Christmas may be a Christian holiday, but not all of those who celebrate it are church going believers. For many it’s as much about family get-togethers, presents and blowout dinners as the birth of Jesus Christ. And often Muslims living in Christian countries will also take part in the festivities. In Germany, for instance, Santa Claus might even speak Turkish.

The overwhelming majority of Germans identify themselves as Christians – but the country is also home to over three million Muslims. So how do they negotiate their way through the holiday season?

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Ali came to Germany from Iraq 13 years ago as a teenager. He’s studying to be an engineer and helps pay his way through university with a weekend market stall in Berlin selling Middle Eastern sweets. This time of year holds a special significance for Ali as he and his wife married on December 24th two years ago, but his participation in the celebrations is limited.

"I’m a Muslim so I don’t celebrate Christmas. I use the holidays to spend time with my wife, and perhaps we go to the Christmas market. I use the time for studying or something like that."

Presents and parties
Modern-day Christmas has come to be as much about presents as religion. And this can cause problems for Muslim families whose children feel left out when their Christian friends and schoolfellows are being showered with goodies. Idan Suer, the son of Turkish immigrants and a sociology lecturer at one of Berlin’s universities, describes how a friend of his deals with the situation.

"Her family and some other Turkish families come together on Christmas Eve and they buy presents for their children. They do a Turkish version of Christmas. They have Turkish music, Turkish food and of course Santa Claus speaks Turkish as well. That is not a religious thing; it’s just making the children happy and buying them little gifts."
 

Ramadan or Christmas?
But not everyone approves of this solution. Burhan Kesici, vice president of Berlin’s Islamic federation believes it’s important to draw a line between the public and the private sphere.

“If German friends invite you, then you can celebrate with them. But as a Muslim it’s not OK if you celebrate Christmas privately with your family, because it’s a non-Islamic day”

Mr Kesici acknowledges that it can be a difficult time for Muslim parents, but believes they should resist the pressure and explain to their children that Christmas – and the associated presents – are not a part of their own tradition. However, he says, the popularity and high-profile celebration of Christmas has rubbed off on the way Muslims observe their own holidays.

"In the past we didn’t have Ramadan in this form. Now we make big celebrations in various institutions and we buy gifts for our children. We have looked at the German Christmas and said, OK, we can do the same thing with our holidays too."

It’s a positive development, according to Mr Kesicisi; not only can  Muslim children enjoy the same treats as their Christian counterparts, but these bigger, more obvious celebrations bring a greater awareness of Muslim holidays in the wider community.