Journalism of Courage
The festival of Christmas that falls on December 25, marks the birth of Jesus Christ. People across the world get together with their families, friends and loved ones to join in the celebrations. Also known as the Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Christ is significant for Christians.
X-mas celebrations now compraises of
Santa Claus, Christmas carols, Christmas feast spread and much more.
Here's how people around the world and in India is celebrating the festival. (Source: AP)
Pope Francis, right, kneels as he celebrates the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Source: AP)
Pope Francis kisses a statue of Baby Jesus as he celebrates the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Pope Francis urged Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus by thinking about the plight of today's children, bemoaning how some must escape bombs or flee in migrant boats and how others are prevented from being born at all.(Source: AP)
The Mass late Saturday was the first major event of the Christmas season, followed by Francis' noon Urbi et Orbi (To the city and the world) blessing on Christmas Day. In another appeal, Francis called for the faithful to not get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas — "when we are concerned for gifts but cold toward those who are (Source: AP)
Iraqi Christians attend a mass on Christmas at an Orthodox church in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq (Source: REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily)
People gather at Saint Joseph's Cathedral to celebrate on Christmas eve in Lucknow. (Source: AP)
People cross a busy road decorated with lights on Christmas Eve in Park Street Kolkata. (Source: AP)
A girl lights a candles on the eve of Christmas at the decorated Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi. Christmas is a national holiday celebrated with much fanfare in the country. (Source: AP)
Sand artist Manas Sahoo creates a sand sculpture celebrating Christmas at the beach at Puri in Odisha. (Source: AP)
A man dressed as Santa Claus poses for photos in front of a Christmas tree installation during Christmas eve as they celebrate the festival season in Hong Kong. (Source: AP)
Catholic christians participate at a Christmas Eve mass in Sent Antuan church, the largest church of the Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey.(Source: AP)
A man dressed in the role of Santa Claus gestures for a child to sit on his lap at a shopping mall in Beijing, China.
Although Christmas is not traditionally celebrated in China, retailers take opportunity of the gift giving spirit of the festival to boost year end sales. (Source: AP)
Shoppers enjoy Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in Beijing, China on Christmas Eve. (Source: AP)
BJP MP and cine star Shatrughan Sinha with Santa Claus during Christmas fair in Patna on Sunday. (Source: PTI)
People walk through a light installation titled "Universal Journey," comprised of 824,961 light bulbs, at Universal Studios Singapore as part of Christmas celebrations. (Source: AP)
A Sri Lankan family takes photographs standing near an enormous artificial Christmas tree as others gather around it in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree. (Source: AP)
Pakistani Christians attend midnight service at Saint Anthony's church on Christmas eve in Lahore, Pakistan on Christmas. (Source: AP)
Iraqi Christians attend a Christmas Eve Mass at Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad, Iraq on Christmas Eve. (Source: AP)
An Iraqi Christian woman lights candles before a Christmas Eve Mass at a church in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. (Source: AP)
A view of the Duomo gothic cathedral illuminated by new lights, in Milan, Italy. (Source: AP)
Priests and clergy process to attend the Christmas celebration midnight Mass at the Cathedral-Basilical in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Source: AP)
People take photographs in front of Christmas tree decorations on a street in Lagos, Nigeria. (Source: AP)
Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, the Russian Santa Claus) rides a quad bike as he arrives for the festivities of incoming New Year and Christmas at the Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St.Petersburg, Russia on christmas Eve. (Source: AP)
A group of dancers and musicians during their performance with fireworks during the Night of Candles in Vitoria, northern Spain on Christmas Eve. (Source: AP)
Bikers in Christmas outfit drive through Hagen, Germany on their way to an annual meeting on Christmas Eve to have hot chocolate, mulled wine, coffee and a chat. (Source: AP)
Latin clergies pray as they walk to the Grotto at the end of the Christmas Midnight Mass at Saint Catherine's Church where Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, in the adjacent Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem (Source: REUTERS/Musa Al Shaer/Pool)
Wellwishers wait to greet members of the royal family as they arrive to attend the Christmas Day church service in Sandringham, Britain, (Source: REUTERS/Phil Noble)
Villagers dance to celebrate the Christmas Eve outside a catholic church on the outskirts of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, December 24, 2016. (Source: REUTERS/Jason Lee)
Villagers attend a praying ceremony on the Christmas Eve at a Catholic church on the outskirts of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, December 24, 2016. (Source: REUTERS/Jason Lee)
A girl takes a nap during a Christmas eve mass at a Catholic church on the outskirts of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, December 24, 2016. (Source: REUTERS/Jason Lee)
Runners dressed as Santa Claus take part in the annual Christmas race on the streets of Skopje, Macedonia (Source: REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski)
Prince William, his wife Catherine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive to attend the morning Christmas Day service at St Mark's Church in Englefield, near Bucklebury in southern England, Britain (Source: REUTERS/Andrew Matthews/Pool)
US soldiers enjoy a Christmas dinner at an army base in Karamless town, east of Mosul. (Source: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
Beachgoers Tara O'Sullivan and Tomek Juszczyk pose for selfie photos as they spend Christmas Day on Sydney's Bondi Beach. (Source: Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
An athlete dressed as a clown jumps into the Mediterranean sea as he takes part in the Copa Nadal in the Spanish port of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain (Source: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A woman and her child wearing Santa Claus hats pose for a souvenir photo in front of a Christmas tree decorated at a shopping mall in Beijing (Source: AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Primate of the Hungarian Catholic Church, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Cardinal Peter Erdo, center, celebrates the Christmas Day mass in Esztergom Basilica in the City of Esztergom, 51 kms northwest of Budapest, Hungary (Source: Attila Kovacs/MTI via AP)
File Photo: Dec. 9, 2016, Kenyan ballet dancer Joel Kioko, 16, center, dances a solo in a performance of The Nutcracker in Nairobi, Kenya. (Source: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A worker plows the grass in front of decorations on Christmas day in Cairo, Egypt (Source: AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
People are silhouetted against illuminations for the Christmas and New Year holiday season at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang, South Korea (Source: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A woman holds a candle during a mass prayer during Christmas eve at Bethany church in Surabaya, Indonesia. (Source: Antara Foto/M Risyal Hidayat/ via REUTERS )
