Best photos of December 25: Christmas Eve at Vatican to hot-air balloons in Nepal

A general view shows St Peter's Basilica during the Christmas Eve mass in the Vatican on December 24, 2024. Pope Francis marks Christmas Eve with a special ceremony launching Jubilee 2025, a year of Catholic celebrations set to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome. Over the next 12 months, pilgrims will pass through the large and imposing bronze door, which is normally closed, by tradition benefiting from a "plenary indulgence", a type of forgiveness for their sins. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)
A cyclist dressed as Santa Claus rides along a road on Christmas Day, in New Delhi. AFP
A surfer dressed as Santa Claus participates in the annual Surfing Santas event on Christmas Eve at Cocoa Beach, Florida. AFP
A Christmas Eve meal for the needy organised by a charity in Poznan, Poland. EPA
People walk along the seasonally decorated Palace Square in St Petersburg. Russians are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December, and Christmas, which is observed on January 7, according to the Russian Orthodox Julian calendar. EPA
Storm-damaged shelters and houses in the town of Vahibe, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on Christmas Eve, a week after Cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. AFP
Emergency workers at the site where an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed, near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Reuters
Hot-air balloons ascend during an international festival in Pokhara, Nepal. AFP

The National

December 25, 2024

The National picks the most striking images from around the world