- 5. North Korea
Back in 2013 North and South Korea almost went to war after the latter erected a giant Christmas tree at the border of the two countries.
North Korean state media said that the huge Christmas tree – which was lit up in a town close to the border and clearly visible from the North – was an act of psychological warfare.
North Korea does not officially ban Christianity but is ranked among the most hostile countries in the world towards Christians.
To complicate matters, December 24th – Christmas Eve – is celebrated in North Korea as the birthday of the Sacred Mother of the Revolution, Kim Jong Il’s mum.
- 6. Albania
Albania not only banned Christmas but religion as a whole in 1967, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state.
The ban on any and all religious worship was only lifted after the fall of the Communist regime in 1990, when both Christians and Muslims were able to practice for the first time.
During the Communist years many priests and religious leaders were rounded up and jailed, but the pious celebrated Christmas and Easter nonetheless in private. They would have cake or chicken at meal times as a way of marking the days.
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