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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
🇮🇳 Chidambaram, India and 1 moreThiruvathira A Hindu festival celebrating Shiva's cosmic dance, observed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala with fasting, processions, and dancFestival 🇬🇭 Cape Coast, GhanaFetu Afahye A harvest festival of cleansing, boat races and royal durbars in Cape Coast, GhanaFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇸🇿 Ludzidzini, EswatiniIncwala The national kingship and first-fruits ritual of Eswatini, held at the summer solsticeCeremony · Feasts and festival meals 🇵🇭 Kalibo, PhilippinesAti-Atihan A week of drumbeats, street dancing, and devotion to the Infant Jesus in AklanFestival 🇳🇬 Lagos, NigeriaEyo FestivalAdamu Orisha Play A Yoruba masquerade procession honouring departed leaders and royalty in LagosFestival 🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic) A couple's promise made with joined or bound hands, kept from betrothal to weddingRite of passage 🇬🇭 Akropong, GhanaOdwira Festival An annual harvest and purification festival celebrated by the Akuapem in GhanaFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇲 Douala, CameroonNgondo An annual coastal water festival celebrated by the Sawa people in CameroonFestival 🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan A short communal meal on Java where neighbours share food, prayer and a wish for peaceSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreWangala A post-harvest thanksgiving festival of drums, dance and song among the Garo peopleFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaAmbubachi Melaঅম্বুবাচী মেলা An annual gathering at Kamakhya Temple marking the earth's seasonal fertility.Spiritual 🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 3 moreSango Festival An annual Yoruba gathering in Nigeria honoring the deity of thunder and lightningFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 Odumase Krobo, GhanaDipo An annual Ghanaian coming-of-age ceremony welcoming Krobo girls into womanhoodRite of passage 🇬🇭 Kumasi, GhanaAkwasidae Festival A Sunday gathering of the Ashanti people to honour ancestors and the kingSpiritual 🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo New Yam FestivalIri ji A harvest thanksgiving and feast marking the first yam crop among the Igbo of NigeriaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaSekatenꦱꦼꦏꦠꦺꦤ꧀ A week-long Javanese royal festival and market honouring the birth of the ProphetFestival 🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ A Bengali pre-wedding ceremony where turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groomRite of passage 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLangarਲੰਗਰ The free kitchen at a gurdwara, where all sit and eat together as equalsTable custom 🇨🇳 Lhasa, China and 5 moreButter teaབོད་ཇ་ A salted tea churned with yak butter, served to guests across the HimalayaTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 IndiaSarhul A spring new year festival honoring nature and Sal blossoms across JharkhandSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇧🇴 La Paz, Bolivia and 1 moreAlasitasFeria de la Alasita A month-long Bolivian fair where people exchange miniatures to invite good fortuneFestival 🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaNabakalebaraନବ କଳେବର (Navakalevara) A rare ritual in Puri where the wooden idols of four Hindu deities are replaced with new carvings every twelve to nineteSpiritual 🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 2 morePehlwani A traditional discipline of clay-pit wrestling across the Indian subcontinent.Game 🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreSufi whirling A Sufi meditation in which dervishes spin in circles to turn toward GodSpiritual 🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaVallam Kalivaḷḷaṃ kaḷi A traditional canoe racing festival held across the waters of Kerala during OnamGame 🇲🇲 Yangon, Myanmar and 1 moreShinbyuရှင်ပြု A Burmese Buddhist rite in which a boy goes forth as a novice monk, often at New YearRite of passage 🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 5 moreNativity Fast A forty-day Christian period of abstinence and prayer observed in preparation for Christmas.Spiritual 🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyFesta del RedentoreFesta del Redentor Venice's July festival of fireworks over the water, kept in thanks for the plague's endFestival 🇮🇳 IndiaGanga Dussehra A ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earthSpiritual 🇮🇳 Barsana, IndiaLathmar Holi A playful spring festival in two Uttar Pradesh towns where women strike men with sticks to reenact a divine legend.Festival 🇮🇳 IndiaKoodiyattamകൂടിയാട്ടം An ancient Sanskrit temple drama and dance tradition from Kerala, IndiaPerformance 🇮🇳 Ahmedabad, India and 1 moreGarbaगर्भ A Gujarati circle dance performed around a sacred flame during the festival of NavratriPerformance 🇮🇸 Iceland and 2 moreYuleġēol (Old English); jól (Old Norse) The Germanic midwinter festival that Christmas grew out of, kept today by HeathensSpiritual 🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreLas arras Thirteen gold coins, blessed at a wedding and given by the groom to the brideRite of passage 🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThimithiதீமிதி A South Indian firewalking festival honouring Draupadi Amman before DeepavaliSpiritual 🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan and 3 moreObonお盆 (Obon) A Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of ancestors through dance, light, and family reunion.Festival 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreJoya no Kane除夜の鐘 A Japanese Buddhist New Year's Eve ritual where temple bells are struck to cleanse the year of worldly desires.Spiritual 🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreCarol service A Christmas church service of seasonal hymns, scripture readings and candlelightSpiritual 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanGozan no Okuribi五山送り火 Five giant bonfires lit across Kyoto's hills to bid farewell to ancestor spirits.Spiritual 🇯🇵 Chichibu, JapanChichibu Night Festival秩父夜祭 A December shrine gathering in Chichibu featuring historic Japanese festival floats.Festival 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelVia Dolorosaطريق الآلام (Arabic) / ויה דולורוזה (Hebrew) A pilgrim walk through Jerusalem's Old City, marking the last journey of JesusSpiritual 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDoljanchi돌 (dol); 돌잔치 (doljanchi) A Korean first-birthday rite where a baby picks an object that hints at the years aheadRite of passage 🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanSanja Matsuri三社祭 A loud three-day Shinto festival in Tokyo honoring the founders of Sensō-ji temple.Festival 🇯🇵 Osaka, JapanTenjin Matsuri天神祭 A major Shinto festival in Osaka featuring a street procession and a river boat parade on the Okawa River.Festival
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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.