Christmas season begins in the Middle East - in pictures

Festive lights have been put up in

Female worshippers chant at Christmas morning mass in the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Qamishli, Syria. AFP

Christian devotees take part in a Christmas prayer at St John's Cathedral Church in Peshawar. AFP

Christian worshippers listen to the Christmas Eve mass inside the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Podgorica, Montenegro. AFP

People gather round a Christmas tree in Beirut's Martyr Square. AFP

A priest swings burners with incense at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Cairo. AP

Egyptian Catholic nuns pray during the Christmas Eve mass at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Cairo. AP

Christian worshippers attend a Christmas morning service at the Catholic Co-Cathedral of the Holy Family in Kuwait City. AFP

A woman takes a selfie outside the Catholic Co-Cathedral of the Holy Family in Kuwait City on Christmas Day. AFP

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, holds a midnight Christmas mass at the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem. EPA

Visitors inside the holy cave at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Reuters

A Palestinian makes olive wood souvenirs near the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Reuters

A Palestinian youth looks at Santa Claus dolls at a shop in Gaza city. AP

A man controls a drone fixed to a Santa Claus figurine, in Aintoura, north of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP

Santa Claus - real name Issa Kassissieh - swaps his traditional reindeer for a camel at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

A Christmas tree towers inside a mall in Hazmieh, Lebanon. Reuters

A 'Santa Claus' next to graffiti reading 'Palestine' in Arabic on Israel's separation wall in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. AFP

Parade members play music at the Christmas market in Byblos, Lebanon. Reuters

A Palestinian takes a selfie near a Christmas tree in Gaza city. AFP

The Christmas tree in Al Hatab Square in Aleppo, Syria. AFP

An Iraqi family decorates a Christmas tree at their house in Basra. AP

Issa Kassissieh, dressed as Santa Claus, on Mount Precipice near Nazareth in northern Israel. Reuters

Santa's Grotto in Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

A Palestinian crafts figurines at a workshop in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Christmas decoration in The Greens, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Winter Wonderland at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Daniel Shawky, 5, in snow at Winter Wonderland, held outside Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Visitors watch fireworks at Winter Wonderland Kuwait, during its grand opening in Kuwait City. AFP

Workers set up a Christmas tree in Al Hatab Square, in Aleppo, northern Syrian. The city has been devastated in the country's civil war. AFP

Santa Claus attends a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

Fireworks at the lighting of a Christmas tree at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. AFP

A 18-metre Christmas tree stands at the gateway to Bnachii Lake, Zgharta district, northern Lebanon. It was made using 108,000 discarded plastic bottles. EPA

People gather round a giant Christmas tree, which was officially lit up in Byblos, Lebanon. EPA

Palestinians attend a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Gaza city, organised by the YMCA. EPA

Byblos, Lebanon. Reuters

People dress as Santa Clauses pose in front of the 17-meter-high Christmas tree, which has been officially lit up at the Ashrafieh area in Beirut, Lebanon, 07 December 2022. EPA / WAEL HAMZEH

Ashrafieh, Beirut. EPA

Festive revellers greet Santa in Sassine Square, Beirut. AFP

Fireworks illuminate Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters

Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus and Mrs Claus lead festivities in Bethlehem. Reuters

Visitors admire seasonal illuminations to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the Beirut Souks district of Lebanon's capital. EPA

Shoppers throng beneath the festive illuminations at Beirut Souks. EPA

A crowd watches a festive dance show at Beirut Souks. EPA

A woman and her child visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in Bethlehem, at the start of Advent. AP

A stall at the Christmas market in the West Bank city of Ramallah. EPA

More from The National:

Christmas gift ideas inspired by TikTok — and how to buy them in the UAE

The best of Christmas Eve meals and menus in Dubai

We drove from UAE to catch a World Cup game in Doha the same day - here is how we did it

Harry and Meghan docuseries trailer appears to use unrelated paparazzi footage