Christmas Day around the world

Christmas Day revellers enjoy the annual Porthcawl charity swim Photograph: David Jones/PA

A young Kikuyu tribe girl of Kenya is baptised Photograph: Dai Kurokawa/EPA

Santa Claus works out at a gym to celebrate Christmas in Suining, China Photograph: AP

Swimmers drink tea as they take a Christmas Day dip in the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Patient Luis Martinez, left, touches the hair of Iceland's Einar Sveinsson, who is dressed as Santa Claus, in the emergency room of the Benjamin Bloom Children's hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador Photograph: Luis Romero/AP

A homeless child holds a candle during a street Christmas celebration at Dom Pedro Park in downtown Sao Paulo Photograph: Nacho Doce/Reuters

A festive procession in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk Photograph: Ilya Naymushin/Reuters

People dive into icy waters in the Irish Sea during the Christmas Day swim at the Forty Foot in Sandycove, Dublin. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA

Sri Lankan Christians look at a nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus during Christmas mass in Colombo Photograph: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

Pope Benedict XVI delivers the Christmas Day message from a balcony at St. Peter's Basilica Photograph: Maurizio Brambatti/EPA

A cake made in the shape of a snowman in front of US military personnel attending Christmas festivities at a military base in Basra Photograph: Atef Hassan/Reuters

A traditional Christmas parade in Minsk Photograph: Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images

Southern Sudanese women pray during the Christmas mass at St. Teresa's Cathedral in Juba Photograph: Reuters

A lifeguard dressed in a Santa Claus outfit paddles to sea on Brighton beach Photograph: Paul Hackett/Reuters

Children wait to present Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with flowers as the British royal family attend their traditional Christmas Day church service in Sandringham Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

Lebanese Christians dressed as Santa Claus cheer during Christmas in Jiyeh village Photograph: Sharif Karim/Reuters

Lance Corporal Zac Dunnings enjoys Christmas dinner in Shizad, Afghanistan Photograph: Sgt Rupert Frere/PA

Animal keeper Alan Leach gets into the Christmas spirit by dressing as Santa as he feeds the bisons and camels at Blair Drummond safari park near Stirling Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

A girl with her hands decorated with henna prays during a Christmas mass at St. Anthony Church in Lahore Photograph: Mohsin Raza/Reuters

Christmas mass at the Greek Orthodox patriarchal cathedral of St. George in Istanbul Photograph: Murad Sezer/Reuters

Two women walk with their horses at the beach of Schoenberg, northern Germany Photograph: Heribert Proepper/AP

Santa Claus distributes sweets to children in New Delhi, India Photograph: Mustafa Quraishi/AP

A girl gets ready to take part in a dance in celebration of the Udhauli festival in Kathmandu Photograph: Shruti Shrestha/Reuters

Indonesian Christians attend the Christmas mass for children at the Cathedral in Jakarta Photograph: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images

A competitor dressed up as Santa Claus jumps into the sea during the Barcelona's 101st traditional Christmas swimming cup at the old harbour Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams preaches and presides at the sung eucharist service held at Canterbury Cathederal Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA

Children play under a statue of Santa Claus before the Christmas Eve mass at Phat Diem Cathedral in Ninh Binh, Vietnam Photograph: Luong Thai Linh/EPA

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu greets members of the congregation following the Christmas Day service in York Minster
Photograph: John Giles/PA

People dressed as Santa Claus take part in the annual Chrismas race in Vilnius Photograph: Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images

Hayley Docherty and Jerry Long from Norfolk, England enjoy the warm weather at Bondi Beach Photograph: Don Arnold/Getty Images

Clergy gather in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity while Christians gather for Christmas celebrations in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Photograph: Musa Al-shaer/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistani military police officers perform during the opening ceremony of the 31st National Games at the Qayyum sports complex in Peshawar Photograph: A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images

A member of Berlin's ice swimming club, Berliner Seehunde, takes a dip in the Orankesee lake Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

A Palestinian nun lights a candle in a nativity scene during the Christmas morning mass at the Latin Church of Visitation in the West Bank village of Al-Zababdeh near Jenin city, Photograph: Mohammed Ballas/AP

Bikers wearing Santa Claus suits riding their bikes, in front of the Serbian parliament building, in Belgrade Photograph: Darko Vojinovic/AP

Kosovo Catholic children try to keep warm near a hot-air blower during the Christmas mass in the Catholic cathedral, Mother Teresa, in the capital Pristina Photograph: Visar Kryeziu/AP

Priests pray near a figurine of the baby Jesus during a Christmas mass at a Catholic cathedral in the north of Khartoum Photograph: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters

A child dressed as Santa Claus during morning Christmas service at a church in Jammu, India Photograph: Channi Anand/AP

Traditional Christmas mass at the golden domed Alexander Nevsky cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria Photograph: Valentina Petrova/AP

Santa Claus water skis down the Potomac river, Washington DC Photograph: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

South Koreans look at a nativity scene outside the Myeongdong Catholic cathedral in Seoul Photograph: Park Ji-hwan/AFP/Getty Images

A man rides a ski lift dressed as Santa Claus at China Peak in Huntington Lake, California Photograph: Eric Paul Zamora/AP