1.   During the Reformation, the Puritans banned Christmas celebrations as pagan and pope-ish.

2.   He would never favor a return to colonial times when Christmas celebration was banned.

3.   In past years, the Turkish security police banned the celebrations because the PKK tried to turn them into political rallies, which often ended in violence.

4.   The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is under way, and hotels and restaurants in Jakarta winced as new-year celebrations were banned as a result.

5.   When the NFL owners met in Palm Beach last spring, they created new rules banning group celebrations.

6.   Celebrations were banned in past trouble spots in the southeast, such as Diyarbakir and Batman.

7.   Civil aviation chief Sheik Jaber Mubarak al-Ahmed al-Sabah has asked the Interior Ministry to ban the celebrations, the newspaper Al-Watan said Monday.

8.   Neighboring Afghanistan used to celebrate Nowruz, but with the conquest of the country by the fundamentalist Taliban militia, celebrations have been banned.

9.   Saudi Arabia discourages most Western influences and bans the celebrations of all non-Muslim holidays.

10.   The government banned public celebrations of both holidays for fear Iraqi agents might attack crowds.