Xmas being celebrated around the world

London -  The Christian community across the globe is celebrating the Christmas festival, commemorating the birthday of Jesus Christ today (Thursday, 25^th December). 

Christ was born in Bethlehem, Israel. The day is being observed in memory of Christ's message of hope, love and salvation.

This year's Christmas message from King Charles III will be delivered from Westminster Abbey.

This traditional speech, filmed in the Lady Chapel of the medieval church in central London, follows his "good news" earlier this month about responding well to cancer treatment.

The King is expected to talk about the "pilgrimage" of life, and the lessons it can teach about the issues of the day, in a message broadcast at 15.00 on Christmas Day, BBC News reported.

Last year the speech was given in the Fitzrovia Chapel, which once served hospital staff, and was a symbolic location for a message focusing on the King's thanks for health workers.

Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square before the service.

During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticised a "distorted economy" that "leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise".

Before, he spoke in front of St Peter's basilica to offer Christmas wishes and thank those who had come to follow the mass on outdoor screens despite rainy weather.

The mass was attended by high-ranking Church figures, diplomats and around 6,000 faithful.

The service combines traditional music with symbolic gestures such as placing a statue of the baby Jesus in a cradle.

How Xmas is celebrated around the world

Christmas is celebrated around the world in various ways.

According to the BBC, the traditional celebration of Christmas in Poland begins on 24 December, a day called Wigilia, where a Christmas Eve vigil supper is held.

Before sitting down to eat, some Poles wait until the first star appears in the sky to commemorate the Star of Bethlehem.

To top things off, there are an abundance of Polish Christmas carols. According to a survey from Polish National Radio, nearly 80% of Poles sing carols at the Christmas dinner table. In fact, they’re so popular that one, entitled Bóg się rodzi, meaning 'God is Born', almost became the national anthem.

Many Filipino Catholics traditionally attend Simbang Gabi, a series of nine dawn masses on the days leading up to Christmas. The masses were originally held in the early hours of the morning, ranging from around 3.00am to 5.00am, when the roosters announced the dawn of a new day.

In Greece,  Christmas spirit can be felt from the 24 December, where celebrations are typically held until Epiphany on 6 January.

Christmas Eve is often reserved for baking christopsomo, a traditional festive bread, with each region adding their own twist to the loaf.