Families around the world are marking Christmas Day with traditions both ancient and new — from church services to icy swim races. The Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is celebrated by billions worldwide, and while customs vary in different cultures, the universal theme of the holiday is love and joy — shadowed this year by the toll of war in the Middle East, Ukraine and other conflicts across the globe.
Here is a look at scenes of Christmas 2023 worldwide, beginning with a blessing from Pope Francis, who delivered his annual Christmas message calling for peace from St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Pope Francis delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the city and the world") blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Dec. 25, 2023 in Vatican City. / Getty Images
Observances in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were subdued amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Many public celebrations were canceled, and one church displayed a Nativity scene showing the baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh and surrounded by rubble.
Worshipers pray at the grotto, believed to be the spot where Jesus was born, at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on Dec. 25, 2023. / Getty Images A Nativity scene at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, shows baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh and surrounded by rubble to show solidarity with the people of Gaza, on Dec. 24, 2023. / Getty Images The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, participates in Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the West Bank, on Dec. 24, 2023. Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Britain's King Charles used his annual Christmas message to encourage caring and compassion, and gathered with members of the royal family for church services at their Sandringham estate.
Queen Camilla and King Charles III greet the clergyman after Christmas Day services at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Dec. 25, 2023. Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images Catherine, Princess of Wales and her son, Prince George, greet the crowd gathered outside St. Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2023, in Sandringham, Norfolk. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images The Archbishop of Canterbury leads Christmas morning Eucharist service at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, U.K., on Dec. 25, 2023. Stuart Brock/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ukraine celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25 instead of the traditional Orthodox date of Jan, 7 for the first time, after the government changed the date in a snub to Russia, which invaded the country nearly two years ago.
Children, wearing traditional Ukrainian outfits, take part in Christmas celebrations in the village of Pyrogove, near Kyiv, on Dec. 25, 2023. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images A woman takes part in Christmas celebrations in the village of Pyrogove, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 25, 2023. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images
It was a foggy Christmas morning in New York City.
One World Trade Center casts a shadow on passing fog as the sun rises in New York City on Dec. 25, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. Gary Hershorn / Getty Images The Empire State Building in New York City is lit up in holiday colors for Christmas, as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey, on Dec. 24, 2023. Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
NORAD, the the joint U.S.-Canadian military monitoring agency, continued its decades-long Christmas tradition of tracking Santa's journey around the globe.
This illustration shows NORAD's tracker following Santa flying over New York City on a computer monitor on Dec. 24, 2023. CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images People pose for photos next to decorative snowmen at a shopping street on Dec. 25, 2023 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. Wang Ruizhong/VCG via Getty Images Father Christmas and his dog Rudolph arriving in Sydney Harbour in Australia to deliver gifts to the participants of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race, on Dec. 25, 2023. / Getty Images
Some people marked the occasion with a festive but frigid dip in the ocean.
Swimmers, some in large inflatable costumes make their way into the sea on Dec. 25, 2023 in Hunstanton, England. The traditional festive swim has a history that dates back over 60 years, with swimmers wearing fancy dress and raising money for charity. Martin Pope / Getty Images Patrick Corkery, dressed as Santa, taking part in the annual Christmas Day swim at the Forty Foot bathing spot in Sandycove, Dublin, Ireland. Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images A participant in Santa Claus costume jumps into the water during the 114th Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup) swimming race in Barcelona's Port Vell on Dec. 25, 2023. JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images
More photos of Christmas celebrations around the world:
Police officers from the traffic squad in Lima, Peru, wear Christmas costumes and travel by motorcycle through the streets delivering gifts to children on Dec. 24, 2023. Klebher Vasquez/Anadolu via Getty Images Faithful attend Mass on Christmas Day at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 25, 2023. MONICAH MWANGI / REUTERS A view of a Christmas tree at the Galerie d'Orleans during Christmas season in Paris, France. BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS Devotees gather to celebrate Christmas at the rehabilitated Presbyterian Church in Jaranwala, Pakistan, on Dec. 25, 2023, months after homes and churches in the area were attacked over alleged blasphemy. AMNA YASEEN/AFP via Getty Images Devotees light candles during Christmas Day celebrations at a church in Amritsar, India, on Dec. 25, 2023. NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images A child plays with bubbles as people gather at Rizal Park on Christmas Day in Manila, the Philippines, on Dec. 25, 2023. EARVIN PERIAS/AFP via Getty Images People take pictures and gather around a Pokemon-themed Christmas display in front of the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 25, 2023. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images
