Christmas all over the world is being celebrated by households with traditions each outdated and new — from a tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem to the first American pope‘s request for “24 hours of peace.”
Billions worldwide mark the start of Jesus of Nazareth with varied customs, many select to deal with household, pleasure and prayer — even in a world roiled by mass shootings, persevering with battle in Ukraine and crises across the globe.
Here’s a have a look at scenes of Christmas 2025 worldwide from Bethlehem to Beijing.
Thein Zaw / AP
Christians attend prayer on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, at St. Mary Cathedral in Yangon, Myanmar — often known as Burma.
Non secular freedom situations within the Southeast Asian nation have deteriorated amidst ongoing civil battle, in accordance with a report from the U.S. United States Fee on Worldwide Non secular Freedom. Over 3.4 million individuals had been displaced, together with 320,000 Christians and a million Rohingya Muslim refugees.
Michael Probst / AP 
Folks collect at Römerberg sq. in Frankfurt, Germany to attend the town’s bell ringing on Christmas Eve. There are normally 2,500 to three,000 vacation markets a 12 months in Germany, in accordance to Nationwide Geographic.
Ng Han Guan / AP 
As some non secular devotees attend the Christmas Eve mass, a polar bear mascot entertains visitors in Beijing. Round 20 million Chinese language nationals — 2% of the inhabitants — are Christians, a quantity that has stabilized lately, in accordance with a 2023 evaluation by Pew Analysis Heart.
Peter Morrison / AP 
In Helen’s Bay, Northern Eire, a whole lot of individuals courageous icy chilly waters for the annual Christmas Eve swim. These swimmers are frolicking within the Belfast Lough to lift cash for charities Dementia NI and Air Ambulance NI.
Ajit Solanki / AP 
There are about 28 million Christians in India, in accordance to the Pew Analysis Heart. A church in Ahmedabad, India, is illuminated on Christmas Eve.
Mykola Tys / AP 
Ukrainian servicemen attend a parade on Orthodox Christmas Eve in downtown Lviv, Ukraine. Since Feb. 24, 2022 — when Russian chief Vladimir Putin launched what Ukrainian officers described as a “full-scale invasion” of the nation — Ukrainians have celebrated their vacation whereas in battle.
Ilia Yefimovich /AFP by way of Getty Photos 
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leads a yearly Christmas procession exterior the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Hundreds of individuals traveled from close by cities and villages to attend the ceremony, the primary such ceremony since the battle in Gaza started in 2023.
Ismael Adnan Yaqoob/Anadolu by way of Getty Photos 
In Iraq, individuals attend a Christmas Eve service on the Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah, belonging to the Syriac Catholics within the city of Qaraqosh. The monastery is among the oldest Christian monuments in Iraq, and dates to the 4th century, though some buildings are medieval. It was badly broken by ISIS in 2015.
DEVI RAHMAN /AFP by way of Getty Photos 
In Indonesia, Catholics carrying conventional Javanese apparel wait to attend a Christmas Eve Mass on the Sacred Coronary heart of Jesus Church in Ganjuran, Yogyakarta. Three popes have visited the Catholic inhabitants in Indonesia, the Vatican Information stated.
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