Pope Francis delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the city and the world") blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Dec. 25, 2023 in Vatican City. / GETTY IMAGES

Families around the world are marking Christmas Day with traditions both ancient and new — from church services to icy swim races. The Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is celebrated by billions worldwide, and while customs vary in different cultures, the universal theme of the holiday is love and joy — shadowed this year by the toll of war in the Middle East, Ukraine and other conflicts across the globe.

Here is a look at scenes of Christmas 2023 worldwide, beginning with a blessing from Pope Francis, who delivered his annual Christmas message calling for peace from St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Observances in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were subdued amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Many public celebrations were canceled, and one church displayed a Nativity scene showing the baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh and surrounded by rubble.

Britain's King Charles used his annual Christmas message to encourage caring and compassion, and gathered with members of the royal family for church services at their Sandringham estate.

Ukraine celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25 instead of the traditional Orthodox date of Jan, 7 for the first time, after the government changed the date in a snub to Russia, which invaded the country nearly two years ago.

It was a foggy Christmas morning in New York City.

NORAD, the the joint U.S.-Canadian military monitoring agency, continued its decades-long Christmas tradition of tracking Santa's journey around the globe.

Some people marked the occasion with a festive but frigid dip in the ocean


A Nativity scene at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, shows baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh and surrounded by rubble to show solidarity with the people of Gaza, on Dec. 24, 2023. / GETTY IMAGES


Queen Camilla and King Charles III greet the clergyman after Christmas Day services at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Dec. 25, 2023. JOE GIDDENS/PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES


Children, wearing traditional Ukrainian outfits, take part in Christmas celebrations in the village of Pyrogove, near Kyiv, on Dec. 25, 2023. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


This illustration shows NORAD's tracker following Santa flying over New York City on a computer monitor on Dec. 24, 2023. CHRIS DELMAS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


People pose for photos next to decorative snowmen at a shopping street on Dec. 25, 2023 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. WANG RUIZHONG/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES


Swimmers, some in large inflatable costumes make their way into the sea on Dec. 25, 2023 in Hunstanton, England. The traditional festive swim has a history that dates back over 60 years, with swimmers wearing fancy dress and raising money for charity. MARTIN POPE / GETTY IMAGES


Faithful attend Mass on Christmas Day at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 25, 2023. MONICAH MWANGI / REUTERS


Devotees gather to celebrate Christmas at the rehabilitated Presbyterian Church in Jaranwala, Pakistan, on Dec. 25, 2023, months after homes and churches in the area were attacked over alleged blasphemy. AMNA YASEEN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


Devotees light candles during Christmas Day celebrations at a church in Amritsar, India, on Dec. 25, 2023. NARINDER NANU/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


People take pictures and gather around a Pokemon-themed Christmas display in front of the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 25, 2023. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

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