From Africa to India, China to Europe, the annual holiday of Christmas is globally recognised as one of the most fun of the year. And although the festive traditions of santa hats, presents and tinsel remain constant throughout the world, each country has its own take on the festive season. With the UK steeped in tradition and familiar comforts, it’s always an eye-opening spectacle to see how the likes of the US, Nairobi and Kenya in Africa to Bondi Beach in Australia, among others, celebrate the yuletide season.
Many would-be Santas find themselves rigorously training at the Santa Claus school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The celebration, held every year the day after Christmas, is organized by the Brazil School of Santa Claus, which was founded in 1993.
In India, Christian faith worshippers take a pilgrimage and descend upon the Sacred Heart church in New Delhi – which looks like a well decoarated house in an English suburb.
Christmas is celebrated with much fervor in Mumbai, and it isn’t just the city’s dynamic Christian – mostly Catholic – community that makes sure it is done right.
The Roman Catholic cathedral belonging to the Latin Rite and one of the oldest church buildings in New Delhi, India.
The island of Hong Kong boasts the most impressive Christmas lights. with displays covering the outsdie of entire buildings and skyscrapers.
China, one of the world’s largest and booming economies, prepares for Christmas as thousands of markets and malls sell home and mass-produced wares.
Christmas, along with Christianity itself, is actually banned in China – but huge numbers of urban Chinese celebrate a commercialized and religiously sterilized version of Christmas, similar to that of St Valentine’s day in the west.
Orthodox Ethiopians are celebrating the Coptic-Orthodox Christmas Eve with a night of prayer and which according to the Ethiopian calendar is 27 December 1996.
During the first days of January, thousands of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian pilgrims go to the city of Lalibela to visit the ‘New Jerusalem’.
This holy city is composed of 11 interconnected churches carved by hand that are connected through a series of labyrinths and tunnels.
The first days of January mark the celebration of Genna (also known as Ledet), which is the Christmas version of the Ethiopian calendar.
Across the world in Australia, people don santa hats and shorts with the annual festival taking place in the middle of Australian summertime.
Beach revellers are seen celebrating Christmas Day on Bondi beach with surf, sun and sand coming as standard.
Burgeoning malls in Nairobi, Kenya, see thousands flock to do their Christmas shopping and the African King’s Christmas Journey at the Junction Mall.
The Junction has grown to become one of the most sought after shopping mall due to its expansive size.
A South African diver dressed as Santa Claus feeds a stingray as he swims in an aquarium during a show before Christmas at Africa’s largest marine theme park, uShaka Sea World, in Durban.