• PAKIL, PHILIPPINES - DECEMBER 20: Catholic faithful attend the candlelit Missa Aurea, known as the “Golden Mass,” to mark the fifth pre-dawn mass in anticipation of Christmas at Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish on December 20, 2025 in Pakil, Philippines. Observed on the fifth pre-dawn mass, the Missa Aurea commemorates Mary’s acceptance of God’s message at the Annunciation, her consent to become the mother of Jesus, and forms part of a longstanding devotional practice leading up to Christmas. (Photo by Ezra Acayan / Getty Images)
    PAKIL, PHILIPPINES - DECEMBER 20: Catholic faithful attend the candlelit Missa Aurea, known as the “Golden Mass,” to mark the fifth pre-dawn mass in anticipation of Christmas at Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish on December 20, 2025 in Pakil, Philippines. Observed on the fifth pre-dawn mass, the Missa Aurea commemorates Mary’s acceptance of God’s message at the Annunciation, her consent to become the mother of Jesus, and forms part of a longstanding devotional practice leading up to Christmas. (Photo by Ezra Acayan / Getty Images)
  • Recitation of the US pledge of allegiance during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the murder of campaigner Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters
    Recitation of the US pledge of allegiance during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the murder of campaigner Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters
  • Palestinians watch as a motorcyclist rides on the sand dunes opposite displaced shelters in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
    Palestinians watch as a motorcyclist rides on the sand dunes opposite displaced shelters in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Protesters at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protesters rallied across Bangladesh for a second day in a row to call for the arrest of the gunmen who shot and killed a leading figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising. AFP
    Protesters at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protesters rallied across Bangladesh for a second day in a row to call for the arrest of the gunmen who shot and killed a leading figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising. AFP
  • Student ballet dancers prepare backstage before a Christmas presentation of the Nutcracker, at The National Conservatory Artistic Dance School in Lisbon, Portugal. AFP
    Student ballet dancers prepare backstage before a Christmas presentation of the Nutcracker, at The National Conservatory Artistic Dance School in Lisbon, Portugal. AFP
  • Youths jog through dense smog during a winter morning in New Delhi, the capital of India. AFP
    Youths jog through dense smog during a winter morning in New Delhi, the capital of India. AFP
  • Boxers Anthony Joshua, left, and Jake Paul during their heavyweight fight at the Kaseya Centre, Miami, Florida. Joshua put Paul down in the fifth round and out in the sixth. PA
    Boxers Anthony Joshua, left, and Jake Paul during their heavyweight fight at the Kaseya Centre, Miami, Florida. Joshua put Paul down in the fifth round and out in the sixth. PA
  • Models present creation of a designers Asifa & Nabeel during the Bridal Couture Week' fashion show, in Lahore, Pakistan. AP
    Models present creation of a designers Asifa & Nabeel during the Bridal Couture Week' fashion show, in Lahore, Pakistan. AP

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Best photos of December 20: Golden Mass in the Philippines to Bridal Couture Week in Lahore

The National picks the most striking images from around the world

The National

December 20, 2025

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Updated: December 20, 2025, 8:44 AM
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