A mass, a bath, a procession, a shopping trip… This December 25th, let's take a little tour through the world of Christmas traditions, whether solemn or eccentric.
For many Christians, December 25th marks the birth of Jesus Christ. But Christmas and its festive or commercial rituals are celebrated all over the world. In some places, Christmas celebrations were a moment of painful contemplation, such as in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, where on Sunday, December 24, at the time of Mass, the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip was on everyone's lips. Ukrainians celebrated Christmas for the first time on December 25, in line with Westerners and in a sign of disrespect for Russian Orthodox tradition. Because there is no shortage of traditions at Christmas… The proof in pictures.
It's snowing (really) in the business district of Guangzhou, China, where artificial snow delighted passers-by, December 24, 2023. (AFP)
In Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (USA), indigenous Americans celebrate Christmas with matachines and ritual dancers, December 24, 2023. (BRENDON BELL / AFP)
Santa Claus and his reindeer swapped sleighs for water skis on December 24, 2023 in Alexandria, Virginia (East Coast of the United States). (JULIA NIKHINSON / AFP)
Young girls attend a Christmas mass in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 25, 2023. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP)
For decades, the military command responsible for aviation security in the United States and Canada (Norad) has been tracking Santa's journey, as seen here on its website dated December 24, 2023. (CHRIS DELMAS / AFP)
A Ukrainian soldier takes part in a procession in Lviv in the western part of the country on December 24, 2023. To distance themselves from the Russian Orthodox tradition of celebrating Christmas on January 7, Ukrainians adopted the Gregorian calendar this year. (PAVLO PALAMARCHUK / ANADOLU / AFP)
In New Delhi, India, where thick fog covered the streets on December 25, 2023, Santa Claus decided to make his rounds on a bicycle. (ARUN SANKAR / AFP)
Pope Francis blesses the crowd gathered in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on the occasion of his Urbi et Orbi (“to the city and to the world”) speech on December 25, 2023. (TIZIANA FABI / AFP)
In Barcelona (Spain), December 25, 2023. Tradition dictates that the less cautious Christmas fathers and mothers dive into the Mediterranean. (JOSEP LAGO / AFP)
In front of a shopping center in Bangkok, Thailand, two young women take photos of themselves in front of Christmas decorations with the image of Pikachu, the Pokémon hero, on December 25, 2023. (LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)