IN PHOTOS: Christmas Day celebrations around the world

December 25, 2018 - 8:27 PM
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Christmas celebrations Catholic church Iraq
A priest hugs a Christian girl after a mass on Christmas at St George Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Christmas Day, one of the most popular Christian holidays, is observed by billions of people around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

According to a 2011 study by Pew Research Center, there are over 2.18 billion Christians spread in over 200 countries around the world.

While they may all be coming from different countries and cultures, their commemoration of Christmas day are similar.

Here’s a look at the many ways Christians around the world celebrate Christmas Day:

Tibetan Catholics wearing traditional attire take part in a Mass on Christmas Day at Cizhong Church in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Pakistan Christmas day celebration
People attend the Christmas service at the St. John’s Cathedral in Peshawar, Pakistan, December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz
Christmas celebrations India
People pray after lighting candling in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary at a church during Christmas celebrations in Srinagar, India December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
Christmas Celebrations Desmond Tutu South Africa
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu wishes Archbishop Thabo Makgoba during Christmas Midnight Mass at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, early December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
Christmas celebrations Bethlehem West Bank
Worshipers attend a Christmas midnight mass at Saint Catherine’s Church, in the Church of the Nativity, in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 25, 2018. Nasser Nasser/Pool via Reuters
Christmas celebrations Baghdad Iraq
Iraqi Christians pray during a mass on Christmas at St George Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Cambodia Christmas women in costumes
Women wearing Christmas costumes are seen along a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Samrang Pring
Pope Francis Christmas message shun materialism remember poor
Pope Francis leads the Christmas Eve mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 24, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi
philippine-christmas-simbang-gabi-manila-cathedral
Filipinos attend the traditional Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo in the Manila Cathedral just before Christmas Day. STAR/Miguel de Guzman