It’s the most magical time of the year – for children, of course, but for adults too who are infused with the spirit of Christmas.

No doubt you and your family have developed your own traditions over the years. Our Christmas Eve ones include attending a carol service, unwrapping a ‘tree present’ each, and leaving a mince pie and brandy out for Santa, and a carrot or two for his reindeer.

Here are some more Christmas traditions from around the world. Perhaps one or two will appeal to your family too?

Hunt the pickle (America/Germany)

A tree ornament in the shape of a pickle is hidden deep in the tree once the children are in bed on Christmas Eve. In the morning, the child who finds the pickle first receives a prize from Santa.

Smash the pig (America)

Back in the 1880s, a confectioner from Saratoga Springs, New York inadvertently created a new tradition when he made some peppermint pigs. Pigs, at the time, represented good health, happiness and prosperity. Someone came up with the idea of smashing a pig with a little hammer while wishing for good fortune, and to this day families take it in turns to smash the pig, and then eat the fragments.

Hide the broom (Norway)

For centuries, Norwegians believed that witches roamed about on Christmas Eve in search of brooms to ride. Thus, there is a tradition in Norway that you must hide your broom tonight. Also, leave a bowl of porridge in your barn – a thank-you to the gnome who protects your farm.

Light a torch (Italy)

In Agnone, Italy, people are also concerned about keeping the witches at bay: as part of the Carnevale Agnonese celebration, there is a Ndocciata procession through the streets to the playing of bagpipes, whose noise, it is believed, repels the witches. Each person carries a handmade wooden torch, which is used to light the ‘bonfire of brotherhood’.

Find the almond (Finland)

Finnish families wake up on Christmas Day to a breakfast of rice porridge, often spiced with cinnamon. An almond is hidden in one of the bowls of porridge, and whoever finds this will have good luck for the year to come. (This is derived from a Swedish custom, in which whoever finds a coin in their porridge will marry within the year.)

Draw a straw (Lithuania)

In Lithuania, today is the main event of Christmas, called Kūčios. Families come together for a meal of many dishes, and an extra place is set at the table for any loved one who has passed away. The table is decorated with straw. Draw a long straw and you’ll live a long life; draw a thick one and you’ll have a prosperous life. Draw a short straw and… well, perhaps just put that one back.

Hang a web (Ukraine)

In the Ukraine it is customary to have a Christmas tree. But rather than deck it out with baubles and tinsel, the decoration of choice is silvery spider webs. The root of the tradition is an old fairy tale about a family who were so poor their tree was bare, until a kind spider spun a web over it on Christmas Eve, so that they awoke to a beautiful tree.

Light a candle in the window (Ireland)
The candle represents hospitality for Mary and Joseph as they seek lodgings for the night (historically, people would also leave the door unlatched so that they could freely come in). The ‘laden table’ is set with a loaf of bread and milk for the weary travellers.

Order KFC (Japan)

Yes, really! Thanks to a very successful advertising campaign in the 1970s, in which KFC promoted fried chicken as the ultimate Christmas feast, many Japanese get takeaway chicken for their Christmas Day meal. Orders are taken as early as October, and it’s not uncommon to see queues of people snaking around blocks from a KFC restaurant.

Get your skates on (Venezuela)

And finally, perhaps the oddest – but most fun – tradition of all. In Caracas, the largest city of Venezuela, people attend early-morning mass in the run-up to Christmas. Not on foot, though – on skates! The rollerskate tradition has become so popular that the city authorities now close roads to traffic until eight a.m. Children tie string to their toes and dangle it out of the window, and the passing skaters give the string a tug to wake them up.