Let there be light ... Christmas lights around the world

The Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic, ablaze with light from its Christmas markets. Prague's Christmas markets are some of the most vibrant in Europe and attract tourists and locals alike Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA

The light projection by Hélène Richard and Jean-Michel Quesne, aka Skertzo, of a giant stained glass window on to Le Mans Saint-Julien cathedral in western France. Eight scenes will be projected on to the historical site until 8 January Photograph: Jean Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images

The Christmas tree in Syntagma Square in Athens is lit as crowds look on. The previous tree was burnt during last week's clashes triggered by the shooting of a young boy by a police officer Photograph: Goulielmos Antoniou/EPA

Images by Austrian artist Kurt Hentschlager are projected below the glass roof of the Grand Palais as part of the Dans la Nuit, des Images (In the Night, Images) event in Paris Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

A man uses his mobile phone to capture the moment the lights are turned on on this Christmas tree in front the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut, Lebanon Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPA

Pedestrians interact with light-projected portraits from a video art installation in Trafalgar Square, London. Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's piece Under Scan features 1,000 interactive portraits of British people Photograph: Mark Bryan Makela/Corbis

Thousands gather in Gouda, Netherlands, to watch as a huge central Christmas tree is lit Photograph: Koen Van Weel/AFP/Getty Images

Children admire a Christmas tree display near the ruins of the old Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua, Nicaragua Photograph: Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters

Sculptor Raphael Daden stands under his multicoloured, 12ft-high illuminated cones near Brighton seafront. The project is part of a Percent for Art scheme run by Brighton & Hove Council that asks stores and shops to donate a percentage of renovation projects to create public art Photograph: /Roger Bamber

A stunning Christmas light display is created on the trees lining the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris Photograph: Francois Mori/AP

Filipino churchgoers come together for their first dawn mass in suburban Las Piñas, Philippines. Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

A non-traditional Christmas light installation illuminates one of the most visited tourist destinations in Brussels, the Grand Place Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

Ice-skaters circle below the spectacular Christmas tree adorning the outside of the Rockefeller Centre in New York Photograph: Sipa Press/Sipa Press / Rex Features

An impressive Christmas tree decorates the front of an office building in Beijing Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Christmas markets light up the Old Town in Warsaw, Poland, bustling with shoppers enjoying the festive atmosphere Photograph: Andrzej Rybczynski/EPA

Flamboyant Christmas decorations light up the area in front of the Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo Photograph: Lionel Cironneau/AP

The Light to Freedom Christmas tree on the Spanish Steps of the Piazza di Spagna in Rome, lit as a symbol of peace and solidarity Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

The facade of Paris's Grand Palais is lit by Scottish artist Charles Sandison as part of the Dans la nuit, des images (In the Night, Images) event dedicated to the visual arts in Paris Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters