Catholics, Protestants, and some Orthodox groups celebrate the holiday with solemn ceremonies: the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis led the traditional Midnight Mass at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, drawing thousands of believers, while numerous Christians also attended Holy Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ is believed to have been over 2000 years ago.
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Musician dressed as Santa Claus takes a photo with passengers in a bus decorated for Christmas and New Year celebrations in central Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Catholic Christmas service is held in St. Adalbert's Church, Kaliningrad, Russia.
Iraqi Christians attend a Christmas Eve service at the Church of Um al-Noor in Erbil, the eponymous northern Iraqi city and capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.
A woman takes a selfie outside the late 19th-century St. Joseph's Cathedral in the old quarters of Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hope, Joy, and Little Baby Jesus: Christmas Celebrations Around the World
Indonesian Christians light up their mobile phones during a Christmas Eve prayer at a church in Surabaya, East Java.
Pope Francis kisses a statue of baby Jesus as he leads the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
8/21
© AP Photo / Mark Baker
A couple poses for a selfie wearing Santa hats as crowds flocked to the inner city beach of St Kilda for Christmas Day celebrations in Melbourne, Australia.
Children prepare backstage before the Christmas-themed performance in a Catholic church in Omsk, Russia.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at their Christmas Eve party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beac.
Hope, Joy, and Little Baby Jesus: Christmas Celebrations Around the World
Catholic Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki holds Christmas Mass at the Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv, Ukraine.
13/21
© AP Photo / Rahmat Gul
An Afghan man walks past a Christmas tree at the Shar-e-Naw City in Kabul, Afghanistan.
14/21
© AP Photo / Ng Han Guan
A child reacts near wings-shaped neon lights during Christmas Eve in Beijing.
A priest holds a statue of baby Jesus during the Christmas Mass at Saint Antuan Church in Istanbul, Turkey.
Participants are seen during the 10th Annual Surfing Santas event in Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States.
17/21
© AP Photo / Mindaugas Kulbis
Priests and clergy walk in a procession to attend the Christmas celebration midnight Mass at the Cathedral-Basilical in Vilnius, Lithuania.
A Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission church yawns while attending the Christmas eve vigil mass in their church in the Fort Jesus area of Nairobi, Kenya.
19/21
© AP Photo / Vahid Salemi
People take a picture with Santa Claus on the Christmas Eve in a Christian neighbourhood, in Tehran, Iran.
Catholic Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow.
21/21
© AP Photo / Khalil Hamra
A Palestinian Christian man plays with his baby as they wait for the Christmas Mass outside the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City.
