People donned Santa caps on beaches, ski slopes and streets around the globe on Monday to celebrate Christmas, with Israel’s war on Hamas and Russia’s war on Ukraine casting a shadow over one of the world’s favourite holidays.
Red and white Santa outfits appeared on surfers from Australia to Florida, on bicyclists in the smog-filled streets of New Delhi and intrepid souls braving chilly Channel waters for a holiday dip near Britain’s Dover.
Pope Francis kicked off the global celebrations with a sombre call for peace during Christmas Eve mass at the Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” said the pope.
The biblical city in the occupied West Bank, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago, effectively cancelled the annual Christmas celebrations that normally draw thousands of tourists.
The town did away with its giant Christmas tree, marching bands and flamboyant nativity scene this year, settling for just a few festive lights.
In the centre of town, a huge Palestinian flag had been unfolded with a banner declaring that “The bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza”.
“A lot of people are dying for this land,” said Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student. “It’s really hard to celebrate while our people are dying.”
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said: “We are here to pray and to ask not only for a ceasefire, a ceasefire is not enough, we have to stop these hostilities and to turn the page because violence generates only violence”.
In Syria, churches limited celebrations to prayers in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The Hamas attack on October 7 left around 1,140 people dead in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures. Israel retaliated with a sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,424 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. (Courtesy AFP)
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