Christmas is of course a Christian holiday. It is in the name- Christ- mas. So it makes sense that other religions do not really celebrate in the same way. But it doesn’t mean they don’t celebrate at all. So how and what do they celebrate? Listen and you will know…

Hi and Welcome to the advent edition of my podcast My Life and Other Funny Stories. In this edition, I bring you a new short Christmas-themed episode every day of December until Christmas. If you want to read the transcript of this episode, click the link in the description!

In today’s episode number 22, we will explore how other religions celebrate the time around Christmas. Let’s go!

Judaism

The one you have probably heard about is the Jewish holiday Chanukah. Chanukah is the festival of lights. It lasts for 8 days and this year it was celebrated from December 7th to December 15th. Each night of the festival, families meet around a menorah which is a special candle holder that holds 8 candles and every night they light one more candle. Also, gifts are given every night.

Islam

Muslims do not celebrate any holiday around Christmas but take Christmas day as a day of resting at home. They, however, celebrate Ramadan and they FINISH with two days of prayers, sweet meals, and presents being given to children and people in need.

Hinduism

Hinduism – a religion from India- does not celebrate Christmas as well. The biggest holiday for Hindus is Diwali which is, just like Chanukah for Jews, the Festival of Lights. It is celebrated in November. However, some Hindus view Christmas as an extension of Diwali and celebrate this holiday as well.

Of course, there are many more religions but these are the most known ones. If you want to read more about it, there are always sources in the notes.

And now you know.

Sources:

Liu, Michael. „What Is Eid Al-Fitr and How Do Muslims Celebrate It? 6 Questions Answered.“ News and Events, 29 Aug. 2023, dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/what-is-eid-al-fitr/. 

Knight, Howard. „Do Hindus Celebrate Christmas?“ Faith Inspires, 5 Dec. 2022, faithinspires.org/do-hindus-celebrate-christmas/.

Godbole, Nandita. „My Family Is Hindu but We Celebrate Christmas. Here’s Why.“ HuffPost, HuffPost, 5 Nov. 2020, www.huffpost.com/entry/hindu-christmas-celebration_n_5dfa5d71e4b0eb2264d2b93a. 

„How Other Religions Celebrate Christmas.“ Christmas Facts RSS, didyouknow.org/christmas/celebrations/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023.