaniemi is known as "the official hometown of Santa Claus" and visitors to the charming Santa Claus Village can meet St. Nick himself, visit the post office, go to elf school at SantaPark and more.
The campaign started in the 70s to tempt tourists and expats with chicken on Christmas Day when they couldn't find turkey to eat, and was the the brainchild of Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country, according to the BBC.
Australians often celebrate Christmas Day by enjoying a Christmas lunch or dinner with their closest family and friends. The meal usually consists of a selection of hot and cold dishes, including fresh seafood.
It's always a very merry Kentucky Christmas in Japan. Every year, millions of families make a beeline for the nearest KFC in Japan and order bucketloads of fried chicken. Children reach in for the best piece of the lot, commemorating what they know to be the most natural tradition–a KFC dinner for Christmas.
What emerges from the two biblical traditions of Luke and Matthew is: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea. Herod the Great was king in Israel at the time of Jesus' birth. But he actually died already in 4 BC and not in the year 0, so the period from 7 to 4 BC can be considered as the time of Jesus' birth.
For many Muslims, Christmas is just like any normal day in the calendar year, but acts as more of a marker for a period of rest and winding down as the rest of the country comes to a halt.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bhutan, North Korea, Libya, Mauritania, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen do not recognize Christmas as a public holiday.
A law was passed in Scotland in 1640 which made celebrating 'Yule vacations' illegal. The Christmas ban lasted 400 years. Christmas Day only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958! Once the ban was lifted, Scotland adopted many of the traditions from England and USA.
The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336.
Those differences begin with the Christmas calendar. Rather than the 12 days of Christmas celebrated elsewhere, Icelandic Christmas has 13 days. And traditionally, that's because of the Yule Lads.
Finland is the perfect setting and best place to celebrate Christmas, with its Christmas traditions, snowy landscape, and Santa and his elves. Finland is said to be home to Santa Claus. Thus, Christmas in Finland is celebrated differently than in other countries. It is celebrated on Christmas Eve.
Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west. Historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. After that Japan, Asia, across to Africa, then Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America.
Santa Claus Village is located in Rovaniemi, Finland, the official hometown of Santa Claus. Santa Claus has made Lapland in Northern Finland his home for centuries, and the Arctic Circle is close to his heart because many Christmas secrets are rooted in this magical place.
Christmas in China is more like Valentine's Day
It's more of a novelty day like Valentine's Day, rather than a religious celebration. But you'll still see the malls and streets of the big cities filled with Christmas decorations, fir trees, Santa Claus and carols.