Whether you are celebrating Christmas, New Year's, Hanukkah or any other winter solstice holiday, there are sure to be a few familial or cultural traditions to go along with it — none more satisfying than those that include food. Here are a few rituals celebrated around the world during the holidays that have had real staying power.

Making traditional Christmas pudding is a labor-intensive process that involves soaking the fruit, steaming and lots of stirring. "Stir-up Sunday" dates back to the Victorian era and is celebrated on the last Sunday before the start of the advent. Family members come together to stir the pudding, making a silent wish on his or her turn. Often, a coin is added to the pudding, promising good luck to the person who finds it at Christmas dinner.

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In the United States, we associate oysters with decadence. But in France, they're a holiday staple. Oysters are at their best during the winter months, and no table in France would be complete without them. In fact, nearly half of all the oysters produced in France each year are eaten between Christmas and New Year's.

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The origin of Santa's lumps of coal for naughty children may have come from this Italian tradition. On the eve of Epiphany each year, La Befana, a magical old woman, fills the socks of well-behaved children with candy and baked goods. Naughty kids are treated to a lump of coal, a ritual that has morphed into filling kids' socks with a coal-like candy called carbone.

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This relatively new holiday tradition in Japan began with a clever 1974 advertising campaign by Kentucky Fried Chicken extolling "Kentucky for Christmas." Curiously, in a country where more than 90 percent of the population is not Christian and does not celebrate Christmas, this tradition stuck. Lines to purchase the festively packaged Christmas chicken bucket, which today includes champagne and cake, can be hours long, so many savvy patrons preorder their dinners months in advance.

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The night before Christmas Eve is a time to spend with friends and family, gear up for the coming holiday and celebrate at the Night of the Radishes festival, right? This popular tradition, which displays oversize radishes carved into Christmas figurines and scenes began in Oaxaca City in the mid-18th century as a way to attract people to the local Christmas Market. The quirky tradition was formalized into a festival in 1897 that is held each year on Dec. 23.

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This New Year's, make sure you have your lucky grapes ready when the clock strikes midnight. For Spaniards, it's a test of will and determination that occurs annually on New Year's Eve. Eat all 12 grapes (one for each month) before the clock stops chiming and superstition says you will have a lucky year ahead. Superstitions aside, who wouldn't want to start the new year off with an eating contest?

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Who is Jansson? It's not quite clear, but we certainly understand the temptation of this rich potato casserole, usually made with spiced anchovies (or pickled sprats), onions and cream. As a staple at the julbord, Sweden's traditional Christmas smorgasbord, this rich dish is something to celebrate.

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