In Switzerland: mow the lawn

In Switzerland, Sunday is a holy day when it is forbidden to mow the lawn. A prohibition supposed to promote good neighborly relations.

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In Japan: dancing following midnight

In 1948, to prevent prostitution and criminal gatherings, Japan banned dancing in clubs following midnight. A ban that remained in force with a few sprains, however… until 2016.

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In Germany: running out of gas

Eh yes ! It is illegal to run out of gas on the autobahn in Germany. This might not be more serious, since it can lead to heavy fines and even a withdrawal of the driver’s license for six months.

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In Malaysia: wear yellow

In Malaysia, it is forbidden to wear yellow colored clothes. A ban that came into force in 2011, following a group of opposition activists chose to wear this color during their demonstrations.

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In North Korea: wear blue jeans

In North Korea, it is forbidden to wear blue jeans because the regime considers them the symbol of American imperialism. Note that other colors of jeans are accepted.

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In China: Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is banned in China. His supposed resemblance to Xi Jinping provokes the amusement of Chinese Internet users and the anger of the president. Anyway, every year the censor authorizes a quota of 34 foreign films that can be shown on the big screen.

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In Greece: video games

In 2002, the Greek government banned all video games. His intention was to fight illegal gambling. But the drafting of this law was so ambiguous that all games were banned. Since then, this law has been revised, but video games are still prohibited in cybercafés.

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In Romania: Scrabble

In the 1980s, the president of Romania Nicolae Ceausescu banned the game of Scrabble because he considered it “a subversive evil”.

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In Singapore: chewing gum

Since 1992, the sale but also the import of chewing gum is prohibited in Singapore. The cleaning cost to take them off was too much. Since 2004, however, it can be imported on medical prescription.

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In Denmark: choosing unusual first names

In Denmark, parents must choose the first name of their children from an official state list containing approximately 7,000 first names. If they refuse and choose another first name, they must obtain permission from the Church. This prohibition is also in force in Portugal.

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In Burundi: doing sports in a group

In 2014, Burundi banned group sports to prevent political protests. The ban came following clashes between police and opposition activists.

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An Iran: dancing a public

In Iran, it is forbidden to dance in public since the Islamic revolution of 1979. A ban might not be more serious since in recent years many teenagers have been arrested and sentenced to prison.

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In Saudi Arabia: Valentine’s Day

In Saudi Arabia, the religious police strictly forbid celebrating Valentine’s Day. The censors would even go so far as to monitor florists and confectioners every February 14 and a black market would therefore have emerged.

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In France: cotton swabs

Since this year, plastic cotton swabs are no longer available for sale in France. This ban is a long-standing request from nature protection associations, since cotton swabs are among the most recurrent waste in aquatic environments.

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