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.

🇬🇧 Goodwood, United KingdomGoodwood Festival of Speed A yearly British motorsport festival where cars and bikes race up a hill in West SussexFestival

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια A barefoot firewalking and dance rite honouring Saint Constantine and Saint HelenSpiritual

🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreTranslation of relicsTranslatio The ceremonial transfer of holy remains or relics to a new church or shrineSpiritual

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCavalcade of Magi A parade of the Three Magi through town on Epiphany Eve, with sweets thrown to the crowdFestival

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKoledariколядники A Slavic winter caroling custom of visiting homes with songs, masks and blessingsFestival

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVinalia Ancient Roman festivals honoring Jupiter and Venus with wine libations to bless the harvest and ensure good weather.Festival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreKing's Official Birthday A day when Commonwealth realms mark the monarch's birthday, seldom the real dateCeremony 🇮🇹 ItalyConsualia Ancient Roman harvest festivals honoring the god of stored grain with chariot races and decorated draft animals.Festival

🇦🇱 Albania and 5 moreDodolaДодoла / Dodola A Balkan rainmaking ritual where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summer showers.Festival

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 8 moreSaint Joseph's Day A 19 March feast honouring Jesus' earthly father, kept with altars and processionsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇫🇷 FranceLa soule A rough medieval ball game from Normandy and Picardy played between parishes on religious holidays.Game 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyMegalesiaMegalenses Ludi An ancient Roman spring festival of theatrical plays, races and feasts for CybeleFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇹 Italy and 6 morePatronal festivalFiesta patronal A town's yearly feast for its patron saint, with processions, a fair and shared foodFestival 🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic National DayÞjóðhátíðardagurinn Iceland's national day, 17 June, marking the founding of the republic in 1944Ceremony 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSweden Finns' Dayruotsinsuomalaisten päivä (Finnish); sverigefinnarnas dag (Swedish) An annual day in Sweden for the Sweden Finns, their language and their historyFestival

🇲🇨 MonacoInternational Circus Festival of Monte-CarloFestival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo A January circus competition in Monaco, with Clown statuettes for the finest actsFestival

🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreRosalia An ancient Roman festival of decorating graves, statues, and standards with fresh flowersSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyEquirria Two ancient Roman festivals of horse and chariot racing held in honor of Mars.Festival

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSaint Sylvester's Day A Christian feast day and year-end celebration marked across Europe and beyondSeasonal · Dinner

🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRemembrance Day of the Latvian LegionnairesLeģionāru piemiņas diena An annual observance in Latvia honoring soldiers from the Latvian Legion who fought during World War II.Festival

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 10 moreEgg decorating Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria and 8 moreDay of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and CultureДен на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост Bulgaria's public holiday for its alphabet, schools and culture, kept each 24 MayFestival

🇧🇬 BulgariaJuly Morning A Bulgarian summer gathering where crowds watch the first sunrise of July with music and song.Festival

🇷🇺 Chukaly, RussiaRas'ken' OzksРаськень Озкс A triennial gathering and ancestral prayer ritual of the Erzya people in MordoviaSpiritual

🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIndependence Day of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDan nezavisnosti A public holiday on 1 March marking the 1992 vote for independenceCeremony

🇮🇹 ItalyMeditrinalia An ancient Roman festival on October 11 to bless the new wine harvest with libations.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 5 moreRomanian Language DayZiua Limbii Române A single day, 31 August, given to the Romanian language in three countriesCeremony 🇮🇪 Galway, IrelandSeachtain na Gaeilge Seventeen days of Irish-language events, from 1 March to St Patrick's DayFestival

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreBiikebrennenBiikebrånen Fires lit at sunset on 21 February to send winter away in North FrisiaFestival

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreDelphic Games of the modern era Global competitions and exhibitions across the arts, modelled on ancient Greek gamesPerformance 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVolturnalia An ancient Roman festival honouring the water deity Volturnus and his daughter JuturnaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreTurońTuroń (Polish), Turoň (Slovak) A shaggy horned beast led from house to house by carol singers at carnival timeFolklore 🇬🇷 Amyclae, GreeceHyacinthiaὙακίνθια A three-day ancient Spartan festival marking the death and rebirth of HyacinthusFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇸 IcelandFirst Day of Summersumardagurinn fyrsti Iceland's holiday on the first Thursday after 18 April, opening the old calendar's summerSeasonal 🇮🇹 ItalyDivalia A Roman festival held on December 21 to honor the goddess Angerona.Festival

🇧🇪 Ghent, BelgiumGentse Feesten Ten days of free music, theatre and street performance across central Ghent every JulyFestival

🇬🇷 Thebes, GreeceDaphnephoria A nine-year festival in ancient Thebes featuring a laurel-bearer procession for Apollo.Festival

🇨🇭 SwitzerlandChalandamarz A bell-ringing march on the first of March that sends winter out of the Grisons valleysSeasonal

🇧🇪 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumKrakelingen and Tonnekensbrand A bread throw and a hilltop bonfire that close the winter in GeraardsbergenFestival 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival 🇬🇷 Orchomenus, GreeceAgrionia An ancient Greek nocturnal festival dedicated to Dionysus AgrioniusSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreAberri Eguna An annual Basque nationalist gathering held on Easter Sunday to celebrate national identity and culture.Festival 🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual

🇧🇦 Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 moreMedjugorje International Youth Festival A six-day August gathering of Catholic youth in Medjugorje, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFestival

Photo credits on this page

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

Vinalia: JPS68 via photoshop, Public domain, source
Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Aberri Eguna: Fondo Marín. Pascual Marín, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ras'ken' Ozks: Erzianj jurnalist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Medjugorje International Youth Festival: Piotr Frydecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cavalcade of Magi: Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, source
Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smooth O, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Romanian Language Day: Razvan Socol, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
First Day of Summer: ArniGael, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Remembrance Day of the Latvian Legionnaires: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0, source
Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
Gentse Feesten: Gordito1869, CC BY 3.0, source
King's Official Birthday: City of Toronto, Public domain, source
Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Translation of relics: User:Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dodola: Andrey Shishkin, CC BY 3.0, source
Koledari: Mikhail Germashev, Public domain, source
La soule: Unknown author Unknown author illustrator (based on a sketch by M.J.L., Public domain, source
Daphnephoria: Frederic Leighton, Public domain, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
Meditrinalia: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Chalandamarz: Claudio Schneider, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Biikebrennen: Borstenpinsel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo: GeorgePrikkel, Public domain, source
Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand: Jan Coppens at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
July Morning: Sumto, Public domain, source
Rosalia: Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Public domain, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Patronal festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Sylvester's Day: Unknown medieval artist in Rome, Public domain, source
Goodwood Festival of Speed: Bruno Postle, CC BY-SA 2.0, source