PETALING JAYA: From sparkling lights and Santa Claus to solemn church gatherings, here's a look at how Christmas was celebrated around the world.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 25: Patrick Cunningham and Rachel Cunningham, from Philadelphia, cross the road while dressed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus on christmas Day on December 25, 2024 in New York City. For the first time since 2005 the first night of Hanukkah falls on the same day as christmas. The area is one of the nation's most popular destinations for shopping and entertainment during the holiday season. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Egyptians walk past Christmas decorations inside a shopping mall in Cairo, Egypt, late Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Carlos Chavez, left, and Jair Contreras, who don't know each other, throw punches during the "Takanakuy" ritual fighting event on christmas day, outskirts of Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. "Takanakuy" in the Quechua language roughly means to "beat each other up," and has its roots in pre-Hispanic and even pre-Incan Andean traditions. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
In this photo provided by Vatican Media, Pope Francis presides over the christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Mario Tomassetti/Vatican Media via AP)
Palestinians Christians visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on christmas day, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Swimmers take part in the Macmillan Boscombe White Christmas Dip, in aid of Macmillan Caring Locally, at Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth, England, Wednesday Dec. 25, 2024. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
New Year and Christmas season decorations in Moscow People walk past New Year and Christmas decorations in Moscow, Russia December 25, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
A woman poses in front of a Christmas tree in Tokyo's Hibiya area on December 24, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
A visitor takes a selfie with a Christmas tree on the eve of Christmas outside a church in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
