The same idea in 20 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
Makar Sankranti in mid-January marks the sun's northward turn, with kites in Gujarat, sesame sweets, bonfires at Lohri in Punjab and a ritual bath at the Ganges. People also give thanks to the sun god Surya, and many take a holy dip in rivers at dawn.
Read: Makar SankrantiSimbang Gabi, nine dawn masses before Christmas, are followed by rice cakes, bibingka and puto bumbong, and star-shaped lanterns, parols, hang in the streets. Christmas lasts from September to January.
Read: Simbang GabiDongzhi, around 21 December, is observed with a family meal, with tangyuan, sweet rice balls, in the south and dumplings in the north. It was once an important imperial festival.
Read: DongzhiAt Toji, the winter solstice, families bathe with yuzu citrus fruits in a hot bath and eat kabocha pumpkin, a custom believed to guard against colds and bring luck for the coming year. Some bathhouses float whole yuzu fruits in the water, and the scent fills the room.
Read: Yuzu bathDongji is marked by eating red bean porridge, patjuk, which is believed to drive away evil spirits, and in the past the day was treated as a little new year. Red is the colour of the sun and of good luck, and the porridge is often sprinkled on the doorposts of the house.
Dongji, being writtenOrthodox Georgians celebrate Christmas on 7 January, with the Alilo procession, in which people in costume sing carols and carry icons through the streets. A curled hazelnut-wood figure called the chichilaki stands in for the Christmas tree.
Read: ChichilakiYalda, the night of the winter solstice, is spent with family reading poems by Hafez, eating pomegranates, watermelon and nuts, and staying awake until dawn. The red fruit symbolises the sun's glow.
Read: Yaldฤ NightHanukkah lasts eight nights in late December, with a candle added each night to a menorah, and foods fried in oil, latkes and sufganiyot. It celebrates the rededication of the Temple.
Read: HanukkahCoptic Christians fast for 43 days before Christmas on 7 January, ending with a midnight mass and a feast. Egypt's Copts hold a quiet family meal of fatta, rice with meat and bread.
Coptic Orthodox Church, being writtenGenna, on 7 January, is celebrated with a night service, white clothes and a hockey-like game called genna, played in the fields. A feast of doro wat and injera follows the Advent fast.
Read: Ethiopian ChristmasSt Lucia, on 13 December, brings a procession of children in white with candles and a crown of lights, singing, with saffron buns and glogg. Christmas follows with the julbord, the table of herring, ham and meatballs.
Read: Saint Lucy's DayAdvent wreaths, calendars and Christmas markets with gluhwein, gingerbread and roast almonds fill the weeks, and the tree was a German tradition that spread worldwide. The main celebration is on 24 December.
Read: Christmas marketChristmas dinner of roast turkey, pudding with brandy and crackers is the centre, with carols and mince pies. The old custom of Wassailing, of blessing the orchard, survives in the south-west, and Hogmanay in Scotland leads on to the new year.
Observance of Christmas by country, being writtenFamilies go to the sauna on Christmas Eve, visit the graves with candles and eat rice porridge and ham. Joulupukki, the Yule Goat, brings the presents.
Read: Christmas in FinlandNew Year's Eve is the great family holiday, with Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, a decorated fir tree and a feast of salads and champagne. Orthodox Christmas follows on 7 January.
Ded Moroz, being writtenChristmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa overlap, with trees, lights, gifts and the Christmas Eve family meal. Kwanzaa, from 26 December, celebrates African heritage with seven principles and a candle for each night.
Read: KwanzaaLas Posadas, nine nights before Christmas, re-enact the search for shelter with processions, songs and pinatas, and Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, brings tamales and ponche. The Three Kings give gifts on 6 January.
Read: Las PosadasChristmas falls in midsummer, so families gather at midnight on 24 December for a late dinner of vitel tone, a cold veal dish, with pan dulce and cider. Fireworks are lit at midnight, and people toast with sparkling cider.
Pan dulce, being writtenChristmas falls in midsummer, so families picnic on the beach or at the barbecue with prawns and pavlova, and Santa wears shorts. Carols by candlelight are held in the evening in parks.
Christmas in Australia, being writtenMatariki, the Maori new year, rises with the Pleiades in mid-winter, around June or July, and brings a time for remembering the dead, sharing food and planning the year. It has been a public holiday since 2022.
Read: MatarikiWritten by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.