VHP Urges Hindus Not to Celebrate Christmas, Citing ‘Cultural Vigilance’

Dec 17, 2025: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has urged members of the Hindu community to refrain from celebrating Christmas, describing the appeal as an act of “cultural vigilance.” Legal experts have said such calls run contrary to the constitutional principles of religious freedom and fraternity outlined in the Preamble.

Framing the move as a matter of safeguarding religion and tradition, the organisation has extended its message beyond individuals to include shopkeepers, shopping malls, and educational institutions.

The VHP has clearly asked Hindus not to celebrate Christmas in any manner. According to the organisation, this stance is not aimed at opposing any person or community but is instead about safeguarding Hindu religion and culture. Nonetheless, the appeal directly focuses on a festival associated with Christianity.

‘The appeal violates the spirit of fraternity’

Supreme Court advocate Shahrukh Alam has described the VHP’s appeal as being against the constitutional value of fraternity enshrined in the Preamble.

Speaking to The Wire Hindi, she said, “Technically, (such an appeal) can be made, but it still violates constitutional values. This is because it is not a matter of dissent or protest, but is based on cultural demarcation and exclusion, which is contrary to the moral principle of fraternity enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution.”

She further explained: “It also promotes the strange notion that ‘cultural awareness’ comes from drawing clear cultural boundaries, and that the mingling of different cultural traditions and influences should be seen as impurity. While this (appeal) is technically possible, when it becomes coercive or coupled with vigilantism (violent or coercive action in the name of vigilance), it certainly becomes a crime. Even if it is not accompanied by any direct or overt coercion, when such exclusionary advice comes from a politically and socially dominant organization, it has the effect of creating de facto exclusion. Therefore, it violates constitutional values.”

Stand on Hindu Shopkeepers

The VHP has also raised objections to shopkeepers and business owners who display messages such as “Happy” or “Merry Christmas” at their establishments. According to the organisation, when Hindu shopkeepers do this purely for commercial benefit, it leads to “cultural confusion and self-deprecation.” The VHP has encouraged people to reconsider buying goods from such businesses.

Devraj Baweja, president of the VHP, said he saw no issue with such an appeal. When asked whether the organisation would request shopkeepers not to put up “Happy Christmas” signage or sell Christmas-related items, he replied, “We'll have to decide this in a meeting, and there's no harm in making such an appeal.”

The president of the Delhi Trade Federation echoed this sentiment, stating, “We are proud of our culture. We should promote our culture rather than adopting others'. Christians should adopt their own. Hindus should adopt their own.”

The VHP has also announced that its appeal will be sent to the authorities of shopping malls and to school principals where Christmas is marked on December 25 or decorations bearing the words “Happy Christmas” are displayed, even in institutions attended by Hindu students.

While the VHP maintains that its appeal is meant to encourage a “peaceful cultural awakening” rather than provoke hostility, critics argue that such calls seek to regulate social conduct on the basis of religious identity and risk deepening divisions in a religiously diverse society.

Courtesy: The Wire