More than a
billion Christians around the world are celebrating the festival of
Christmas. Here is a selection of pictures marking the occasion.
A worshipper lights a candle during Mass at the St Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria
American soldiers pose for a selfie during Christmas lunch at forward operating base Gamberi in Afghanistan
An alpaca is used for enticing shoppers in Beijing, China, where Christmas was once banned
Thousands of Christians hold candles
during a mass in Surabaya, Indonesia, which is also the most populous
Muslim country in the world
Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch, Fouad Twal, carries a model of a baby Jesus during Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
An Indian Christian holds a crucifix at St Mary's Garrison church in Jammu, northern India
The Salaj family in the town of Cazma,
Croatia, have turned their estate into a massive Christmas light
installation featuring 1.5 million lights
Pakistani Christians sing hymns as they celebrate Christmas at a church in Karachi
A sculpture featuring Father Christmas and a group of cattle is seen in New South Wales, Australia, on Christmas Day
A man inspects a tree in Guerrero,
Mexico, which bears the names and pictures of 43 trainee teachers who
went missing near there in September
An impromptu nativity scene and tree are made using rubble in the heavily-damaged Hamedieh neighbourhood of Homs, Syria
