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.
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.
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.
🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 4 moreMajlis
A traditional sitting room and community assembly for hospitality and civic counselEtiquette
🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreJirgaجرګه
A traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensusCeremony
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration
Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLangarਲੰਗਰ
The free kitchen at a gurdwara, where all sit and eat together as equalsTable custom
🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreManoPagmamano
A Filipino greeting where a younger person bows and asks an elder for a blessingEtiquette
🇨🇳 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
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreCoffee culture
The habits and etiquette of drinking coffee, and the cafés built around itTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking
The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRemoval of footwear indoors
The widespread custom of leaving outdoor shoes at the door for cleanliness and respectEtiquette
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreShagoranaসাগরানা
A ceremonial wedding feast platter presented to the groom in BangladeshTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوزيعة
A communal meat-sharing custom fostering rural solidarity across AlgeriaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 3 moreDupattaदुपट्टा
A traditional South Asian scarf worn across the shoulders, chest, and headDress
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreEidiyahعيدية
The holiday custom of presenting cash and gifts to children and relativesFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding invitationनिमन्त्रण पत्र/पत्रिका
Decorative ceremonial cards sent to announce marriages and invite guests across IndiaRite of passage
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Indian wedding invitation: Onef9day, CC BY 3.0, source
- Prostration: Meghan Breeze, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Langar: Harisingh at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Majlis: Abū Zayd ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Zayd, CC0, source
- Jirga: Alpha4354747, Public domain, source
- Mano: TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO, Public domain, source
- Red envelope: Oldie~commonswiki, Public domain, source
- Coffee culture: The original uploader was Hajor at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 3.0 br, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- Removal of footwear indoors: Sarang, Public domain, source
- Dupatta: Kinshuk Sunil, CC BY 2.0, source
- Eidiyah: Rahbar Emamdadi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Shagorana: Caped CrusaderK, CC0, source