In Pictures: Christmas around the world

As Christmas draws near, see how people around the world celebrate the season by giving to the less fortunate, decorating with fairy lights and trees, and of course, donning Santa outfits.

Updated

Published

Dec 24, 2015, 11:43 AM

A Palestinian man sells cotton candy from the trunk of his car at the Manger square next to the Church of Nativity, accepted by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: EPA

Volunteer Leandro Wendell dos Santos, 14, wearing a Santa Claus costume, distributes presents to children in Mare slums complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

Motorcyclists dressed in Santa Claus and reindeer outfits ride down the streets in downtown Tokyo on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

South Korean Everland amusement park employees feed penguins while wearing Santa hats. PHOTO: EPA

A worker arranges coals to roast bamboo skewered pigs, a regular fare at festivities in the Philippines, in Manila on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

Vietnamese teenagers wearing Santa Claus costumes gather in a street in preparation to deliver presents to children in Hanoi on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: EPA

A woman lights a candle in the Church of the Nativity, the site revered by Christians as Jesus' birthplace, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

View of a Christmas tree and lights illuminating the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium. PHOTO: EPA

A Christmas tree is seen at the National Armory gun store in Pompano Beach, Florida. PHOTO: AFP

People dressed as Santa Claus in the port city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

Firefighter Hector Chacon, 70, dressed as Santa Claus, descends from a 150m-high bridge to deliver gifts to children who live in poverty, in Guatemala, on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: EPA

People take pictures of the statue of Christ the Redeemer illuminated by Brazil-based French lighting designer Gaspare Di Caro, which reads "Merry Christmas", in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PHOTO: AFP

A worker attaching a star on a Christmas tree watches as a motorcade with United States President Barack Obama leaves the Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Dec 23, 2015, in Kailua, Hawaii. PHOTO: AFP

Commuters prepare to travel home for Christmas from London's Waterloo Station in Britain on Dec 24, 2015. PHOTO: EPA

Workers wave as they clean the windows of a building dressed as Santa Claus in Vina del Mar city, Chile, on Dec 23, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

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