Why was Christmas banned in Russia?

Answer 1

Christmas was largely celebrated in Imperial Russia although as with most Orthodox religions it was actually observed on January 6th during "Epiphany". Karl Marx, the inventor of the socialist ideology stated that "religion was the opium of the people" (or opiate of the masses, depending on translation).

During the Soviet Union a policy called gosateizm called for the dismantling of all things considered "religious" this included religious holidays such as Christmas. Many people did still celebrate the holiday in their own homes, many more began celebrating New Years in place of Christmas during the Soviet era. This is why it's still such a hugely popular holiday now in the Russian Federation.