Romantic Christmas traditions from around the world in 12 illustrations

Kissing under the mistletoe is just one way that Christmas is used as time to reflect on love

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Around the world, Christmas celebrations enable families and friends to gather, feasts to be devoured, and for love between couples to be rekindled or to blossom.

But, as festive get-togethers vary from place to place - from Polish gatherings on Christmas Eve to Orthodox events on 7 January - so do traditions linked to romance and love.

In the UK, the practice of kissing a present or future lover under the mistletoe is a common tradition, while many people around the world will ring in the New Year by puckering up.

Illustrator Marie Muravski has collaborated with jewellers Vashi to explore the different ways that romance is expressed at Christmastime across cultures - from prophetic roosters to finding an almond in Sweden.

Worldwide

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Greece

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Czech Republic

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Finland

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Belarus

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Austria

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Sweden

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Poland

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Italy

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Greenland

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Japan

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The illustrations have been released following the publication of a survey which revealed how office workers in the UK are not immune to the lure of Christmas romance.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults by Ann Summers found that over half had kissed a colleague during the annual event, while 39 per cent admitted to sleeping with a co-worker.