The whole world seems to light up during the holiday season as people decorate their Christmas trees, eggnog sales skyrocket, and radio stations play festive music from dawn to dusk.
But there’s one part of the world where almost nobody celebrates Christmas. You won’t hear catchy Christmas songs on any radio stations. No one sets up a nativity scene or even mentions the birth of Jesus. Children won’t be hoping Santa will bring them presents.
That country is North Korea, where Christmas is completely outlawed.
A Winter Without Christmas
Christmas has been banned in North Korea since 2016
It’s hard to imagine the holiday season without, well, the holidays. But that’s exactly what it’s like in North Korea. In fact, almost nobody knows what Christmas even is.
Officially, North Korea is an atheist state. That means religious holidays like Christmas or Easter aren’t celebrated there.
But in the interest of complete loyalty to the government and the Juche ideology, which elevates Kim Jong Un to a godlike status, North Korea completely banned the celebration of Christmas and anything associated with the holiday in 2016.
The North Korean government has worked hard to ensure its population knows nothing about Christmas or any other religious holidays. For a nation that once contained the “Jerusalem of the East,” it’s a far cry from how things used to be.
Now, if you’re caught celebrating Christmas, you can be imprisoned or even killed.
Risking Death to Celebrate the Holidays
Every year, North Korean Christians risk their lives to celebrate Christ’s birth
For those who know nothing about Christmas and don’t know Jesus, this threat doesn’t carry much danger. But for underground Christians in North Korea, it’s one more risk that comes with following Jesus in one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Christmas is important to North Korean Christians because it is all about celebrating the birth of Christ. So, how do they celebrate?
Most of the time, celebrations are simply out of the question. But on the rare occasion they do happen, they must remain extremely secretive. That means no presents, caroling, extravagant meals, or Christmas Eve services.
Instead, many Christians celebrate by themselves or with a couple of other trusted people. Most times, all they can do for Christmas is gather in small groups and whisper hymns and Scripture among themselves.
How You Can Help North Korean Christians This Christmas
You can give the gift of food and Bibles to North Korean Christians this Christmas!
Even when North Korean Christians can celebrate Christmas in secret, many of them don’t have copies of God’s Word. Instead, they must read parts of Scripture written on scraps of paper or memorize verses to recite.
Can you imagine not being able to read the story of Christ’s birth on Christmas?
On top of that, Christ-followers in North Korea are also going hungry. Instead of enjoying a Korean feast of barbequed beef, sweet potato noodles, and kimchi, they might not get to eat on Christmas at all. If they do, meals may only consist of a small bowl of rice or some vegetables.
But this holiday season, you can give persecuted Christians in North Korea a life-changing Christmas gift.
When you give just $20 through the World Help Christmas Giving catalog, you’ll provide one persecuted North Korean Christian with a week’s worth of food and a copy of God’s Word. And since Bibles are sometimes shared among trusted family members and friends, especially during the Christmas season, each one will impact up to five people!
Your holiday gift will not just be a lifeline for Christians in North Korea — it’ll also be an enduring reminder that they’re not alone this Christmas.