Photos of ways Christmas is celebrated around the world

Around the world, Christmas is celebrated by families with traditions both old and new – from one tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem first American popethe request for “24 hours of peace.”

Billions of people around the world mark the birth of Jesus of Nazareth with various customs, many choosing to focus on familyjoy and prayer – even in a world plagued by mass shootings and persistent conflict in Ukraine and crises around the world.

Here’s a look at Christmas 2025 scenes around the world, from Bethlehem to Beijing.

Christians attend prayers on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon, Myanmar – also known as Burma.

Conditions for religious freedom in the Southeast Asian country have deteriorated amid the ongoing civil war, according to a report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. More than 3.4 million people have been displaced, including 320,000 Christians and a million Rohingya Muslim refugees.

People gather at Römerberg Square in Frankfurt, Germany, to watch the city bells ring on Christmas Eve. There are typically between 2,500 and 3,000 holiday markets per year in Germany, according to at National Geographic.

As some worshipers attend Christmas Eve mass, a polar bear mascot entertains guests in Beijing. About 20 million Chinese nationals, or 2% of the population, are Christian, a number that has stabilized in recent years, according to a 2023 analysis by Pew Research Center.

In Helen’s Bay, Northern Ireland, hundreds of people brave the freezing waters for the annual Christmas Eve swim. These swimmers are frolicking in Belfast Lough to raise money for the charities Dementia NI and Air Ambulance NI.

There are approximately 28 million Christians in India, according to at the Pew Research Center. A church in Ahmedabad, India, is lit up on Christmas Eve.

Ukrainian servicemen attend a parade on Orthodox Christmas Eve in downtown Lviv, Ukraine. Since February 24, 2022 – when Russian leader Vladimir Putin launched what Ukrainian officials described as a “full-scale invasion” of the country – Ukrainians have celebrated their holiday during the conflict.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leads a Christmas procession each year in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Thousands of people came from neighboring towns and villages to attend the ceremony, the first such ceremony since the war in Gaza started in 2023.

In Iraq, people attend a Christmas mass at the monastery of Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah, belonging to the Syriac Catholics in the town of Qaraqosh. The monastery is one of the oldest Christian monuments in Iraq and dates from the 4th century, although some buildings are medieval. It was severely damaged by ISIS in 2015.

In Indonesia, Catholics dressed in traditional Javanese clothing wait to attend a Christmas Eve mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Ganjuran, Yogyakarta. Three popes have visit the Catholic population in Indonesia, according to Vatican News.