In Ethiopia, crowds gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ while Egypt’s Coptic Christians also went to church to mark the feast day. Egypt borders Gaza, which has been the scene of fighting since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Ethiopian pilgrims pray during a mass for Ethiopian Christmas (AP)Ethiopian priests offer prays (AP)Orthodox communities also celebrated in Lithuania and Serbia. There had been muted celebrations in December when western Christian traditions held their festivities, with the conflict in Gaza casting a long shadow. Orthodox priests walk outside the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem in the West Bank (Mahmoud Illean/AP)
