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PBS News Hour - Segments

A look at Christmas festivities and traditions around the world

PBS News Hour - Segments

PBS NewsHour

News, Daily News

4.11K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2025

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From twinkling Christmas markets across Europe to vibrant displays of poinsettia in Mexico City, the Christmas spirit takes many forms. John Yang takes a look at how Christians around the world are celebrating the season. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0

And before we go tonight on this Christmas week, we want to take a look at how Christians around the world are celebrating the season.

0:08.0

Across Europe, there are Christmas markets filled with gift stalls, hot drinks, and twinkling lights.

0:16.0

In Mexico City, vibrant displays of Poinsettia. The plant's association with Christmas is said to have originated with a Mexican legend.

0:26.6

Around the world, Christmas spirit takes many forms.

0:31.6

Some Christmas trees are celebrities.

0:33.6

New York City's iconic Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree, Chicago's official tree in Millennium Park.

0:40.3

And in Washington, D.C., the capital Christmas tree, or People's Tree, cut each year from a national forest, a gift from the people to the people.

0:51.3

This year's came from Nevada's Humboldt Toyabee National Forest.

0:57.0

And not all Christmas trees are natural. An environmentalist in Ghana used hundreds of plastic bottles to build a glowing tree.

1:07.0

Intricate and elaborate nativity scenes are on display in Krakow, Poland, which holds an annual competition.

1:14.6

I've been working on this larger nativity scene for practically a year, well, 10 months, so a year.

1:21.6

In this crash, it's not exactly a stable where Jesus is born.

1:26.6

All nativity scenes depict Jesus as scrap not exactly a stable where Jesus is born.

1:34.2

All nativity scenes depict Jesus as scripture dictates, born in humble circumstances.

1:40.2

The crackout nativity scene, however, differs from all of them, and that Christ is born in a palace.

1:47.0

But it's not a real palace, it's a fantasy palace, fabricated completely in the minds of the nativity scene makers.

1:56.0

These palaces depict the Holy Family, married Joseph and the baby Jesus in a manger. Some Polish nativities include a Vival dragon, a legendary beast from Polish mythology.

2:03.6

An altogether different material is used in Spain's Canary Islands.

2:08.6

Artists from around the world carved detailed nativity scenes into the sands of Las Canteris Beach.

2:14.6

We had a super strong storm with a lot of wind and water.

2:20.3

We face several problems, which makes it all the more commendable.

2:24.3

During the Christmas holidays, more than 200,000 people are expected to view these scenes

...

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