If you're a fan of Hollywood movies, you'd know December has been labeled 'the most wonderful time of the year.' Part of the reason is Christmas, the Christian festival on the 25th of December, and around it begins the 'Holiday Season.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre saying it is only bent on dividing the country and has cancelled public holidays on festivals like Christmas. Inaugurating Christmas festival at Allen Park in the city's downtown Park Street area, the TMC supremo condemned the "politics of hatred" pursued by the Narendra Modi government.
"Some people can only divide the country. The BJP government has cancelled the public holiday on Christmas after coming to power. Why did they do so? Don't they have any regard for the sentiments of the Christian community?" Banerjee said lashing out at the saffron party.
While Hollywood is dominated by North American narrative, Christians do live all over the world - but the holiday isn't recognized as a national holiday in many countries, not just India.
But of the nearly 200 countries on Earth, a handful of non-Christian nations don’t recognise Christmas and have no form of public holiday or observation to mark the nativity of Jesus Christ.
At least 40 countries don’t have official public holidays at Christmas, according to The Week, though more than half of these nations do have at least some form of public observation, such as the occasional Christmas tree and regional holidays.
Afghanistan, China (except for Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, Israel, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam do not recognize it as a national holiday.
In Taiwan, December 25 is recognized as Constitution Day but is not an official holiday observed by civil servants of the central government. Some sectors of the workforce may have time off. It is not designated for Christmas but the anniversary of the 1947 ROC Constitution.
December 25 is a public holiday in Pakistan, but is not designated for Christmas, but for the birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
In Afghanistan, the Muslim-majority nation has had a turbulent relationship with Christianity and its holidays for decades, and particularly since the Taliban rule of the 1990s. As a result, Christmas is almost never celebrated here, with those that choose to do so running the risk of persecution. The exception to this rule are US troops, who find their own way of celebrating Christmas while on duty.
Another Muslim-majority nation, Algeria has not observed Christmas in any official capacity since it gained its independence from France, a mostly Catholic nation, in 1962.
According to the Daily Express, Christmas in China is “another working day and schools, offices and shops all remain open”, adding: “The country is officially a non-religious state, so Christmas was once completely banne
In Saudi Arabia, Christmas trees or the holding of any Christmas-related festivals has been banned for decades according to Al Bawaba.
In Thailand, Buddhism is the main religion, so Christmas is not a festive filled day. However there are many Christians who live in Bangkok, but it is still not recognized as a national holiday.
Stating that Christmas is a festival for all, Banerjee said "In West Bengal we celebrate X mas, Durga Puja and Eid with equal gusto." Unity is the strength of Bengal and the country, Banerjee said and gave a call for fostering bonds among communities on the occasion of Christmas.