Monday-Switzerland

A refreshing alternative to the commercial side of Christmas, Klausjagen is celebrated each year in the Swiss village of Küssnacht. Surrounded by torchbearers, St Nicholas is accompanied by an ear-splitting procession where villagers crack whips, blow horns and ring bells.

Thousands of Iffelen bearing huge candlelit mitres also follow the great man through the streets.

Tuesday-Ecuador

Top matadores (bullfighters) from Peru, Latin America and Spain compete in the annual Quito Bullfighting Fair in the Plaza de Toros bullring. The matador, picadors and other figures inside the bullring all wear elegant finery from the sport’s golden age.

There is a complex secret art to the craft of the matador. Many hours of physically exhausting training and technical finesse lie behind the seamless ritual performance seen in the ring. Whatever your feelings about the sport, great skill and endless practice is involved. If you find the whole practice upsetting or unpleasant, please avoid this event.

Wednesday-Guatemala

Guatemalans empty all their rubbish onto the streets in vast heaps and set alight to it every year on 7 December. The traditional Burning the Devil Celebrations takes place on the Feast day of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.

By burning the rubbish during La Quema del Diablo, Guatemalans believe that homes and towns are being purged of evil. Men dress up as devils and are chased by local children, while Antigua’s Convent of Conception erects an effigy of Lucifer himself and sets it on fire.

Thursday-Chile

The astonishing annual pilgrimage to Valparaíso’s Virgen de lo Vásquez Sanctuary for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has thousands of devotees walking on foot and some on their knees. Exhausted, they pay homage to the Virgin with their penances.

Pilgrims line the road from Santiago to Valparaíso, that is usually closed off to cars for the day.

Friday-Ethiopia

This festival marks the return of the pilgrims from the Hajj in Mecca. It is most elaborately celebrated in the province of Harerge where the walled city of Harar is found. People drink coffee, chew Khat (a locally grown stimulant) and feast.

Saturday-Austrlia

Crowds flock to the Jenolan Caves for the rousing Carols in the Caves. The Grand Arch provides the perfect backdrop for matinee and evening performances plus a charity auction. Just remember to bring your folding chair and warm jackets or blankets.

Sunday-Tokyo

Over a million petrol heads turn out to Tokyo Big Sight for the capital’s grand Motor Show. The exhibitions feature passenger and commercial vehicles (some of which make their world premiere here) and interactive events.