Muslim traditions

Muslim traditions are found in nearly every country, from Morocco to Indonesia, and range from the five daily prayers and the Friday congregation to Ramadan, Eid, the hajj, Mawlid, Ashura and the customs of marriage, naming and burial. They share a core of belief and practice and take many local forms in food, dress, music and festivals. The calendar is lunar, so the dates move through the year. These pages describe Muslim traditions as those who keep them do, including local ones that differ between communities.

Prayer, Friday and the mosque

Muslims pray five times a day, facing Mecca, and gather for the Friday congregational prayer and sermon. Mosques are places of prayer, learning and community, and many hold meals in Ramadan. Cleanliness, modest dress and the removal of shoes are customary, and Quran recitation is a valued art. In many homes, the call to prayer sets the rhythm of the day, and children learn prayers from their parents and from a teacher.

Ramadan, Eid and the hajj

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is followed by Eid al-Fitr, and the hajj by Eid al-Adha. Both feasts are marked by prayer, new clothes, gifts and meals shared with family and the poor. The hajj draws about two million pilgrims to Mecca, and returning pilgrims are welcomed at home. Local customs, such as lanterns in Egypt, night markets in Indonesia and henna in South Asia, add colour to the occasions.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Muslim (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreEid al-Fitrعيد الفطر The feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits homeFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMother's Day A worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careHome

🇮🇷 Iran and 7 moreNowruzنوروز The Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsSeasonal

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMawlidمولد (Mawlid) An annual festival marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked by poetry, processions and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇲🇿 Island of Mozambique, MozambiqueTufo A women's dance of northern Mozambique, performed at Islamic feasts to drums and songPerformance

🇲🇦 Marrakesh, Morocco and 5 moreGnawa musicڭْناوة or كْناوة A spiritual musical tradition of Morocco that blends West African rhythms with Islamic ritual to heal and connect communPerformance 🇳🇬 Ibadan, Nigeria and 1 moreYoruba naming ceremonyÌkòlọ́pọ̀ Orúkọ Yorùbá A rite of passage where a newborn receives a destiny name through divination and family celebration.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇷 TurkeyRamadan in Turkey A holy month of fasting, prayer, and community meals, observed across Turkey with unique local customs.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreMaslenitsaМасленица A seven-day Eastern Slavic festival of pancakes and bonfires marking the end of winter before Lent.Festival · Breakfast

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLohri A northern Indian midwinter festival of evening bonfires, folk songs and harvest foodsSeasonal

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان An Islamic night of prayer, remembrance, and seeking divine forgiveness.Spiritual

🇵🇰 Islamabad, PakistanPakistan Independence Dayیومِ آزادی A nationwide summer holiday commemorating the birth of Pakistan on 14 August 1947Ceremony

🇺🇦 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

🇳🇬 Argungu, NigeriaArgungu Fishing Festival A four-day gathering in Nigeria where thousands compete to land giant river fishFestival

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

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreLebaranHari Raya Lebaran Indonesia's festive season of homecoming, seeking forgiveness and shared feastsFestival · Breakfast

🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptSham Ennessimشم النسيم An Egyptian spring festival of picnics, salted fish, green onions and painted eggsSeasonal

🇳🇬 Kano, NigeriaDurbar festival An equestrian gathering marking Muslim holidays across northern Nigerian emiratesFestival

🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanNavruzNavroʻz The spring equinox festival celebrated across Uzbekistan with sumalak and family visits.Seasonal · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaSekatenꦱꦼꦏꦠꦺꦤ꧀ A week-long Javanese royal festival and market honouring the birth of the ProphetFestival

🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ A Bengali pre-wedding ceremony where turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groomRite of passage

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the weddingRite 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

🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival

🇲🇦 Rabat, Morocco and 5 moreFantasiaالفانتازيا A North African equestrian display of synchronized charging and simultaneous rifle fireGame

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 3 moreHosay An Indo-Caribbean Muharram commemoration with ornate floats, drumming and processionsSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawlid in Algeriaيوم المولد النبوي The Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration in Algeria with family feasts and prayersFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇿 Tiaret, Algeria and 1 moreMawsimموسم An annual regional festival and pilgrimage across Northwest AfricaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual 🇸🇳 Touba, Senegal and 1 moreGrand Magal of Touba An annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Touba in Senegal, kept by followers of the Mouride Sufi order.Spiritual

🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇫🇯 FijiFiji Week A week of national celebration in Fiji marking independence and colonial history with cultural performances.Festival

🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival

🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKırkpınar A three-day Turkish oil wrestling contest near Edirne, held each June since 1360Game

🇨🇳 Yining, China and 1 moreMeshrepمەشرەپ A Uyghur gathering of music, poetry, dance and moral counsel at harvest and weddingsPerformance

🇨🇳 China and 6 moreRed envelope紅包 / 红包 (hóngbāo) Money in a red packet, given at Lunar New Year, weddings and other big daysEtiquette

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual

🇨🇳 Hong Kong, China and 5 moreLunar New Year New year festivals dated by the moon, kept from East Asia to the Middle EastFestival

🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptFanousفانوس An Egyptian lantern of metal and glass, hung in streets and homes through RamadanFestival

🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual

🇵🇰 PakistanPakistani weddingپاکستانی شادی Weddings across Pakistan: a match is found, a contract signed, two families joinedRite of passage

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared

🇲🇦 MoroccoBujloodبوجلود A masked carnival of animal skins held in Morocco just after Eid al-AdhaFestival

🇮🇩 Pariaman, IndonesiaTabuik A Muharram mourning rite in Pariaman, Sumatra, ending with a bier carried into the seaSpiritual 🇹🇷 Bursa, TurkeyLaylat al-Raghaibلَيْلَةُ الرّغائِب An Islamic night of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the three sacred monthsSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual

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
Eid al-Fitr: Mohammed Tawsif Salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Argungu Fishing Festival: Jaekel, Francis., Public domain, source
Pakistan Independence Day: Khaum, CC BY 3.0, source
Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
Mawlid: Firdaus Latif, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Maslenitsa: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lohri: Karen Sandhu, CC BY 2.0, source
Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
Damba festival: Bash222, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lebaran: Nurudin Jauhari, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Durbar festival: Omotayo Tajudeen, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Navruz: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
Sekaten: Kembangraps, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tufo: JCPBFerreira, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chaand Raat: Phadke09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fantasia: Jfcapdet, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hosay: Julius Eduard Muller, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mawlid in Algeria: Hammiche Hakim, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
Nowruz: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ramadan in Turkey: Wiki leylek, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gnawa music: Lucyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kırkpınar: anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809, Public domain, source
Meshrep: https://www.flickr.com/photos/travelingmipo/, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
Red envelope: Oldie~commonswiki, Public domain, source
Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
Lunar New Year: Flying Pharmacist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fanous: Ibrahim.ID, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Eid prayers: Azimronnie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pakistani wedding: Rukhsana iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bujlood: Hassan ahachi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tabuik: en:User:Brakatop upload to commons by Ladsgroup, CC BY-SA 2.5, source