Christmas scenes from around the world

Catholic nuns of the Sisters of Bethlehem, some who have taken a vow of silence, pray during the Christmas mass in the Beit Jamal Monastery near Jerusalem, late Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
Men perform the traditional Bulgarian "Horo" dance in the icy winter waters of the river Tundzha in the town of Kalofer, Bulgaria some 200 km east of the capital Sofia, during the Epiphany Day celebrations on January 6, 2009. (BORYANA KATSAROVA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as he adresses the "Urbi et Orbi" message to the City and to the World at the Vatican on December 25, 2008. The Pontiff in his Christmas message warned that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough economic times for both rich and poor nations. Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on the day Christians commemorate Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, Benedict XVI declared that the "heart of the Christian message is meant for all men and women". (OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images)
A man dressed as a Krampus, traditionally the companion of St. Nicholas who might dole out punishment to bad children. One of Austria's unique Advent traditions, this man is seen as a part of a Krampus procession in the city of Unken, Austria on Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal (center) carries a statue of baby Jesus following the Christmas midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem early December 25, 2008. (REUTERS/Musa Al-Shaer/Pool)
Around 1,000 bonfires are lit up on the hills surrounding the southern village of Pottenstein on January 6, 2009. The annual festivity is celebrated traditionally on Epiphany to commemorate the Eternal Adoration. (TIMM SCHAMBERGER/AFP/Getty Images)

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