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EveryParampara

Spiritual and religious

Rites, prayers, pilgrimages, fasts and sacred days.

Spiritual and religious traditions are the rites that people keep to connect with the sacred: prayers, pilgrimages, fasts, blessings, holy days and the ceremonies of temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and shrines. They are among the oldest traditions in the world and often the most deeply felt. Here they are described as those who keep them would describe them, with care for what is sacred, and without ranking one faith above another. Browse by country, faith or season to see how the same human need is met in many ways.

Worship in daily life

For many people, the spiritual life is lived at home and in small acts: a morning prayer, a lit lamp, grace before a meal, a head covered or shoes removed at a door. Shrines in the kitchen, a prayer mat, a mezuzah on the doorpost and a rosary in the pocket all belong here. The big public rites rest on this quiet daily practice, and it is often a grandmother or a parent who teaches it, by doing it every day without comment.

Sacred time and place

Every faith marks sacred time: a weekly day of rest or prayer, a month of fasting, a festival of light, a season of penitence. Each also marks sacred places, from a river bank to a mountain, a cathedral to a village shrine. Pilgrims travel to them, and the journey itself is part of the rite. Calendars differ, some tied to the moon, others to the sun, so the dates move from year to year and are listed on the EveryParampara calendar.

Meeting across faiths

People of different faiths live side by side, and many traditions overlap or borrow. Neighbours share each other's festival sweets, attend each other's weddings and join in public celebrations such as Christmas markets or Diwali fairs. EveryParampara writes about each tradition on its own terms and cites the people who keep it. Where beliefs are contested, the page says so, and sacred matters are treated with respect.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Spiritual and religious (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.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreNiqabنِقاب A face veil worn by some Muslim women, hiding all but the eyesDress 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJapanese tea ceremony茶道 (Sadō / Chadō), 茶の湯 (Chanoyu) The formal serving of powdered matcha, shaped by Zen, Shinto and wabiTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇱🇺 Echternach, LuxembourgDancing procession of EchternachIechternacher Sprangprëssioun A Roman Catholic hopping pilgrimage honouring Saint Willibrord in eastern LuxembourgSpiritual 🇮🇳 Palani, IndiaPanchamritaपञ्चामृत (Sanskrit); பஞ்சாமிர்தம் (Tamil) Five sacred foods mixed and poured over temple images in Hindu and Jain worshipSpiritual · Sweets given and shared 🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreKashrutכַּשְׁרוּת (Hebrew) The Jewish dietary laws: what may be eaten, and how it is preparedTable custom 🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaLingamliṅga The pillar-shaped image of Shiva, kept in temples and home shrinesSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreBhajanभजनम् (bhajanam) Devotional songs of South Asia, sung alone or together with drums and cymbalsPerformance 🇮🇳 IndiaMohiniyattam A gentle solo dance from Kerala, once a temple art and now taught in dance schoolsPerformance 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreSindoorसिंदूर A red powder worn in the hair parting by many married Hindu womenDress 🇮🇳 Imphal, India and 1 moreManipuri danceJagoi Raas, Raas Jagoi A classical dance from Manipur, danced as an offering to Radha and KrishnaPerformance 🇮🇳 IndiaSattriya A classical dance from Assam, kept in monasteries and performed on stages worldwidePerformance 🇮🇳 Udupi, IndiaYakshaganaಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ (Kannada) A night-long dance-drama from coastal Karnataka, with sung dialogue and drummingPerformance 🇮🇳 Palani, India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம் Tamil devotees of Murugan carry burdens as a vow during ThaipusamSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBindi A dot worn between the eyebrows, red for marriage and devotion, worn daily by many womenDress 🇮🇳 Trivandrum, IndiaKathakaliകഥകളി A classical dance-drama from Kerala featuring elaborate makeup and costumes to tell epic stories.Performance 🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaOdissiଓଡ଼ିଶୀ A classical dance of Odisha, told through bends, gestures and sung poetryPerformance 🇯🇲 JamaicaItal A Rastafari way of eating: food from the earth, kept to raise livityTable custom 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKolamகோலம் A rice-flour floor drawing made at South Indian doorsteps before sunriseCraft 🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 1 moreKathak A north Indian classical dance of stories, footwork and spins, from temples and courtsPerformance 🇮🇳 Nadia, IndiaDhunachi A Bengali incense burner, swung in worship and danced with at Durga PujaSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreRudrakshaरुद्राक्ष Seeds of the Elaeocarpus tree, worn as prayer beads by devotees of ShivaSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRangoliरंगोली Floor patterns of rice flour, sand or petals, drawn at the doorstep for festivalsCraft 🇮🇳 Kuchipudi, IndiaKuchipudi A classical dance-drama from Andhra Pradesh, with roots in temple and bhakti performance.Performance 🇮🇳 IndiaAhimsaअहिंसा A daily Indian discipline of doing no harm, in deed, word and thoughtSpiritual 🇮🇳 Varanasi, IndiaHanuman Chalisaहनुमान चालीसा A forty-stanza Awadhi hymn praising Hanuman, said by Hindus each daySpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 2 morePujaपूजा (pūjā) Hindu worship: light, flowers and food offered to a deity or a guestSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKoothu Tamil street theatre with dance, music and epic stories, staged at temple festivals.Performance 🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival 🇧🇩 BangladeshNight of Powerليلة القدر The night Muslims believe the Quran first came down, sought in Ramadan's last ten nightsSpiritual 🇱🇧 Lebanon and 2 moreAnnunciationΟ Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου A Christian feast marking the angel Gabriel's message to Mary about bearing Jesus, kept on 25 March.Festival 🇰🇪 Kenya and 5 moreBurial Placing the dead in the ground or a structure to honor them and guide their journey.Rite of passage 🇮🇱 Israel and 6 moreHoly SaturdaySabbatum Sanctum The closing day of Holy Week, a Saturday of waiting, fasting and vigil before EasterSpiritual 🇬🇷 Olympia, GreeceAncient Olympic Gamesτὰ Ὀλύμπια A quadrennial athletic festival held in ancient Greece to honor the god ZeusGame 🇲🇱 MaliWuduوضوء The Islamic ritual washing with water before prayer and sacred actsSpiritual 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBeatification A Catholic rite conferring the title Blessed and allowing local public venerationSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreNativity of Mary A Christian feast day honouring the birth of Mary, the mother of JesusSpiritual · Lunch 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalySaturnalia A December festival of ancient Rome, with feasting, gifts, gambling and role reversalSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇷 Eleusis, Greece and 1 moreEleusinian MysteriesἘλευσίνια Μυστήρια Secret annual initiations in ancient Greece dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, promising a blessed afterlife.Spiritual 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ A Hindu ritual of offering items into a sacred fire to honor deities and ancestors.Spiritual 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyBacchanalia An ancient Roman mystery festival dedicated to the god of wine and ecstasyFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDay of Arafahيوم عرفة A holy day of prayer, repentance, and vigil on the second day of the Hajj pilgrimageSpiritual 🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 moreDormition of the Mother of God A major feast in Eastern Christianity marking the death and heavenly ascent of Mary.Spiritual 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 6 moreSaint George's Day A saint's feast on 23 April, kept by churches and patron nations from England to GeorgiaSpiritual 🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreLibation The ceremonial gift of drink given to deities, ancestors, and the earthSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreVisitation A Christian feast commemorating Mary's journey to visit her cousin ElizabethSpiritual 🇩🇪 Wittenberg, Germany and 5 moreReformation Day An annual Christian observance marking the start of the Protestant ReformationSpiritual
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Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.