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Home / Blogs / Don't send Christmas greetings indiscriminately! Your export clients might not celebrate Christmas! A comprehensive list of countries around the world that don't celebrate Christmas!

Don't send Christmas greetings indiscriminately! Your export clients might not celebrate Christmas! A comprehensive list of countries around the world that don't celebrate Christmas!

发布时间：2025/12/05

作者：AB customer

阅读：48

类型：Other content

This article provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of countries around the world that do not celebrate Christmas, and offers practical suggestions (including alternative expression templates) for foreign trade professionals to avoid sending or missending Christmas greetings.

With the approach of the December Christmas season, foreign trade professionals need to pay extra attention when conducting holiday marketing and customer maintenance: Christmas, as a core Christian holiday, is often not celebrated in countries where Christian culture is not dominant. This article systematically compiles a list of countries that do not celebrate Christmas, divided by the five continents, and combines religious background and official policy explanations to provide accurate reference for foreign trade business communication. Stop sending random Christmas greeting emails! Related reading: 2025 Christmas Foreign Trade Order Boosting Guide: 12 Types of Customers' Targeted Communication Scripts + Implementation Techniques, Doubling Peak Season Performance with It

Asia

In Asia, countries that do not celebrate Christmas are mainly related to their dominant religious beliefs, with Islamic and Buddhist countries being the most prominent examples.

Region/Country	Main reasons/remarks
Middle East	Most countries in this region have Islam as their state religion, and the government does not officially celebrate Christmas.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon	All of these are Islamic countries, and Christmas is not an official holiday. In some countries (such as the UAE), expatriate Christian communities may celebrate it privately, but it is not a national holiday.
Central Asia	The former Soviet republics, whose residents are predominantly Muslim.
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan	As the predominantly Islamic faith, Christmas is not a traditional holiday in Tajikistan. In particular, the Tajik government has explicitly prohibited the public celebration of Christmas.
East Asia and South Asia	Buddhism, Hinduism, or other indigenous religions are dominant.
North Korea	As a secular country, the government officially prohibits all religious celebrations, including Christmas.
India	Only Christians (2.3%) celebrated the holiday; the official holiday was only a symbolic one on Christmas Day.
Bhutan	Tibetan Buddhism is the state religion, and Christmas is not widely celebrated.
Nepal	The predominantly Hindu community does not celebrate Christmas as a major holiday.
Southeast Asia	Predominantly Buddhist countries.
Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam	The main religion is Buddhism, and Christmas is not a national traditional holiday. Some areas or hotels may have commercial decorations, but they are not closed for the holiday.
Brunei	Islam is the state religion. The government prohibits Muslims from publicly celebrating Christmas , and violators may face penalties. Non-Muslims may celebrate within their communities, but are prohibited from promoting it to Muslims.

Africa

African countries that do not celebrate Christmas are mainly concentrated in North Africa and the Arab world in the Middle East and Africa.

Region/Country	Main reasons/remarks
North Africa	In Arab countries, Islam is the state religion.
Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Mauritania	Both are Islamic countries, and Christmas is not a public holiday. Egypt has a large Coptic Christian community, but national holidays are still predominantly Islamic.
East Africa	The main religion is Islam.
Somalia, Djibouti, Comoros	Islamic countries. Among them, the Somali government has explicitly banned the celebration of Christmas.
West Africa	Islam (53%), Christianity (45%)
Nigeria	There is a clear religious divide between the north and south; Christmas is not celebrated in the northern Islamic region.

Europe

Most European countries celebrate Christmas, with exceptions mainly related to religious beliefs.

Country/Region	Main reasons/remarks
Albania	Although historically religiously diverse, the population is currently predominantly Muslim, and Christmas is not the country's biggest holiday.
Kosovo	The majority of the population is Muslim, and Christmas is not celebrated as a major holiday (Note: Kosovo's status is disputed internationally).
Türkiye	Islam (99%), a secular country with no Christmas holiday, celebrated privately by only a small number of Christians.
Some Orthodox countries	Note : Orthodox Christian countries such as Serbia, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Georgia primarily celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7th , not December 25th. December 25th is usually not a public holiday.

