Austria - Christmas Around The World - Pictures

A Christmas tree vendor prepares a Tannenbaum for sale, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004, in Vienna's
shopping street Graben. Historians say the Tannenbaum dates to the Druids of northern Europe,
who lived several centuries before Christ and used pine boughs to mark the winter solstice.
People walk in a Carnival Park for Christmas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004, in Mexico City.
Nine-year-old Jason Zhan holds the hand of his 4-year-old sister Linda as the two admire an igloo
made of Christmas lights at City Hall Square in Windsor, Ont., Saturday, Dec.18, 2004. The siblings
were out with family members enjoying the festive display.
Credit: AP
An Emirates man walks in front of a decorated Christmas tree at the reception area of Emirates
Towers office building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004.
A fish seller holds a live carp at a market in central Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004. Carp
is the traditional high point of the Christmas Eve dinner in Poland, but activists are trying to stamp
out the practice which they condemn as cruel.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
A Greek orthodox priest walks inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of
Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004. The Church of the Nativity is the site where many Christians
traditionally believe Jesus Christ was born.
Lion cub Johari holds a Christmas treat with one paw while investigating the unfamiliar smells and
objects in his domain at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004.
Dressed in Santa Claus outfits, a monkey and trainer try to raise more donations by ringing bells at a
department store in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004. The donations will be used to help orphans
and other needy people who are suffering in the stagnant economy in South Korea.
Credit: AP
An Iraqi boy carries a small Christmas tree in central Baghdad Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004. Some
800,000 Christians live in Iraq.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
People dressed as Santa Claus stroll along a street in Porto, northern Portugal, during a Santa Claus
march, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004. More than 5,000 people dressed as Father Christmas marched in the
Portuguese city.
Credit: AP
A couple with their child walk near a Christmas tree at Kotzia square in cental Athens on
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004. The city of Athens has planned a series of festivities for the Christmas
and New Year's Eve holidays, including the launching of 2005 fireworks over the ancient Acropolis.
Credit: AP
A polar bear stands up as a zoo keeper dressed like a Santa Claus displays a salmon at the Ueno Zoo
in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004. The whole salmon is a special Christmas treat for the residents of
the zoo.
A composite photo of the Christmas straw goat, torched by vandals in Gaevle, central Sweden,
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004. The goat, erected by local merchants for Christmas, has only made it
through the holiday season 10 times without being burned since 1966.
Chinese workers set up a metal structure for a giant Christmas tree in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec.
21, 2004. Christmas, while not traditionally celebrated, is gaining popularity in the Communist
country with retailers capitalizing on the holiday spirit to boost their end-of-year sales.
Credit: AP
An Indonesian police officer guards the perimeter of Jakarta's main Ccthedral, Thursday, Dec. 23,
2004. Indonesian police are undertaking a massive security operation at churches, malls and hotels
amid warnings that Islamic terrorists are planning Christmas attacks in the world's most populous
Muslim nation.
Pope John Paul II exchanges Christmas greeting with members of the Roman Curia during an
audience in the Clementine hall at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004. The pontiff, alluding to his
own difficulties with aging, said that each passing year brings a stronger need for help from God.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Two unidentified brothers cry as they are photographed with Santa Claus at Carlton Center in
Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, Dec. 20, 2004.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
A public bus company driver Li Sun-ta dressed as Santa Claus stops for a passenger on his route,
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004, in Taipei, Taiwan. Taipei's Capital Bus Company has a tradition of dressing
its drivers in the jolly St. Nick outfit in hopes of bringing Yuletide cheer to passengers in the days
before Dec. 25.