Students at universities and colleges are taking exams in the coming weeks, and it'll soon be time for their graduation ceremonies, with proud families looking on as they receive their degrees and look forward to their chosen career.

However, it's not all just about the medieval tradition of wearing a gown - spare a thought for those graduates who will participate in some of the more slightly more unusual traditions around the world ...

In Cambridge, the ceremony is conducted in Latin, with groups of students holding a finger of a "praelector", who tows them to receive their degree. in Scotland, John Knox, who founded the presbyterian church, appears to have donated his trousers for use in the graduation ceremonies at Edinburgh and St Andrews, where graduates are touched on the head with a cloth purportedly made from his breeches!

Over in the US, Yale graduates rub the toe of the statue of former university president Theodore Woolsey for luck, based on his support for the sailing team - Yale would win if he pushed the boat off with his left foot. At Wellesley College, the graduate who won the race to bowl wooden hoops down the street is deemed to be destined for success. At Williams College, watches are thrown from the top of the Thompson Chapel to symbolise the passage of time.

Doctoral students in Finland wear a hat and sword, while fancy dress is the order of the day at the Kanazawa College of Art in Japan. However, nothing compares to the "trashing" of graduates in Argentina and Italy, with the graduates being covered in cream, sauce and alcohol as part of the celebration!

A rather more refined way to commemorate someone's graduation would be with one of our graduation gifts - coasters in natural slate or sustainably sourced wood, or a mug. We have a wide choice of professions and occupations, and can even make one especially for you if we've not already got their chosen career covered!

 #craftingthoughtfulsurprises