America

Most countries in the Americas are heavily influenced by Catholicism and Christianity and celebrate Christmas. The only exception is in South America.

nation	Main reasons/remarks
Uruguay	The Americas are the sole exception . Since 1919, the country has maintained a strict separation of church and state, removing all religious holidays from the official calendar . December 25th is legally designated "Family Day," a purely secular holiday where people gather to exchange gifts, but without religious significance.
Cuba	Christmas holidays were abolished from 1969 to 1997. Although they have been reinstated, they are not considered major holidays; the government places more emphasis on revolutionary anniversaries.
Haiti	Although there is a Catholic population, Voodoo culture is dominant, and Christmas is only a niche religious holiday.

Oceania

Oceania is predominantly Christian, and the countries that do not celebrate Christmas are mainly small island nations.

nation	Main reasons/remarks
Fiji	Christianity (54%) and Hinduism (34%) are prevalent. Although there is a Christian population, the Hindu festival of Diwali is more important, and the Christmas holiday is shorter.
Vanuatu	Christianity (83%), traditional religions (17%), Christmas is a statutory holiday but traditional tribal culture has a profound influence and unique ways of celebrating it.

Practical advice for foreign trade professionals (avoiding sending the wrong/mistaken Christmas greetings)

Below is a set of actionable checklists and alternative wording for use in mass emails, in-site notifications, social media posts, or one-on-one communication with clients.

1) Quick checklist before sending blessings (practical operation)

Does the recipient's country fall under the "no Christmas" category listed in the table above? If so, please do not send religious Christmas greetings .
Do you know the other person's religious/cultural background? (If the other person is clearly a Christian/lives in an overseas Chinese community, you can send Christmas greetings.)
Should it be a mass message or a one-on-one message? When sending mass messages to an international/multi-religious audience, prioritize using neutral blessings (see below).
Language and wording: Avoid writing sentences with obvious religious connotations, such as "May you be blessed this Christmas"; instead, use phrases like "Season's greetings / Happy holidays / Best wishes for the season".
Pre-holiday logistics/customer service tips: In countries where Christmas is not celebrated, please still pay attention to local public holidays (calendars vary) - do not assume that all places are on holiday or working as usual.

2) Recommended terms

General and neutral (suitable for mass messaging/multi-religious audiences)

EN: "Season's greetings — wishing you a peaceful and prosperous end of year."
EN (Business Sentence): “Best wishes for a successful year-end. We look forward to working with you in the new year.”
CN: "Holiday greetings, wishing you a successful year-end and a pleasant cooperation in the coming year."

For known Christian clients (more explicit blessings may be available)

EN: “Merry Christmas! Wishing you and your family a joyful and blessed Christmas.”

Avoid/use with caution (avoid in countries where Christmas is not celebrated).

Religious expressions (such as "God bless you") or phrases that imply the other party will have a holiday (such as "enjoy your Christmas break") should be used with caution or avoided in Islamic/Jewish/most Buddhist countries.

3) Email signature & auto-reply suggestions

For mass texting or corporate website banners: use "Season's greetings / Happy holidays / Warm end-of-year wishes" as the default message; after the site identifies the audience based on IP/language, decide whether to switch to "Merry Christmas" or local holiday greetings.
Automatic reply example (neutral):

Season's greetings — thanks for your message. Our team will reply within 1 business day. Wishing you a peaceful end of year.

4) If you must send holiday messages to individual clients in countries that do not celebrate Christmas, how should you phrase it (two sets)?

Option A (most stable): "Wishing you a peaceful and prosperous end of year." (most neutral)
Option B (if you are certain the other person will celebrate or is a foreigner/Christian): "Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year."

This summary is based on the latest official policies for 2025. Foreign trade professionals are advised to adjust it flexibly according to specific client circumstances. The core of holiday communication is respecting cultural differences; this is both a safeguard against risk and a foundation for building long-term cooperation.

Countries that do not celebrate Christmas Christmas foreign trade Christmas for foreign trade Cross-border Christmas Christmas Country Roundup However, Christmas is a national holiday. However, customers during Christmas

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