• Thai nurses adjust the outfits of newborns dressed in Santa Claus costumes to celebrate the Christmas season at Paolo Memorial Hospital Chokchai 4 in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA
    Thai nurses adjust the outfits of newborns dressed in Santa Claus costumes to celebrate the Christmas season at Paolo Memorial Hospital Chokchai 4 in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA
  • People walk past a large inflatable Santa Claus outside a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA
    People walk past a large inflatable Santa Claus outside a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA
  • Street vendor Tendai Murape puts seasonal decoration on small artificial Christmas trees, at an intersection in Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe. EPA
    Street vendor Tendai Murape puts seasonal decoration on small artificial Christmas trees, at an intersection in Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe. EPA
  • A man dressed as Santa Claus takes a ride in a tram in Brussels. The Christmas season brings some unusual sights to public transport. AP Photo
    A man dressed as Santa Claus takes a ride in a tram in Brussels. The Christmas season brings some unusual sights to public transport. AP Photo
  • Syrians dressed in Santa Claus costumes take part in street celebrations held in the mostly Christian-populated Bab Touma neighborhood in the Olld City of Damascus, Syria. EPA
    Syrians dressed in Santa Claus costumes take part in street celebrations held in the mostly Christian-populated Bab Touma neighborhood in the Olld City of Damascus, Syria. EPA
  • Shoppers are seen during the Christmas trade period in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. EPA
    Shoppers are seen during the Christmas trade period in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. EPA
  • A US flag stands on top of a Christmas tree near a tent of migrants at the Barretal shelter for Central Americans who arrived in caravans over the past two months and hope to enter the US, in Tijuana, Mexico. AP Photo
    A US flag stands on top of a Christmas tree near a tent of migrants at the Barretal shelter for Central Americans who arrived in caravans over the past two months and hope to enter the US, in Tijuana, Mexico. AP Photo
  • People pose for photographs inside a video kaleidoscope at Harbour City shopping mall, operated by Wharf Holdings Ltd., in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg
    People pose for photographs inside a video kaleidoscope at Harbour City shopping mall, operated by Wharf Holdings Ltd., in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg
  • Passers-by, Christmas shoppers and tourists walk by and look at shop windows of the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, France. EPA
    Passers-by, Christmas shoppers and tourists walk by and look at shop windows of the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, France. EPA
  • A view of Plaza San Francisco (San Francisco Square) during Christmas season in La Paz, Bolivia. REUTERS
    A view of Plaza San Francisco (San Francisco Square) during Christmas season in La Paz, Bolivia. REUTERS
  • Ecuadorean Carlos Yanez waves as he drives a public transport bus dressed up as Santa Claus in Quito. AFP
    Ecuadorean Carlos Yanez waves as he drives a public transport bus dressed up as Santa Claus in Quito. AFP
  • Several Santa Claus figures and lots of presents are on board a 'gamela', a traditional Galician fishing boat during preparations for Christmas, off Cambados' coast, Galicia, northwestern Spain. EPA
    Several Santa Claus figures and lots of presents are on board a 'gamela', a traditional Galician fishing boat during preparations for Christmas, off Cambados' coast, Galicia, northwestern Spain. EPA
  • People skate on an outdoor ice rink during the Christmas market in Zagreb, Croatia. EPA
    People skate on an outdoor ice rink during the Christmas market in Zagreb, Croatia. EPA
  • Girls wearing Santa costumes wave from a bus on a street in Karachi, as part of the Christmas celebrations. AFP
    Girls wearing Santa costumes wave from a bus on a street in Karachi, as part of the Christmas celebrations. AFP
  • A cyclist drives past a giant Christmas ball decoration on a street in Taipei City, Taiwan. EPA
    A cyclist drives past a giant Christmas ball decoration on a street in Taipei City, Taiwan. EPA
  • People walk past a Christmas tree in central Sofia, Bulgaria. REUTERS
    People walk past a Christmas tree in central Sofia, Bulgaria. REUTERS
  • A man wears a Santa costume in a street in Tehran, Iran. EPA
    A man wears a Santa costume in a street in Tehran, Iran. EPA
  • People visit a Christmas market in the Gendarmenmarkt ahead of the holiday season in Berlin. AFP
    People visit a Christmas market in the Gendarmenmarkt ahead of the holiday season in Berlin. AFP
  • A woman walks by Christmas decorations at Eminonu Bazaar in Istanbul. AFP
    A woman walks by Christmas decorations at Eminonu Bazaar in Istanbul. AFP
  • The Christmas tree is displayed on St Peter's Square in The Vatican. AFP
    The Christmas tree is displayed on St Peter's Square in The Vatican. AFP
  • People walk past an installation for the new year on Red Square decorated for Christmas and New Year celebrations with the Spasskaya Tower in the background in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo
    People walk past an installation for the new year on Red Square decorated for Christmas and New Year celebrations with the Spasskaya Tower in the background in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo
  • A person dressed as Santa Claus distributes sweets to inmates during Christmas celebrations inside Kot Bhalwal jail, on the outskirts of Jammu, India. REUTERS
    A person dressed as Santa Claus distributes sweets to inmates during Christmas celebrations inside Kot Bhalwal jail, on the outskirts of Jammu, India. REUTERS
  • People dressed in Santa Claus costumes attend a parade under winter illuminations at Marunouchi business district in Tokyo. AFP
    People dressed in Santa Claus costumes attend a parade under winter illuminations at Marunouchi business district in Tokyo. AFP
  • People enjoy a market as Christmas decorations illuminate the main boulevard in downtown Tirana, Albania. EPA
    People enjoy a market as Christmas decorations illuminate the main boulevard in downtown Tirana, Albania. EPA
  • A couple kiss behind a Christmas-themed light display at along the Chongye stream in central Seoul. AFP
    A couple kiss behind a Christmas-themed light display at along the Chongye stream in central Seoul. AFP

Asia

Santa costumes around the world - in pictures

Christians get into the seasonal spirit by dressing up as Santa Claus

The National

December 22, 2018

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