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.
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.
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreFeast of the Ascension
The fortieth day of Easter, when Christians remember Jesus being taken up into heavenSpiritual
🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico and 2 moreDay of the DeadDía de Muertos
A Mexican remembrance of deceased family and friends with altars, marigolds and feastsFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇲🇽 San Salvador Huixcolotla, Mexico and 1 morePapel picado
A Mexican folk art of cutting intricate designs into tissue paper for festive and spiritual displays.Festival
🇺🇸 United StatesFancy dance
A fast-paced, athletic Indigenous dance kept at powwows across North America and beyond.Performance
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesGhost Dance
A circle dance ceremony kept by Native American communities to reunite with ancestors and restore peace.Spiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesJingle dress
A healing dance and regalia worn by First Nations women at pow wows across North America.Performance
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreSweat lodge
A purification ceremony kept by Indigenous peoples of the Americas using a heated hut and steam.Spiritual
🇲🇽 Huamantla, Mexico and 4 moreSawdust carpettapete de aserrín
Colored sawdust designs laid on streets to greet religious processions in Latin America and beyond.Festival
🇧🇲 BermudaBermuda kite
Flying bright geometric kites on Good Friday across Bermuda to mark EasterCraft
🇲🇽 Veracruz, Mexico and 3 moreMesoamerican ballgameōllamalīztli
An ancient Mesoamerican ball game, struck with the hips on stone courtsGame
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreFortune-telling
Reading cards, palms or tea leaves to tell a client what may lie aheadFolklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSaint Patrick's Day in the United States
An annual celebration of Irish heritage across America with parades, feasts and green dyeFestival · Dinner
🇲🇽 MexicoDanza de los ViejitosT'arche Uarakua
A Purépecha masked dance honouring the sun and the four elements in MichoacánPerformance
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMedicine wheel
Sacred circular stone arrangements built across the plains of North AmericaSpiritual
🇺🇸 Raven's Roost, United StatesStomp dance
A ceremonial night dance kept by Eastern Woodland tribes in the United States and Oklahoma.Performance · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreIslamic marriageنِكَاح
The sacred contract, agreement and wedding celebration forming an Islamic marriageRite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico and 2 moreOur Lady of GuadalupeNuestra Señora de Guadalupe
A Mexican devotion to Mary, with a feast on 12 December and an image kept on a cloakSpiritual
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United States and 5 moreMardi Gras
A festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent beginsFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage
A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSun DanceWi-wayang-wa-c'i-pi
A days-long dance of fasting and sacrifice among the Plains peoplesSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreHoʻoponopono
A Hawaiian family ritual of prayer, confession and forgiveness that sets wrongs rightSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Mexico and 8 moreLas Posadas
A nine-night Christmas pageant remembering Mary and Joseph seeking shelterSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreFeast of San GennaroFesta di San Gennaro
A patronal festival of parades, street food and prayer honouring Saint JanuariusFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePowwow
A communal gathering of dancing, singing and fellowship across Native North AmericaFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreWedding cord
A loop of white cord laid over a kneeling bride and groom in Catholic weddingsRite of passage
🇲🇽 Papantla, Mexico and 1 moreDanza de los Voladores
A Mesoamerican rite of dance and rope, flown from a tall pole to ask for rainSpiritual
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoOfrenda
A home altar of food, flowers and candles that welcomes the dead home at Día de MuertosSpiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesGreen Corn CeremonyPuskita
A Southeastern harvest and new year ceremony of fasting, dancing and renewalSeasonal
🇺🇸 United StatesMakahiki
A four-month Hawaiian new year season of peace, harvest gifts, feasts and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoPassion Play of Iztapalapa
A community passion play staged across Iztapalapa during Holy WeekSpiritual
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesJazz funeral
A New Orleans funeral march led by brass music, moving from mourning to joyful danceRite of passage
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBeatification
A Catholic rite conferring the title Blessed and allowing local public venerationSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreTrinity SundayDominica Trinitatis
A Christian feast honouring the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit after PentecostSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil
A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFeast of the Holy Name of Jesus
A Christian observance honoring the name of Jesus, celebrated on various dates across different traditions.Spiritual
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreWorld Religion Day
An annual day in January dedicated to spiritual unity and harmony across all faiths.Spiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesRumspringaRumshpringa
An adolescent period of courtship and social exploration in Amish communities.Rite of passage
🇲🇽 MexicoMesoamerican bloodletting
A ritual practice of self-cutting used by ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican elites to communicate with the divine.Spiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesPre-Cana
Meetings and courses Catholic couples take before a wedding, often called Pre-CanaRite of passage
🇺🇸 United StatesUnity candle
A modern wedding ritual where two flames join to ignite a single central candleRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide
An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaRamadan in Canada
A month of fasting, prayer and shared evening meals, kept by Muslims across CanadaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYom HaHatzalahיום ההצלה
A Sat Hasidic holiday marking the rescue of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum from the Holocaust on the 21st of Kislev.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mesoamerican ballgame: Daniel Lobo (Daquella manera), CC BY 2.0, source
- Las Posadas: Yavidaxiu, CC BY 3.0, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Hoʻoponopono: Makana Chai, Public domain, source
- Saint Patrick's Day in the United States: White House/Chuck Kennedy, Public domain, source
- Danza de los Viejitos: Jessicatena, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Medicine wheel: U.S. Forest Service Photo, Public domain, source
- Papel picado: Ferfive, CC BY 4.0, source
- Islamic marriage: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fancy dance: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ghost Dance: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jingle dress: Montanabw, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sweat lodge: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sawdust carpet: Rosalba Muñoz RomeroLia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bermuda kite: Aodhdubh ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding cord: Phil! Gold, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Danza de los Voladores: A01333649, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ofrenda: Eneas de Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Assumption of Mary: Jebulon, CC0, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beatification: Stebunik, CC BY 3.0, source
- Our Lady of Guadalupe: Sebastian Wallroth, CC BY 3.0, source
- Vigil: unknown master, Public domain, source
- Feast of the Ascension: Gebhard Fugel, Public domain, source
- Feast of San Gennaro: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mardi Gras: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Trinity Sunday: Max Fürst, Public domain, source
- Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
- Mesoamerican bloodletting: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sun Dance: Robert Harry Lowie, Public domain, source
- Green Corn Ceremony: George Catlin, Public domain, source
- Powwow: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, source
- Makahiki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Passion Play of Iztapalapa: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jazz funeral: Photo by Infrogmation, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source