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In pictures: World celebrates Christmas
This giant sand sculpture of Santa Claus appeared on the beach of Bay of Bengal in India's eastern Odisha state

People across the world are celebrating Christmas – one of the holiest times in the Christian calendar. However, for the second year in a row, there are smaller crowds at church services and other events because of the continuing coronavirus outbreak. Here’s our snapshot of global festivities.
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Brave swimmers took the plunge during the annual Weymouth Harbour Christmas swim in Dorset, UK.

In Kosovo’s capital Pristina, a children’s choir performed at midnight mass at the Roman Catholic Mother Teresa Cathedral

In Peshawar, Pakistan, young Christian women took selfies before a Christmas service

Pope Francis delivered his traditional Urbi et Orbi address from the Vatican on Saturday

Colourful lights decorations made this footbridge in Taipei, Taiwan, very popular with the locals and tourists

Nuns held prayers at a solemn church service in Nairobi, Kenya

In Pakistan, families – many with young children – attended a Christmas Eve service at St Andrew’s church in Karachi

Worshippers lit candles in Istanbul, Turkey

In the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, a midnight Mass was held in the Church of the Nativity

Pope Francis presided at the similar service in the Vatican, which was held earlier than usual because of Covid restrictions

Young altar servers assisted during celebrations in Irbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq

This giant sand sculpture of Santa Claus appeared on the beach of Bay of Bengal in India’s eastern Odisha state

In Brazil, aquarists dressed as Elf, Santa Claus and Mrs Claus greeted the public inside a huge water tank at AquaRio in Rio de Janeiro

Meanwhile, a rhino enjoyed its Christmas treats at Orana Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand

This pub in London, Great Britain, looked like a giant Christmas toy
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