From solemn midnight masses at historic cathedrals and churches to festive gatherings in city centres, Christians across the world marked Christmas with prayers, rituals and celebrations. These images capture moments from Manila, Antakya, Chartres, Rabat, Vatican City, Bethlehem, and New York as communities came together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. (PICS/AFP)
Updated On: 2025-12-25 02:13 PM IST
Compiled by : Divya Nair
Priests celebrate the Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Saint Peter in Antakya in Turkey. Considered the first rock-cut church in Christendom, the site is believed to have hosted early Christian gatherings in the 1st century
French Bishop of Chartres, Monsignor Philippe Christory, celebrates the midnight Christmas Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres
A worshipper lights a candle while attending the Christmas Eve Mass at the Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina, Kosovo
Pope Leo XIV sprays incense on the statue of Baby Jesus at the end of the Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads the Christmas Midnight Mass at Saint Catherine’s Church in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank
People ice skate at Bryant Park on Christmas Eve
