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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
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePowwow A communal gathering of dancing, singing and fellowship across Native North AmericaFestival 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreChuseok추석 A Korean harvest festival of ancestral rites, seasonal rice cakes, and folk gamesFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreIomanteイオマンテ An Ainu rite that sends a hand-raised bear cub's spirit home to the god-worldSpiritual 🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreRocket Festivalບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ A rainy-season festival of merit-making, music, parades and homemade rocketsFestival 🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesJazz funeral A New Orleans funeral march led by brass music, moving from mourning to joyful danceRite of passage 🇵🇭 PhilippinesFilipino wedding customsKasalan A blend of indigenous rituals and Christian traditions marking the union of two families in the Philippines.Rite of passage 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreGule Wamkulu A masked Chewa dance of the Nyau society, danced at funerals and chief installationsPerformance 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreLibation The ceremonial gift of drink given to deities, ancestors, and the earthSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇦🇱 Albania and 5 moreDodolaДодoла / Dodola A Balkan rainmaking ritual where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summer showers.Festival 🇲🇦 MoroccoBujloodبوجلود A masked carnival of animal skins held in Morocco just after Eid al-AdhaFestival 🇷🇺 Chukaly, RussiaRas'ken' OzksРаськень Озкс A triennial gathering and ancestral prayer ritual of the Erzya people in MordoviaSpiritual 🇮🇳 Imphal, India and 2 moreLai Haraobaꯂꯥꯏ ꯍꯔꯥꯎꯕ A ritual dance and music festival kept by the Meitei people to please their deities.Festival 🇬🇭 Winneba, GhanaAboakyer festival A deer hunt kept by the people of Winneba, Ghana, on the first Saturday in MayFestival 🇳🇬 Kagoro, NigeriaAfan FestivalBwok Ǎfan A New Year's Day festival of hunting and dances among the Oegworok peopleFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇬🇭 Anloga, Ghana and 1 moreHogbetsotso festival An Anlo Ewe festival in Anloga recalling an escape from NotsieFestival 🇧🇴 San Ignacio de Moxos, BoliviaIchapekene Piesta A four-day festival of dance, feathers and procession in San Ignacio de Moxos, BoliviaFestival 🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala, GuatemalaHoly Week in GuatemalaSemana Santa Street processions of floats, purple-robed penitents and sawdust carpets in GuatemalaSpiritual 🇹🇭 Dan Sai, ThailandPhi Ta Khonผีตาโขน A three-day festival in Dan Sai, north-east Thailand, of ghost masks and merit-makingFestival 🇷🇴 RomaniaCapra A New Year's ritual in Romania where a masked dancer visits homes to bring luck and predict the weather.Festival 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTelling the bees A Western European custom of informing honeybees about major household events like deaths and weddings.Folklore 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreJeti ataЖеті ата A Kazakh custom requiring knowledge of seven direct ancestors to ensure healthy marriages and tribal identity.Folklore 🇲🇽 Tlayacapan, MexicoChinelos Masked dancers from Morelos who spoof colonial manners at CarnivalPerformance 🇰🇷 South KoreaSinawi시나위 An improvisational Korean musical style played for shamanic rituals.Performance 🇺🇬 Mbale, UgandaImbalu The biennial rite of passage into adulthood observed by the Bamasaaba of UgandaRite of passage 🇨🇺 Cuba and 5 moreLetra del Año Annual prophecies and guidance proclaimed by babalawo priests for the coming yearSpiritual 🇵🇭 PhilippinesBuklog A thanksgiving ritual of the Subanen people in the Philippines, honoring spirits through offerings and dance.Spiritual 🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance 🇨🇲 Bafoussam, CameroonNyang Nyang FestivalNyan-Nyang A four-month Bamileke harvest festival and initiation rite in western CameroonFestival 🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarSavika Traditional Betsileo zebu wrestling and courtship rite in MadagascarGame 🇿🇲 Lundazi, Zambia and 1 moreKulonga An annual harvest festival of thanksgiving celebrated by Tumbuka communitiesSeasonal 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreAso Olona A patterned Yoruba cloth, woven with symbols and worn as a mark of rank and identityDress 🇳🇦 Outapi, NamibiaOlufuko A seven-day Aawambo initiation rite and festival held annually in Outapi, NamibiaRite of passage 🇳🇴 NorwayMárkomeannu A Sámi music and cultural festival held in northern NorwayFestival 🇲🇼 Rumphi, Malawi and 2 moreTumbuka dances and festivals Dances for healing and celebration, and the yearly festivals that keep themPerformance 🇧🇫 Dédougou, Burkina Faso and 5 moreFESTIMAFestival International des Masques et des Arts A biennial West African festival in Burkina Faso celebrating traditional mask dancesFestival 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCabañuelasLas cabañuelas A traditional weather forecasting method using the first thirty-one days of January to predict the rest of the year.Folklore 🇧🇬 BulgariaSurvakaneСурвакане A Bulgarian New Year ritual where children tap family members with decorated branches to wish them health and prosperityFestival 🇧🇼 BotswanaBogwera and bojale Tswana coming-of-age initiation for boys and girls, held over several monthsRite of passage 🇿🇲 Maala, ZambiaShimunenga An annual Zambian celebration of cattle displays, dances, and ancestral memoryFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇵🇭 PhilippinesBali-og Layered necklaces and fringed collars from the Visayas and MindanaoDress 🇵🇭 PhilippinesPatadyong A traditional Philippine wrap skirt and versatile woven cloth from the VisayasDress 🇰🇷 South KoreaMusok eumak무속 음악 (巫俗音樂) Ritual music of Korean shamanism, sung and drummed to carry a shaman into trancePerformance 🇨🇦 Turtle Lake, CanadaTurtle Lake Monster A Saskatchewan lake legend of a huge creature, claimed sightings and a sturgeon theoryFolklore 🇻🇳 VietnamSpace of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of VietnamKhông gian văn hóa Cồng Chiêng Tây Nguyên Gong sets of Vietnam's Central Highlands, played for festivals and spiritsPerformance 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese academic dress Formal attire for scholars and officials in China, ranging from imperial robes to modern degree gowns.Dress 🇿🇦 South AfricaIsidwaba A knee-length leather skirt of cowhide or goatskin, worn by married Zulu womenDress 🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوزيعة A communal meat-sharing custom fostering rural solidarity across AlgeriaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
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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.