Festivals and celebrations

The days a community stops, gathers and celebrates.

Festivals and celebrations are the days when a community stops its work, dresses up, eats together and makes noise. They may mark a season, a saint, a victory or just the pleasure of being together. From Carnival and Holi to Songkran and Oktoberfest, they show a place at its most generous and expressive. Many have religious roots, others are civic or seasonal, and a good number began as local fairs and grew famous. This page lists them by country, month and meaning, with notes on food, costume and music.

What makes a festival

Most festivals share a few features: a set date, a procession or gathering, special food, music and dance, a costume or colour, and an element of play. Some invert the usual order, letting servants command and the young tease the old, as at Carnival and Purim. Others are solemn, with lamps, silence or fasting. Whatever the tone, a festival gives people a shared memory, and the preparations, from cooking to costume making, are part of the pleasure.

Local and global

A festival that began in one village may now draw millions, and migrants carry festivals to new countries, where they take on new forms. Diwali is celebrated in London and Singapore, St Patrick's Day in Buenos Aires and Tokyo, Lunar New Year in Sydney and New York. At the same time, many small local festivals survive, and EveryParampara records these too, because a village fair is as much a part of the world's heritage as a great carnival.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Festivals and celebrations (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame

🇬🇧 Atherstone, United KingdomAtherstone Ball Game An annual medieval football match played in Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday to honour a 12th-century victory.Game

🇭🇺 Miskolc, HungaryKocsonya FestivalKocsonyafesztivál An annual winter food and culture festival held in Miskolc, HungaryFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇫🇷 FranceBreton costume The traditional folk dress and lace headdresses worn for festivals across BrittanyDress

🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreOkpu Aguokpu agụ A knitted wool cap from southeastern Nigeria, historically worn by warriors to display status and now used in ceremoniesDress 🇯🇲 Kingston, JamaicaJamaica Independence Festival An August festival of music, pageantry and parades marking Jamaican freedomCeremony 🇮🇳 IndiaDhundhढुन्ढ A Hindu ritual in Rajasthan where infants are symbolically married to Holika on Holi to ward off mischief.Festival

🇮🇳 Palani, India and 1 moreSurasamharamSūrasaṃhāram A temple performance of Murugan's victory, ending the week-long Kanda Shashti fastSpiritual

🇬🇧 York, United KingdomYorkshire Day A yearly civic observance on 1 August to honour the historic county of Yorkshire and its people.Festival 🇬🇧 United KingdomLincolnshire Day An annual county day on 1 October honouring the history and culture of LincolnshireCeremony

🇬🇧 Sheffield, United KingdomOld Tup A midwinter folk drama with a ram disguise from the English East MidlandsFolklore 🇹🇼 TaiwanSimple Life Festival簡單生活節 A biennial cultural gathering in Taiwan featuring live music, markets and craftsFestival

🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaSpartakiad of the Peoples of the USSRСпартакиада народов СССР A massive multi-sport festival that brought together Soviet republics every four yearsGame 🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, IsraelLethal Lesbianלסבית קטלנית An annual film festival in Tel Aviv dedicated to cinema by and about lesbian women.Festival

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePurim costume The Jewish custom of wearing masks and disguises during the festival of PurimDress

🇹🇳 La Goulette, TunisiaOur Lady of Trapani procession (Tunis) A Catholic festival in La Goulette honoring the Virgin Mary, once shared by Christians and Muslims.Festival

🇧🇪 BelgiumMarches of Entre-Sambre-et-MeuseMarches de l'Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse Folk processions with armed escorts in Belgian villages, kept from May to OctoberSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇲🇹 MaltaFestival Kanzunetta IndipendenzaKonkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza An annual music contest in Malta celebrating native songwriting around Independence DayPerformance

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaPadusan A Javanese purification bath kept by the Abangan community before Ramadan begins.Spiritual

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreIslamic marital practices Islamic wedding customs, from matchmaking and mahr to the nikah contract and walima feast.Rite of passage

🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram, IndiaPongala A harvest offering of sweet rice porridge prepared by millions of women in South IndiaFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or عرس A series of ceremonies marking marriage in Arab culture, blending religious rites with regional customs.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇪🇬 Alexandria, EgyptSerapia A Roman state feast for the god Serapis, kept on 25 April in Egypt and at RomeSpiritual 🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaMużika Mużika A national song competition in Malta that selects artists for the Eurovision contest and celebrates Maltese music.Performance

🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarSavika Traditional Betsileo zebu wrestling and courtship rite in MadagascarGame

🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint Thomas Aquinas An annual Christian feast day honouring the medieval theologian Saint Thomas AquinasSpiritual

