Christmas Masses, Santa, And More- How India, London, Russia, Other Places Around The World Celebrated On December 25

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Christmas, the festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, was celebrated throughout the globe with devotion and festive gaiety on December 25 as churches were decked in lights and cribs, midnight masses drew large congregations, and community events spread cheer amid prayers for peace and harmony.

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Pope Leo XIV stands after delivering the traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the world from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
(REUTERS)

During his first Christmas Day address for the traditional papal“Urbi et Orbi”, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything - such as in Gaza, those who are impoverished, such as in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent for a better future.

The pope emphasised that everyone could contribute to peace by acting with humility and responsibility.

He also remembered those who have lost their jobs or are seeking work, especially young people, underpaid workers and those in prison.

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Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. AP/PTI(AP12_25_2025_000342B)
(AP)

In his Christmas Day message, Britain's King Charles III called for“compassion and reconciliation” at a time of "division" across the world.

The monarch said he found it“enormously encouraging” how people of different faiths had a“shared longing for peace”.

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Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP
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New York streets lit up on Christmas as people took a moment to capture the beautiful decor. A winter storm is threatening to drop heavy snow on New York City and surrounding areas, potentially snarling post-Christmas holiday weekend travel.

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(Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Christian devotees receive the blessing of the Baby Jesus idol during Christmas celebrations at Don Bosco Church in Matunga, Mumbai.

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REUTERS

Christmas and New Year's celebrations decorations at a department store in Bangkok, Thailand.

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(Photo by Juni KRISWANTO / AFP)
(AFP)

Christian devotees attend a Christmas Day mass at Bethany Church in Surabaya.

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(Lucy North/PA via AP)
(AP)

Members of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in Hyde Park, central London.

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(Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
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The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, The Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally, conducts the Christmas Day Eucharist service at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

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(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
(AP)

Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, the Russian Santa Claus) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) greet a woman at a Christmas fair opened prior to Christmas and New Year festivities in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
(AP)

Girls film their dance at a Christmas fair opened prior to Christmas and New Year festivities in St. Petersburg, Russia, with a statue of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin in the background.

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AFP
(AFP)

Military chaplain Mykola singing a carol during a visit to servicemen of the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade on Christmas Day in the Donetsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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A couple hugs near trams decorated with garlands on Christmas Day in Kharkiv on December 25, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Ivan SAMOILOV / AFP)
(AFP)

Wishing Ukrainians on the occasion of Christmas, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace while also slamming Russia for launching a massive attack on the eve of the festival.

In his Christmas address, he said, "We are happy when we hear the music of Christmas, but even happier when we do not hear the music of evil, when we do not hear drones and missiles flying overhead."

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(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
(AP)

A child sits on an armoured vehicle on display among Christmas lights in Caracas, Venezuela, as the US ups military action in the area against alleged drug-trafficking boats.

As of September, more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, had returned to South America since US President Donald Trump moved to limit migration to the US, according to figures from Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica.

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