Watch thousands of people sing Christmas carols together

A 10,000-strong choir in Japan performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in the festive atmosphere of a peaceful Christmas season.

Conductor Yataka Sado said the symphony has been performed across Japan every year-end since World War I because of its easy-to-sing melody and the people's love for Beethoven.

"Hearing it at the end of the year is a way for us to remember the past year with a lively melody," Mr Sado told the BBC.

Many of the choir members are not professional singers and they have been divided into small groups to practice for months.

"Having 10,000 people singing is great, but it's not going to be great if they don't blend together. I need to make them feel like they're not just one of 10,000 people, but that each person has an important role in the choir," the conductor added.

For him, helping all members sing in unison has been a big challenge from his first years conducting the orchestra until now.

According to VNN