In Photos: A tableau celebrating the birth of Christ 

A figure of baby Jesus is being carried to be placed at a Nativity scene ahead of the Christmas celebration in Kolkata, India, on December 23, 2024.

A contestant presents his Nativity creation at the 82nd Nativity Scene Contest, which was first organised in 1937 and was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018. The contest was held on December 5, 2024, in Krakow, Poland.

A nun kneels next to a 14-pointed silver star, believed to be the exact spot where Jesus Christ was born, at the grotto in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, on December 17, 2024.

People look at the Neapolitan Nativity scene, organised by Patrimonio Nacional, at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, on December 12, 2024. The scene, made up of 223 figures, incorporates emblematic details such as the fountains of the Low Dragons, the Baths of Diana and the labyrinth designed by Dezallier d'Argenville.

The facade of the Real Monasterio de la Encarnacion in Madrid, Spain, is illuminated with a projected image of a monumental Nativity scene from the art masterpiece ‘Sacramento’, on December 19, 2024.

'Lagoon Nativity', a floating scene, is seen on the surface of Cavallino-Treporti, a long, rich peninsula between Venice and Jesolo in Italy, on December 21, 2024.

Divers place the traditional Christmas Nativity scene in the shark tank of Madrid Zoo’s aquarium as part of the Christmas celebrations on December 17, 2024.

Baby Christ lies on a keffiyeh scarf gifted by the Palestinian Higher Committee of Churches Affairs, as part of the 'Nativity of Bethlehem 2024' in the Paul VI Hall at St Peter’s Square, Vatican, on December 7, 2024.

A contestant presents a handcrafted Nativity scene with toy-like characters at Krakow's Main Square during the 82nd Nativity Scene Contest on December 5, 2024, in Poland.

A view of the sand sculpture, titled, ‘Unconditional Help’, by Belgian sculptor Enguerrand David as a part of Jesolo seaside resort’s sand Nativity scene on December 10, 2024, in Venice, Italy.

The residents of the municipality of A Veiga create a Christmas Nativity scene with hand-carved wood, combining tradition and creativity, in Galicia, Spain on December 21, 2024.

A view of the largest sand Nativity scene in Deggendorf, Germany, created by hand with almost 30 tons of sand by Jirí Kapar on December 1, 2024.

Amateur actors in stage costumes perform during a live Nativity scene at an underground cave in Postojna, Slovenia, on December 19, 2024. The 18 biblical scenes take place along a 5 km trail through the Karst cave.

A Nativity scene made of twenty-two life-size statues, made of wood, terracotta and papier-mâché, created by Mario Agrestini and his son Marco, displayed inside the Basilica della Salute in Venice, Italy, on December 9, 2024. This is the largest Nativity scene in Europe.

Over 60 Nnativity scenes, like the one above, line a two-kilometre circular route in the forest at the foot of the Dünsberg on the Fellingshausen Nativity Scene Trail in Biebertal, Germany, December 23, 2024.

People mill around Nativity figures carved from poplar wood by the master woodworker Anton Lubii, who is currently serving in the military, at Lviv, Ukraine on December 20, 2024.

A Nativity scene is covered in snow following a winter storm in Watertown’s Public Square on December 4, 2024, in New York.

A lit Nativity scene, presented early in October, spreads warmth in Celebration, a master-planned community with friendly residents in Florida, US.

A distinct architectural facade frames a Nativity scene installed in the Andalusian Parliament on the occasion of Christmas, in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, December 4, 2024.

Ahead of Christmas celebrations, children toy with figures at the Nativity scene displayed outside a church in Hyderabad on December 19, 2024.