On Thursday, people around the world are celebrating the annual Christmas holiday in various ways. Some are plunging into icy lakes, others are expressing their hopes for peace through singing and traditional practices, and there are those who are adding warmth and joy to the holiday through art and special performances.
In the early morning of Thursday, a group of winter swimming enthusiasts in Germany, wearing red Christmas hats, bravely jumped into the Orankesee Lake in Berlin, where the temperature was a freezing minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit), continuing a 40-year-old tradition. After the winter swim, everyone gathered to sing Christmas carols, bringing a heartwarming end to the event.
Meanwhile in the UK, a large number of people gathered at the iconic Brighton Beach in the southern part of England for the annual Brighton Christmas Day Dip. This event, dating back to the 1860s, attracts hundreds of participants each year who take a festive dip in the sea.
In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, thousands of people dressed in traditional attire and carrying decorative stars symbolizing Christmas paraded through the streets. The Christmas star is an important symbol in Ukrainian Christmas traditions, with some participants attaching the names of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to the stars in remembrance. People sang carols, expressing hopes for an end to war, national peace, and future prosperity during the holiday season.
In Lima, the capital of Peru, national police officers shed their regular uniforms and donned colorful Christmas outfits for the annual Christmas parade. Riding in police cars adorned with red and green balloons and ribbons, the officers distributed gifts to residents. This Christmas parade organized by the police has been a local tradition for about 25 years, becoming an important part of the Christmas celebrations in the area.
As for Australia in the southern hemisphere, many people headed to the beaches to celebrate Christmas, wearing swimsuits and Christmas hats while enjoying the sun and breeze. This included Bondi Beach, a popular holiday and surfing destination that recently experienced a terrorist attack.
On the eastern coast of India, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a giant sand sculpture of Santa Claus on the beach, measuring approximately 60 feet in length and 45 feet in width, with the message “World Peace” written alongside it. This installation took several hours to complete and attracted a large number of tourists who stopped to admire it.
Sudarsan Pattnaik stated, “On the eve of Christmas, we created this unique installation sand sculpture using 1.5 tons of sand apples, conveying a message – World Peace.”