In Pictures: Christmas Day celebrations around the world

Families and communities are marking the day in different ways all over the globe.

Published Dec 25, 2021

Festive traditions around the world have tentatively returned after 2020 celebrations were hampered by coronavirus restrictions.

All over the globe families and communities are marking the day, as Australians took to the beach, Christians across the Middle East headed to church and, for some, the shopping continued.

Australia Christmas — Spaniards Julene Andres, Chiara Rovelli and Marta Arza celebrate Christmas Australian style at Bondi Beach in Sydney (Rick Rycroft/AP)

Philippines Virus Outbreak Christmas — Devotees wearing face masks attend a Christmas Day Mass at a church in Manila, Philippines (Aaron Favila/AP)

Sri Lanka Christmas — A police officer stands guard outside at a church in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Virus Outbreak Japan Christmas — A motorcyclist joins the fun in the Ginza shopping street in Tokyo (Hiro Komae/AP)

Palestinian Christians wait to pray at the midnight Christmas Eve mass (Adel Hana/AP) — Palestinian Christians wait to pray at the midnight Mass (Adel Hana/AP)

A Christian child stands beside his mother attending midnight Christmas mass at St. Andrews Church, in Karachi, Pakistan (Fareed Khan/AP) — A Christian boy with his mother at midnight Mass at a church in Karachi, Pakistan (Fareed Khan/AP)

China Christmas — A shopping centre in Beijing, China (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Priests and clergy walk in a procession to attend the Christmas celebration midnight Mass at the Cathedral-Basilical in Vilnius, Lithuania (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP) — Priests and clergy walk in a procession at the Cathedral-Basilica in Vilnius, Lithuania (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

An Iraqi Christian woman lights candles during a Christmas Eve Mass in St Teresa’s Church ahead of Christmas celebrations, in Basra, Iraq (Nabil al-Jurani/AP) — An Iraqi Christian woman lights candles at St Teresa’s Church in Basra, Iraq (Nabil al-Jurani/AP)

Israel Christmas — Catholic nuns from the Sisters of Bethlehem pray at Beit Jamal Monastery near Beit Shemesh, Israel (Oded Balilty/AP)

Virus Outbreak Pakistan Christmas — A priest leads a Christmas Mass in Our Lady of Fatima Church in Islamabad, Pakistan (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Virus Outbreak Palestinians Christmas — A man dressed as Santa Claus dances outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (Majdi Mohammed/AP)