Serbian Orthodox patriarch leads Christmas Eve Mass

Thousands of worshippers gathered inside and outside Belgrade's St Sava Temple on Friday for Christmas Eve midnight Mass. The liturgy was led by the Serbian Orthodox Church's Patriarch Porfirije.

The Orthodox Church observes Christmas on 7 January, because it retained the Julian calendar for its liturgical schedule, while other branches of the Christian church follow the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1500.