Does the Arab World celebrate Christmas?

     Christmas is a national day in the Arab World. Some may think that Arabs do not celebrate this day as most of them are Muslims, but actually this is not the whole truth. All Christians in the Arab World celebrate Christmas and Muslims as well.

     The Christmas tree came to the Middle East in the second half of the 19th century. The German custom of decorating a tree for Christmas was enthusiastically adopted by many Arab Christians and by some Muslims as well. To many children in the Middle East, Christmas has also come to mean Santa Claus (minus the reindeer), gifts piled under the Christmas tree, and stockings hung up near the bed in readiness for Santa’s bounty.

World's Most Expensive Christmas Tree Erected in United Arab Emirate

     It is mind blowing to note that a hotel in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Emirates Palace hotel has erected one of the most expensive Christmas Trees in the world, worth about $11 million.

Lebanon

     For Lebanese Christians it is one of the most important holidays of the year; many Lebanese Muslims celebrate Christmas as well, often with Christian friends and neighbors. A poll has shown that some two thirds of the Lebanese people celebrate Christmas, while less than half of the population is Christian.