Decorated churches, chapels and Christmas trees make for a magical sight, don’t they? They certainly help spread the Yuletide cheer and give shutterbugs a chance to click spectacular frames. Here, we bring to you some of the shots of Christmas celebrations from across the world...
MAGICAL ILLUMINATION
There is a certain charm in celebrating Christmas in Kolkata. The Park Street area looks ethereal with all the Christmas decorations, light shows, humongous statue of Santa and colossal Christmas tree. It resembles streets of New York.
“Four years ago, in 2013, the charm of the Christmas tree was unmatched; colourful lights illuminated the area and had me completely mesmerised. I spent hours looking at those lights and captured some shots of the tree. The tree, which was some 20 feet tall, radiated its beauty around. I have travelled around the country, but the memory of this Christmas tree remains deeply etched in my mind,” shares Aroop Sarkar.
— Aroop Sarkar, student and photographer, Assam
FULL OF COLOUR
The St Basil’s Cathedral is located at the Southern end of the Red Square, in Moscow, Russia. The awesome multi-coloured onion domes, patterns and shapes are the culmination of a style that is unique to Russian architecture. “The photo was taken during my first visit to Russia. Although we reached Moscow in the evening, after flying for more than 10 hours from Hong Kong, we decided to visit it at night, before calling it a day. We wanted to take pictures of the cathedral with lighting effects. As expected, we captured some attractive and beautiful photos. I used my camera phone besides the DSLR. My camera phone comes with super wide angle lenses for instant sharing through Instagram,” quips Verity Shum.
— Verity Shum, landscape, nature and travel photography lover, Hong Kong
MAJESTIC BEAUTY
Mount Mary’s Church in Bandra, even when it’s not decked up with lights, impresses with its majestic beauty. During 2011 Christmas, the chapel was lit up in red and pink, and looked magical.
“I managed to get a great shot amidst all the celebrations and merrymaking. The cross at the top, with a huge Christmas tree in the backdrop, and the statues of Mother Mary and Jesus captured in the shot in two different lights, makes the picture very beautiful,” says Lucky Thapa.
“Every year, I make sure that I visit the church and click some good shots for my blog and share on my social media handles,” he adds.
— Lucky Thapa, Goa, student and photographer
WINTER WONDERLAND
Christmas came in early for the Windsor residents in Canada! The parcels filled with holiday displays, lights and decor began arriving in mid-November to transform Jackson Park into a $1.5 million ‘winter wonderland’.
Whether there’s snow or not, the city’s civic authorities have planned to revamp the Queen Elizabeth Sunken Gardens with flashy, festive props including a massive Christmas tree in the central fountain, equipped with programmable lights.
— Ankita Biswas, research assistant at University of Windsor and photography enthusiast, Canada
