Lenta.ru published another collection of horror stories about how "Christmas trees and Santa Clauses in Europe have fallen into disfavor." We read – and are terrified to go there…
Illegal Mother of God
The other day, a court ordered the French city of Publier to remove a sculpture of the Virgin Mary from the city square as violating a nationwide ban on displaying religious symbols in public places.
Apparently, even the Christmas holidays will not save the Holy Virgin of Publier. Mayor Gaston Lacroix ordered the removal of one of the main culprits of the upcoming celebration, since if the city authorities fail to comply with the court order, they will be fined one hundred euros per day. But the official promised that the Virgin would definitely find a new place somewhere on private land not subject to the ban.
Burn, Burn Clearly
The main symbol of winter holidays in the Western world – the Christmas tree – gets the most flak in Europe. On January 1, 2016, a decorated tree installed near the Clemenceau metro station in Brussels was set on fire by hooligans shouting "Allahu Akbar!"
In the Belgian capital, where, as of January 1, 2015, a quarter of the population adheres to the Islamic faith, things have been going, to put it mildly, not brilliantly for the Christmas tree since 2012. That was when a live tree, traditionally placed on the main city square Grand Place, was replaced for the first time with a 25-meter avant-garde steel sculpture, so as not to offend anyone: Christians see a Christmas tree in the installation, and Muslims have no reason to complain.
Question of Wording
In 2012, in Brussels, along with the installation of a "tolerant" Christmas tree, it was also decided to rename Christmas markets to "winter pleasures." It is claimed that this delicate decision helped the city attract more tourists than usual: everyone wanted to visit a politically correct holiday.
In the UK, the first to propose, without waiting for cultural clashes, simply to greet each other with "season's greetings" instead of wishes for a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year, and to call all events and fairs simply "winter joys." Back in 1998, the Birmingham City Council made a corresponding proposal.
Since then, debates have not subsided in the British press and online about how proper it is to send greeting cards saying "Season's Greetings!" Many believe that this is still too much. Among them is the country's Prime Minister Theresa May: on the eve of the celebration, she stated that people "should feel entitled to mention Christmas."
Suitcase – Reindeer – Lapland
It has been ten years since Santa Claus was first shown the door in Austria and Germany. Images of the white-bearded grandfather in a red coat have been officially banned at Christmas markets in these countries since 2006.
Celebrate at Home
In 2013, in Berlin's Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, residents were asked to refrain from Christmas celebrations in public places so as not to offend the feelings of the numerous immigrants from Turkey who had taken a liking to the area. The holiday was advised to be celebrated at home, with family.
Bring Back New Year
Not everyone is ready to part with their favorite holiday and its attributes so easily. Residents of the Danish town of Kokkedal in 2012 launched a real crusade against local Muslims who demanded a ban on any celebrations of Christmas and New Year. The indigenous residents, who in Kokkedal turned out to be only 40 percent against 60 percent followers of Allah, refused to obey the majority's decision and called the abandonment of festivities a disrespect for Danish traditions.
In the end, the children of Christ still defended the Christmas tree – the tree was placed in its usual spot, and the Danish press dubbed the confrontation between the two cultures the "war for Christmas."