The same idea in 20 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
The Raven Crown, with the head of a raven representing the protective deity Gonpo Jarodongchen, is worn by the king, and the coronation includes a ritual of receiving a scarf, the Dar Kar. The ceremony is accompanied by monks chanting and the presentation of a ceremonial scarf.
Raven Crown, being writtenThe Kumari, a young girl worshipped as a living goddess, has traditionally blessed the king with a tika at the Indra Jatra festival. The institution continues in Kathmandu.
Read: KumariThe Dussehra procession at Mysore, with an elephant bearing the golden howdah, recalls the old royal court, and the Rajput kings' coronations involved a tilak and a sword. Today the palace of Mysore is lit with thousands of lights on the evenings of Dasara.
Read: Mysore DasaraThe coronation involves anointing with water from sacred sources, a nine-tiered umbrella and the Great Crown of Victory, in a Brahmin and Buddhist ritual in Bangkok's Grand Palace. The king also receives the regalia, including the sword and the sandals, in a ceremony that lasts several days.
Read: Coronation of the Thai monarchThe Royal Ploughing Ceremony, in May, has the king's sacred oxen choose a food from a tray to predict the harvest, and the coronation involves the royal regalia and Brahmin priests. The royal court dancers perform the classical apsara dance at coronations and festivals.
Read: Royal Ploughing CeremonyThe Sokui-rei, the enthronement of the emperor, and the Daijosai, a ritual in which the emperor offers new rice to the deities, are rooted in Shinto tradition and continue today. The ritual is held at night, in a specially built hall, and is seen as private to the emperor.
Read: Daijล-saiKazakh khans were traditionally inaugurated by being raised on a white felt carpet in front of the people, who swore their loyalty. The rite is recalled in national ceremonies and in the yurt-shaped symbols of the state.
Kazakh Khanate, being writtenThe Bay'ah, the oath of allegiance, is given to the new ruler by the royal family and the leading figures of the kingdom, a tradition that goes back to the early Islamic period. It is renewed by each new king, and local leaders and officials present themselves to give their pledge.
Read: Bay'ahThe ancient ruins of Persepolis recall the royal Nowruz receptions of the Achaemenid kings, and the Peacock Throne is a symbol of Persian monarchy in later centuries. Nowruz was an annual royal event, at which delegations from the empire's provinces brought gifts.
Persepolis, being writtenThrone Day on 30 July marks the king's accession, with a ceremony in which officials renew their pledge of allegiance, in white robes and on horseback. Moroccans celebrate with parades and festivals across the country.
Read: Throne DayThe Ashanti king is enstooled, not crowned, on the Golden Stool, which is believed to hold the soul of the nation. The Akwasidae festival honours the Asantehene and the ancestors.
Golden Stool, being writtenThe Zulu King's coronation, such as that of 2022, brings together the royal family and thousands of Zulu people with ceremonial dress, shields, spears and the Umkhosi Woselwa. The Zulu king is also the patron of the Reed Dance, in which tens of thousands of young women gather.
Zulu people, being writtenEmperors of Ethiopia were crowned with elaborate rites in the Orthodox church, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The last coronation was that of Haile Selassie in 1930.
Haile Selassie, being writtenThe coronation takes place in Westminster Abbey, with the sovereign anointed with holy oil, crowned with St Edward's Crown and given the orb and sceptre. The ceremony has been held in the Abbey since 1066.
Coronation of the British monarch, being writtenRoyal weddings, jubilees and the Nobel prize ceremony and dinner involve the king and queen, and the royal guard changing at Stockholm Palace is a daily public ceremony. Each year, the king gives the Nobel prizes to the laureates in Stockholm on 10 December.
Nobel Prize, being writtenThe coronations of the tsars took place in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow, with the monarch crowning himself with the Imperial Crown. The ceremony ended in 1896.
Coronation of the Russian monarch, being writtenThe presidential inauguration is a civic coronation, with the oath on the Bible, a parade and a ball. Hawaii's royal heritage lives on in the Kamehameha Day parade, with floral leis and riders in pa'u.
Read: United States presidential inaugurationIn the Congado festivals of Minas Gerais, Black brotherhoods crown a King and Queen of Congo, who lead processions with drums and dancers in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary. The tradition came from enslaved Africans and is kept by families over generations.
Afro-Brazilian culture, being writtenThe coronation of the Tongan king involves the bestowing of the title Tu'i Tonga and the drinking of kava in the ancient ceremony, and the king wears a taovala, a woven mat, as a sign of respect. A royal funeral and a coronation involve feasts with whole roast pigs, and fine mats are presented to the monarch.
List of monarchs of Tonga, being writtenThe Maori King is chosen and acclaimed in the Kingitanga, with a coronation ceremony held at Turangawaewae marae in Ngaruawahia, where the new monarch is blessed with the Bible held over the head. The king is acclaimed by the leaders of the tribes, and the ceremony is followed by a feast.
Mฤori King movement, being writtenWritten 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.