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EveryParampara

Indigenous and traditional traditions

Indigenous and traditional spiritual and cultural practices belong to peoples who have lived on their lands for many generations: the First Nations and Native peoples of the Americas, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, the Maori and Pacific Islanders, the Sami, the many peoples of Africa and the hill peoples of Asia.

Indigenous and traditional spiritual and cultural practices belong to peoples who have lived on their lands for many generations: the First Nations and Native peoples of the Americas, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, the Maori and Pacific Islanders, the Sami, the many peoples of Africa and the hill peoples of Asia. Their traditions include ceremonies of the land, naming and initiation, healing, story and dance. Some are public and others private. EveryParampara describes only what communities share openly, and credits them as the source.

Land, ancestors and story

For many Indigenous peoples, land is kin, not property, and ceremonies thank the earth, the water and the animals. Ancestors are present, and stories of creation, such as the Dreaming, tell people how to live. Knowledge is passed by elders in language, song and dance. Many of these languages are under threat, and communities are leading efforts to teach them to the young.

Sharing with care

Some ceremonies are open to visitors, such as powwows and the Maori powhiri, and others, such as initiations, are restricted. Visitors are asked to listen, follow instructions, ask before taking photographs and avoid treating sacred things as entertainment. Many nations have protocols on the use of images and symbols. EveryParampara follows these requests and links to community voices and organisations wherever possible.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Indigenous and traditional (faith). 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
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇦🇺 AustraliaBark painting Ochre pictures on flattened tree bark, an Aboriginal art form of northern AustraliaCraft 🇮🇳 IndiaTheyyam A sacred ritual dance and divine invocation from North Malabar in IndiaSpiritual 🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao) A Lao rite that calls the soul home and ties a thread on the wrist for good luckSpiritual 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreTalchum탈춤 A Korean mask dance drama in which masked actors sing, dance and mock the powerfulPerformance 🇨🇬 Republic of the CongoNkisi Spiritual vessels and figures crafted to channel ancestral power, healing and justiceSpiritual 🇳🇿 New ZealandKarakia Māori incantations and prayers recited for spiritual guidance, safety and ceremonySpiritual 🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandWharenui A Māori carved communal meeting house at the centre of tribal life in New ZealandHome 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreTraditional tattooing The ancient custom of marking the skin for protection, healing, status and sacred ritesDress 🇹🇻 TuvaluMusic of Tuvalu Rhythmic storytelling dances and choral singing from the Polynesian atolls of TuvaluPerformance 🇰🇷 Jeju, South KoreaGut굿 Sacred rites of song, dance, and spirit communion performed by Korean shamansSpiritual 🇨🇱 ChileNgillatun A communal Mapuche rite of prayer, sacrifice and dance to maintain cosmic balanceSpiritual 🇲🇲 Bagan, MyanmarNat worshipနတ် Veneration of guardian spirits and nature deities alongside Buddhism in MyanmarSpiritual 🇲🇬 MadagascarFady A system of cultural taboos in Madagascar that regulate daily life and spiritual practice.Spiritual 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage 🇧🇹 Bhutan and 4 moreLosarལོ་གསར་ The Tibetan Buddhist New Year festival of renewal, offerings, and family feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇵🇪 Cusco, Peru and 2 moreInti Raymi A major Andean festival honoring the sun god Inti and marking the winter solstice in Cusco.Festival 🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 14 morePysankaписанка A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSun DanceWi-wayang-wa-c'i-pi A days-long dance of fasting and sacrifice among the Plains peoplesSpiritual 🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineChristmas in UkraineРіздво (Rizdvo) A Ukrainian Christmas celebration with a twelve-dish vegan supper on Christmas Eve and observance on January 6 or DecembFestival · Supper 🇲🇬 MadagascarFamadihana A Malagasy reburial custom where families gather to rewrap and honour their ancestorsRite of passage 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeledeGẹlẹdẹ A Yoruba masked dance festival honoring the spiritual power of mothers and social harmony.Festival 🇧🇾 Belarus and 4 moreDziadyДзяды (Belarusian); Діди (Ukrainian); Dziady (Polish) A Slavic tradition of feeding and welcoming the spirits of ancestors to ensure family fertility and peace.Spiritual 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreHoʻoponopono A Hawaiian family ritual of prayer, confession and forgiveness that sets wrongs rightSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇳🇿 New ZealandMatariki The Māori New Year marked by the midwinter rising of the Pleiades clusterSeasonal 🇻🇳 VietnamHùng Kings' Temple FestivalLễ hội đền Hùng A Vietnamese national festival honoring the legendary founding kings with temple worship and processions.Festival 🇧🇴 Oruro, BoliviaCarnival of OruroEl carnaval de Oruro A Bolivian festival of masked pilgrimage dances honoring the Virgin of the MineshaftFestival 🇬🇭 Accra, GhanaHomowo A harvest festival of the Ga people in Ghana to remember surviving famineFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalIndra JatraYenyā Punhi An eight-day street festival in Nepal featuring masked dances, chariot processions, and sacred pole ceremonies.Festival 🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGai JatraSā Pāru (𑐳𑐵𑐥𑐵𑐬𑐸) A Newar festival in the Kathmandu Valley to honor relatives who died that year through processions and satire.Festival 🇬🇭 Ghana and 3 moreDamba festivalDamba chuɣu A Ghanaian celebration of royal authority, ancestral memory, music and danceFestival 🇵🇪 Cusco, PeruQoyllur Rit'iQuyllurit'i An Andean mountain pilgrimage uniting indigenous star lore and Catholic devotionSpiritual 🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 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 🇳🇬 Lagos, NigeriaEyo FestivalAdamu Orisha Play A Yoruba masquerade procession honouring departed leaders and royalty in LagosFestival 🇵🇭 Kalibo, PhilippinesAti-Atihan A week of drumbeats, street dancing, and devotion to the Infant Jesus in AklanFestival 🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan A short communal meal on Java where neighbours share food, prayer and a wish for peaceSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 Odumase Krobo, GhanaDipo An annual Ghanaian coming-of-age ceremony welcoming Krobo girls into womanhoodRite of passage 🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo New Yam FestivalIri ji A harvest thanksgiving and feast marking the first yam crop among the Igbo of NigeriaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 Akropong, GhanaOdwira Festival An annual harvest and purification festival celebrated by the Akuapem in GhanaFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 Kumasi, GhanaAkwasidae Festival A Sunday gathering of the Ashanti people to honour ancestors and the kingSpiritual 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreWangala A post-harvest thanksgiving festival of drums, dance and song among the Garo peopleFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇨🇲 Douala, CameroonNgondo An annual coastal water festival celebrated by the Sawa people in CameroonFestival 🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 3 moreSango Festival An annual Yoruba gathering in Nigeria honoring the deity of thunder and lightningFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇿🇦 South AfricaUlwaluko A Xhosa rite that takes a boy into manhood through seclusion and teachingRite of passage 🇬🇭 GhanaOutdooringkpojiemɔ (Ga), abadinto (Akan), vihehedego (Ewe) A Ghanaian ceremony eight days after birth, when a baby is brought outdoors and namedRite of passage · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual 🇹🇼 TaiwanFlying Fish Festival飛魚祭 A months-long seasonal fishing observance kept by the Tao people of Orchid IslandSeasonal
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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.