When Christmas was prohibit

While Christmas is celebrated globally, throughout history, various nations and regions have banned Christmas celebrations for religious, political, or ideological reasons.

These bans ranged from 17th-century religious reformations to 20th-century state-sponsored atheism.

Even today, in 2025, there are nations that maintain strict bans or significant restrictions on Christmas celebrations.

A 1931 edition of the Soviet magazine Bezbozhnik, published by the League of Militant Atheists, depicting an Orthodox Christian priest being forbidden to take home a tree for the celebration of Christmastide, which was banned under the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of state atheism.

Historical Religious and Political Bans

England

UK constituent country

England (1644-1660): Under the Puritan-led government of Oliver Cromwell, Christmas was officially abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1644 and 1647.

Puritans viewed the holiday as a "popish" or pagan excess and sent soldiers to seize meat and decor.

Although in theory and on paper the celebration of Christmas had been abolished, in practice it seems that many people continued to mark 25 December as a day of religious significance and as a secular holiday.

Semi-clandestine religious services marking Christ’s nativity continued to be held on 25 December, and the secular elements of the day also continued to occur.

During the late 1640s attempts to prevent public celebrations and to force shops and businesses to stay open had led to violent confrontations between supporters and opponents of Christmas in many towns, including London, Canterbury, Bury St Edmunds and Norwich.

Many writers continued to argue in print (usually anonymously) that it was proper to mark Christ’s birth on 25 December and that the secular government had no right to interfere, and it is likely that in practice many people in mid seventeenth century England and Wales continued to mark both the religious and the secular aspects of the Christmas holiday.

At the Restoration not only the Directory of Public Worship but also all the other legislation of the period 1642-60 was declared null and void and swept away, and both the religious and the secular elements of the full Twelve Days of Christmas could once again be celebrated openly, in public and with renewed exuberance and wide popular support.

The attack on Christmas had failed!

Scotland

UK constituent country

Scotland (1640-1958): The Scottish Parliament banned Christmas in 1640 due to the Protestant Reformation.

For roughly 400 years, December 25th remained a normal working day in Scotland, and the ban was not fully lifted until 1958.

France

Country in Europe

France (Revolutionary Era, 1790s): During the French Revolution, the Cult of Reason banned Christmas services and renamed traditional items, such as the "three kings cake", as the "equality cake" to align with anticlerical government policies.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Early Puritan settlers in the American colonies made celebrating Christmas a criminal offense punishable by a five-shilling fine.

20th Century and Communist Regimes

Soviet Union (1917-1991): Following the 1917 Revolution, the USSR banned Christmas as part of its doctrine of state atheism.

Traditions like the Christmas tree were later repurposed into secular New Year's "Novogodnyaya" trees.

Cuba (1969-1998): Fidel Castro banned Christmas for nearly 30 years to avoid interference with the sugar harvest and to promote state atheism.

The ban was lifted following a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

Albania (1967-1990): In 1967, Albania declared itself the world's first atheist state and banned all religious practices, including Christmas.

Contemporary Restrictions and Bans (as of 2025)

North Korea: Since 2016, Christmas has been strictly outlawed; those caught celebrating can face imprisonment or death.

Citizens are instead mandated to honor state leaders.

Somalia: The government officially banned Christmas in 2015, instructing security forces to prevent any celebrations that might contradict Islamic culture.

Brunei: Since 2014, public Christmas celebrations and displays (like Santa hats) have been banned, with violations carrying a potential five-year prison sentence.

Tajikistan: The nation has banned Christmas trees, gift-giving, and festive meals in schools and universities.

China: While not a nationwide ban, local governments and the CCP have increasingly restricted Christmas celebrations since 2018, often shutting down churches and banning decorations to promote Chinese cultural purity.