In pictures: World celebrates Christmas
- Published
People across the world are celebrating Christmas - one of the holiest times in the Christian calendar. However, for the second year in a row, there are smaller crowds at church services and other events because of the continuing coronavirus outbreak. Here's our snapshot of global festivities.
A volunteer delvers traditional Venezuelan food to the homeless in Caracas on Christmas Day.
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden pose with their German shepherd puppy during a virtual event for service members.
Brave swimmers took the plunge during the annual Weymouth Harbour Christmas swim in Dorset, UK.
In Kosovo's capital Pristina, a children's choir performed at midnight mass at the Roman Catholic Mother Teresa Cathedral
In Peshawar, Pakistan, young Christian women took selfies before a Christmas service
Pope Francis delivered his traditional Urbi et Orbi address from the Vatican on Saturday
Colourful lights and decorations made this footbridge in Taipei, Taiwan, very popular with locals and tourists
Nuns held prayers at a solemn church service in Nairobi, Kenya
Worshippers lit candles in Istanbul, Turkey
In the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, a midnight Mass was held in the Church of the Nativity
On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis led a Mass which was held earlier than usual because of Covid restrictions
Young altar servers assisted during celebrations in Irbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq
When Santa Claus arrived with a a sack of gifts near Iraq's southern city of Basra, he had an enthusiastic reception
This giant sand sculpture of Santa Claus appeared on the beach at Bay of Bengal in India's eastern Odisha state
In Brazil, aquarists dressed as Elf, Santa Claus and Mrs Claus greeted the public inside a huge water tank at AquaRio in Rio de Janeiro
Meanwhile, a rhino enjoyed its Christmas treats at Orana Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand
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