25 December 2010Last updated at 17:24

In pictures: Christmas Day around the world

Athletes dressed as Father Christmas jump in the Mediterranean Sea as they take part in the Copa Nadal in Barcelona.

Christmas Day has been celebrated around the globe in all cultures and climates. In Barcelona, people take part in the Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup), a traditional swimming competition where participants swim 200m in the port's open sea.

In central Minsk, Belarus, a stilt walker takes part in a Christmas procession.

Children wait to present the UK's Queen Elizabeth II with flowers in Sandringham, England.

Children wait to present the UK's Queen Elizabeth II with flowers as the Royal Family attend their traditional Christmas Day church service in Sandringham, eastern England.

Life guards with a Christmas tree on Bondi Beach

In Sydney, Australia, beach-goers celebrated Christmas in glorious weather on Bondi Beach.

Members of the Berlin Seals swimming club mark Christmas with a dip in the icy Orankesee Lake in the German capital.

Toddler meets Father Christmas at the Jakarta Cathedral in Indonesia

A visit to church is a highpoint of the day for many people. This toddler met Father Christmas at the Jakarta Cathedral in Indonesia.

Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on the West Bank

At the Church of the Nativity - traditionally held to be the birthplace of Jesus - in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal led mass.

Candles were also lit during Christmas Day celebrations at The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi, India.

In the Burmese capital Rangoon, worshippers at St Mary's Cathedral kissed the feet of a model of the infant Jesus.

Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Lahore

The festival was also marked by Christians in Pakistan. Hundreds of worshippers attended the midnight mass service in the Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

South Korean marines on Yeonpyeong Island

Prayers were also the order of the day for these Roman Catholic South Korean soldiers on Yeonpyeong Island, as tensions with the North remain high.

World

In pictures: Christmas Day around the world

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