🇺🇸 Buffalo, United States and 1 moreTurkey trot A holiday footrace, often run in turkey costume and usually for charityFestival

🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaAgeraआगेरा Mumbai's East Indian Catholics give thanks for the harvest on the first Sunday of OctoberFestival

🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 moreMass of the Lord's Supper An evening liturgy marking the start of the Easter Triduum and recalling Jesus' final meal with his followers.Spiritual

🇦🇷 Villa General Belgrano, ArgentinaNational Beer Festival An annual Bavarian-style folk and beer gathering in Villa General Belgrano, Argentina.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 Khatushyam, IndiaPhalguna Mela A temple fair before Holi, kept with flags, bhajans and shared foodSpiritual

🇮🇳 Chabbi (Chebbi), IndiaChabbi Ganapathi A three-day Ganesha festival kept by seven households in a Karnataka village since 1827Festival 🇸🇰 SlovakiaJasličkári A Slovak Christmas custom of young men acting out the Nativity from house to houseFestival

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMadhushravaniमधुश्रावणी A fifteen-day Mithila festival of fasting, worship and song for newly married bridesSpiritual 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreDay of Salvation and Liberationיום השחרור וההצלה A Jewish holiday on the 26th of Iyar to thank God for saving Jews from Nazi annihilation.Festival 🇮🇱 IsraelShabbatonשבתון A Jewish communal retreat or educational program centered on ShabbatSpiritual 🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreSaint Knut's DayTjugondag Knut A Nordic holiday marking the twentieth and final day of Christmas each JanuarySeasonal · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇹 Avezzano, ItalyFeast of the Madonna di PietraquariaMadonna di Pietraquaria A three-day spring festival in Avezzano marked by neighborhood bonfires, a street fair, and a mountain-to-city processioFestival

🇲🇰 Skopje, North MacedoniaAnother Story FestivalДруга приказна An annual literary festival in Skopje celebrating short fiction, activism, and diverse voices.Festival

🇵🇭 PhilippinesBuklog A thanksgiving ritual of the Subanen people in the Philippines, honoring spirits through offerings and dance.Spiritual 🇧🇿 BelizeSeptember Celebrations Belize's two national holidays, eleven days apart, marked by parades and CarnivalCeremony

🇵🇾 Ypacaraí, Paraguay and 5 moreFestival of the Lake YpacaraíFestival del Lago Ypacaraí A Paraguayan folk festival celebrating national music, dance and poetry at the shores of Lake Ypacaraí.Festival

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSaint Nicholas Boots out on 6 December: sweets for good children, a switch for the restFestival · Sweets given and shared 🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumKunstenfestivaldesarts An annual May arts festival in Brussels, with theatre, dance, film and visual artPerformance

🇺🇸 Oklahoma City, United StatesRed Earth Festival A June gathering in Oklahoma for Native American art, dance and marketsFestival

🇧🇪 Oostduinkerke, BelgiumShrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke Fishers ride draft horses into the sea at Oostduinkerke to net brown shrimpCraft

🇬🇧 Chipping Campden, United KingdomCotswold Olimpick Games Races, wrestling and shin-kicking on a Cotswold hillside, held since about 1612Game

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
Mass of the Lord's Supper: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Serapia: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
Pongala: Sreeraj Krishna, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Padusan: Muhammad Khafidz Riza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Our Lady of Trapani procession (Tunis): IssamBarhoumi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Yorkshire Day: Buttons0603, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cotswold Olimpick Games: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Shrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke: Roosde, CC BY 4.0, source
Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
Festival of the Lake Ypacaraí: Level4, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Another Story Festival: Vancho Dzambaski, CC0, source
Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR: Scanning Dmitry Makeev , scan date - 2020 year., Public domain, source
Atherstone Ball Game: Adrian Roebuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Breton costume: XIIIfromTOKYO, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Swiss traditional costume: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Okpu Agu: Justice kelechi achinefu, CC0, source
Old Tup: Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse: Hoebele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Islamic marital practices: Saddam19, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Savika: Obiniaina RANDRIANADRASANA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Turkey trot: "A. A. Brack, S. A. Texas" ("S. A." = San Antonio?)., Public domain, source
Agera: Tiven Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
National Beer Festival: Jmmuguerza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chabbi Ganapathi: Reema Jalihal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Madhushravani: Monika Jha, CC0, source
Feast of the Madonna di Pietraquaria: Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Buklog: Theglennpalacio, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Nicholas: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, source
Red Earth Festival: Red Earth Festival, CC BY 2.0, source
Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Purim costume: Flavio~, CC BY 2.0, source