As the world prepared for Christmas on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, a series of powerful images captured the diverse tapestry of human experience, from festive tradition to profound grief. The Guardian's picture editors curated a global selection that tells a story far beyond tinsel and trees.
Festive Traditions and Solemn Rituals
In Helen's Bay, Northern Ireland, brave participants took part in the annual Christmas Eve swim, a bracing dip in the cold waters all in aid of local charities. Meanwhile, in London, the century-old tradition at Smithfield market saw traders auctioning surplus meat to the public in a bustling pre-Christmas scene.
Deeper traditions were observed in Wieliczka, Poland, where miners and their families attended a unique mass in St King’s Chapel, located roughly 100 metres underground in the town's historic salt mine. In Nazareth, Israel, children eagerly awaited the start of the 40th annual Christmas parade.
Contrasts of Celebration and Conflict
The day's events presented stark contrasts. Tourists marvelled at illuminated icefall displays in Linxia, China, while in Gaza City, displaced Palestinians protested in front of the collapsed Labad family home. In Jerusalem, bereaved families held pictures of loved ones killed in the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, demanding a state commission of inquiry.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was escorted by Israeli police on horseback on his journey to Bethlehem, highlighting the heightened security in the region. Palestinian scouts had earlier paraded in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity.
A World in Motion
From the sombre to the supportive, other global moments unfolded. In Seoul, South Korea, volunteers launched a gift delivery initiative for underprivileged children. A darker note was struck in Kesikkavak, Turkey, as Libyan army officials surveyed the crash site of a jet carrying their chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine saw rescuers working at the site of a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia. In Frankfurt, Germany, people warmed by a fire atop the Feldberg mountain ahead of a traditional Christmas Eve meeting of tractor and motorbike riders.
Back in the UK, the festive spirit continued with a Christmas Eve dip in the North Sea at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside, and shoppers at London's Billingsgate fish market. Elsewhere, England's cricketer Ben Stokes practised in the nets in Melbourne, and in Bali, Indonesia, villagers performed the Ngerebeg ritual to expel evil spirits.
The collection closed with a quiet moment in Kashmir, India, where a pack of stray dogs slept peacefully in a park, a simple scene of repose amid a day of global activity and emotion.
