• Iraqi Christians attend a Christmas mass at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance/Salvation (Sayidat al-Nejat), in central Baghdad. Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP
    Iraqi Christians attend a Christmas mass at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance/Salvation (Sayidat al-Nejat), in central Baghdad. Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP
  • A church choir sings at All Saints Cathedral during a mass on Christmas Day in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Noor Khamis / Reuters
    A church choir sings at All Saints Cathedral during a mass on Christmas Day in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Noor Khamis / Reuters
  • Indian girls check their photos on a mobile phone after taking selfies in front of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi, India. Though Hindus and Muslims comprise the majority of the population in India, Christmas is a national holiday celebrated with much fanfare. Altaf Qadri / AP
    Indian girls check their photos on a mobile phone after taking selfies in front of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi, India. Though Hindus and Muslims comprise the majority of the population in India, Christmas is a national holiday celebrated with much fanfare. Altaf Qadri / AP
  • A woman holds a candle during the Christmas Holy mass at the St Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. Vassil Donev / EPA
    A woman holds a candle during the Christmas Holy mass at the St Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. Vassil Donev / EPA
  • The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal leads a Christmas Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity Grotto in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, early Friday. Fadi Arouri / pool via AP
    The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal leads a Christmas Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity Grotto in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, early Friday. Fadi Arouri / pool via AP
  • Faithful attend the Christmas Midnight Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptowki, in Zakopane, Poland. Traditionally, the role of the Holy Family is played by a highland family of the parish. After the Mass, the Highlanders file wishes and are sprinkled with oats, which, according to the Polish highland traditions, should help to ensure prosperity for the coming year. Grzegorz Momomt / EPA
    Faithful attend the Christmas Midnight Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptowki, in Zakopane, Poland. Traditionally, the role of the Holy Family is played by a highland family of the parish. After the Mass, the Highlanders file wishes and are sprinkled with oats, which, according to the Polish highland traditions, should help to ensure prosperity for the coming year. Grzegorz Momomt / EPA
  • An altar boy takes a picture of a Swiss guard before the arrival of Pope Francis for the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas message to the city and the world, at St Peter’s square in Vatican. Pope Francis was expected to appeal for reconciliation of fractured communities in his Christmas Day blessing Friday, as the world takes stock of a year of violence and suffering that saw hundreds of thousands flee their homes. Vincenzo Pinto / AFP
    An altar boy takes a picture of a Swiss guard before the arrival of Pope Francis for the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas message to the city and the world, at St Peter’s square in Vatican. Pope Francis was expected to appeal for reconciliation of fractured communities in his Christmas Day blessing Friday, as the world takes stock of a year of violence and suffering that saw hundreds of thousands flee their homes. Vincenzo Pinto / AFP
  • Assyrian Christians from Syria and Iraq attend a Christmas mass at Saint George’s church in an eastern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Anwar Amro / AFP
    Assyrian Christians from Syria and Iraq attend a Christmas mass at Saint George’s church in an eastern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Anwar Amro / AFP
  • A boy is dressed in a tiny denim suit jacket as Iraqi Christians celebrate during Christmas Eve mass in the Al-Bashara Church in a Christian refugee camp in Erbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014. Seivan M.Salim / AP
    A boy is dressed in a tiny denim suit jacket as Iraqi Christians celebrate during Christmas Eve mass in the Al-Bashara Church in a Christian refugee camp in Erbil, northern Iraq. Many of the worshippers are displaced from their homes after Islamic State militants swept through northern Iraq in 2014. Seivan M.Salim / AP
  • Bangladeshi Christian children light candles as they prepare for a Christmas service in a church in Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Less than one percent of the country’s population is Christian. Abir Abdullah / EPA
    Bangladeshi Christian children light candles as they prepare for a Christmas service in a church in Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Less than one percent of the country’s population is Christian. Abir Abdullah / EPA
  • A musical band from a Shi’ite community in Bahrain perform at St Christopher’s Cathedral during Christmas mass in Manama, Bahrain. Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters
    A musical band from a Shi’ite community in Bahrain perform at St Christopher’s Cathedral during Christmas mass in Manama, Bahrain. Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters
  • Children gather to watch a performance to mark the upcoming New Year’s holiday at the Kremlin in Moscow. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children visit New Year shows which are performed through all New Year holidays. Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP
    Children gather to watch a performance to mark the upcoming New Year’s holiday at the Kremlin in Moscow. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children visit New Year shows which are performed through all New Year holidays. Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

World

Christmas celebrations around the world - in pictures

Liz Claus

December 25, 2015

  • English
  • Arabic

The festive season can have many different looks, and as Christmas Day comes to an end, we round up some of the best images from around the region and the world.

HolidaysChristmas 2025