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. 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.

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 1 moreNaadamнаадам A midsummer festival of wrestling, horse racing, and archery kept by Mongols in Mongolia and neighboring regions.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇹 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 7 morePysankaписанка A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival

🇨🇦 Canada and 1 morePotlatch A ceremonial feast of gift-giving and wealth distribution among First Nations on the Northwest Coast.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇳🇴 Norway and 2 moreJoik A Sámi song that evokes a person, animal or place instead of telling about themPerformance

🇺🇸 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

🇳🇿 Waitangi, New Zealand and 2 moreWaitangi DayTe Rā o Waitangi New Zealand's national day remembering the 1840 founding agreement.Ceremony · Breakfast

🇲🇳 Mongolia and 2 moreTsagaan SarЦагаан сар The Mongolian Lunar New Year festival of peace, elders, white foods and renewalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeledeGẹlẹdẹ A Yoruba masked dance festival honoring the spiritual power of mothers and social harmony.Festival

🇲🇬 MadagascarFamadihana A Malagasy reburial custom where families gather to rewrap and honour their ancestorsRite of passage

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreHoʻoponopono A Hawaiian family ritual of prayer, confession and forgiveness that sets wrongs rightSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇾 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

🇳🇿 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

🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDaeboreum대보름 A Korean festival of the first lunar full moon, marked by fires, wishes and feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇴 Pasto, ColombiaBlacks and Whites' CarnivalCarnaval de Negros y Blancos A week of street games, parades and music held every January in Pasto, ColombiaFestival

🇵🇪 Cusco, PeruQoyllur Rit'iQuyllurit'i An Andean mountain pilgrimage uniting indigenous star lore and Catholic devotionSpiritual

🇲🇾 Penampang, MalaysiaKaamatanTadau Kaamatan An annual May harvest celebration of thanksgiving and community across Sabah, MalaysiaSeasonal

🇬🇭 Ghana and 3 moreDamba festivalDamba chuɣu A Ghanaian celebration of royal authority, ancestral memory, music and danceFestival

🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGai JatraSā Pāru (𑐳𑐵𑐥𑐵𑐬𑐸) A Newar festival in the Kathmandu Valley to honor relatives who died that year through processions and satire.Festival

🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalIndra JatraYenyā Punhi An eight-day street festival in Nepal featuring masked dances, chariot processions, and sacred pole ceremonies.Festival

🇬🇭 Accra, GhanaHomowo A harvest festival of the Ga people in Ghana to remember surviving famineFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBohag Bihu A multi-day Assamese New Year festival of cattle rites, music, gifts and feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇰🇷 South KoreaNorigae노리개 A Korean pendant of knots and tassels, worn with hanbok and kept for luckDress 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSohrai A harvest and cattle observance kept by indigenous communities in eastern IndiaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇬 Lagos, NigeriaEyo FestivalAdamu Orisha Play A Yoruba masquerade procession honouring departed leaders and royalty in LagosFestival

🇸🇿 Ludzidzini, EswatiniIncwala The national kingship and first-fruits ritual of Eswatini, held at the summer solsticeCeremony · 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

🇵🇭 Kalibo, PhilippinesAti-Atihan A week of drumbeats, street dancing, and devotion to the Infant Jesus in AklanFestival 🇦🇺 AustraliaWalkabout A rite of passage involving travel through the Australian landscape to learn ancestral lore.Rite of passage

🇬🇭 Odumase Krobo, GhanaDipo An annual Ghanaian coming-of-age ceremony welcoming Krobo girls into womanhoodRite of passage

🇮🇩 IndonesiaSlametan A short communal meal on Java where neighbours share food, prayer and a wish for peaceSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 3 moreSango Festival An annual Yoruba gathering in Nigeria honoring the deity of thunder and lightningFestival · 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

🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo New Yam FestivalIri ji A harvest thanksgiving and feast marking the first yam crop among the Igbo of NigeriaSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 IndiaMagh Bihu A harvest festival of bonfires, feasts and winter games in AssamSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇲 Douala, CameroonNgondo An annual coastal water festival celebrated by the Sawa people in CameroonFestival

🇬🇭 Akropong, GhanaOdwira Festival An annual harvest and purification festival celebrated by the Akuapem in GhanaFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreGawai DayakAri Gawai An annual harvest and thanksgiving festival of the Dayak peoples in BorneoSeasonal

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreWren DayLá an Dreoilín A Saint Stephen's Day custom where groups parade a stuffed wren on a decorated pole through their community.Festival

🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreGuelaguetza An annual Oaxacan festival of indigenous dance, music, costumes and communal sharingFestival

🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreGule Wamkulu A masked Chewa dance of the Nyau society, danced at funerals and chief installationsPerformance

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Losar: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Naadam: Chongkian, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pysanka: Lubap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Inti Raymi: Cyntia Motta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Potlatch: James Gilchrist Swan (1818–1900), Public domain, source
Waitangi Day: Ryan762 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tsagaan Sar: User:Chinneeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Famadihana: Saveoursmile (Hery Zo Rakotondramanana), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Gelede: Gogeafrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Matariki: Robert Gendler, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dziady: Stanisław Bagieński, Public domain, source
Hùng Kings' Temple Festival: Xuannguyen1133, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Carnival of Oruro: Pame82s, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Blacks and Whites' Carnival: camiloAndres, CC BY 2.0, source
Daeboreum: hojusaram, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Kaamatan: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Damba festival: Bash222, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Homowo: Agbleyjill, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Qoyllur Rit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Incwala: iulian circo, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Ngondo: Photokadaffi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fetu Afahye: Kofiarkohbaidoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Indra Jatra: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ati-Atihan: Bernardo "Berniemack" Arellano III, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Odwira Festival: Duncanoff, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gawai Dayak: Zahirulnukman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Eyo Festival: Slashme, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Akwasidae Festival: Nkansahrexford, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sango Festival: Demola Ajayi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Igbo New Yam Festival: Adimora chidinma, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dipo: FatawuY1, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Wren Day: Manx James, CC0, source
Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
Bohag Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Guelaguetza: A01321718, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nuakhai: Mamata Padhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Magh Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 2.0, source
Sun Dance: Robert Harry Lowie, Public domain, source
Hoʻoponopono: Makana Chai, Public domain, source
Norigae: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Slametan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nyau: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, source