Christmas in Saudi Arabia
Staff

Saudi Arabia is, of course, an Islamic (Muslim) country. Therefore, Christmas is not a

celebrated holiday in Saudi, as Christmas is a Christian holiday. There is a small

population of Christian Arabs in Saudi, but celebrating a Christian holiday in public

is not looked upon kindly. Christian Americans, Europeans, Indians, Philippinos

and other peoples living in Saudi have to celebrate Christmas privately in their own

homes or run the risk of being questioned by Saudi Muslim authority.

Christmas lights are generally not tolerated. Manger scenes or Christian religious

icons are strictly forbidden to be displayed in public. Most families place their

Christmas trees somewhere inconspicuous in their homes. American and

British-run schools are allowed a bit more leniency, but again, Christian themes are

generally not tolerated.