Traditions of East Asia
Lunar New Year, tea ceremony, hanami, chuseok and the ancestors. 264 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
🇨🇳 China 154🇭🇰 Hong Kong 9🇯🇵 Japan 146🇲🇴 Macau 4🇲🇳 Mongolia 23🇰🇵 North Korea 22🇰🇷 South Korea 60🇹🇼 Taiwan 30
Cities and towns
On the calendar
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanYūzen友禅
A Japanese resist-dyeing craft that creates painterly patterns on fine kimonoCraft
🇯🇵 JapanMiko巫女
A woman who serves at a Shinto shrine, dancing, cleansing and helping with ritesSpiritual
🇰🇷 South KoreaNorigae노리개
A Korean pendant of knots and tassels, worn with hanbok and kept for luckDress
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China and 1 moreCheongsam旗袍 (qípáo), 長衫 (chángshān)
A fitted one-piece Chinese dress with a high collar and side slits, worn since the 1920sDress
🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaTangzhuang唐裝 (traditional), 唐装 (simplified)
A Chinese jacket with a Mandarin collar, worn for formal occasions and holidaysDress
🇲🇳 Ölgii, MongoliaGolden Eagle FestivalБүргэдийн баяр
An annual gathering in western Mongolia celebrating Kazakh eagle hunting and horsemanshipFestival
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaHanfu漢服
The dress of the Han Chinese, named for the Han dynasty and worn again todayDress
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKimono着物
Japan's national dress: a wrapped robe with square sleeves, tied with a wide sashDress
🇰🇷 South Korea and 2 moreHanbok한복
Korea's customary dress: a short jacket, a skirt or trousers, and a bow-tied ribbonDress
🇨🇳 ChinaQizhuang旗裝 (qízhuāng)
The traditional attire of the Manchu people, characterized by riding coats, trousers, and horse-hoof cuffs.Dress
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreDiyi翟衣 (Díyī)
A formal ceremonial robe worn by empresses and royal women in China, Korea, and Vietnam.Dress
🇨🇳 ChinaMamianqun馬面裙 (马面裙)
A Chinese wrap skirt with flat front and back panels, worn over trousers with a jacketDress
🇨🇳 ChinaManchu platform shoes
Wooden-soled shoes worn by Manchu women from the early Qing dynastyDress
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreJi Li笄禮
The traditional Chinese coming-of-age hairpin ceremony for young womenRite of passage
🇯🇵 Kyoto, Japan and 5 moreTeeth blackening
A custom of dyeing teeth black to mark adulthood and beauty in parts of Asia and Oceania.Rite of passage
🇯🇵 Yūki, JapanYūki-tsumugi結城紬
A hand-spun silk cloth from Yūki, Japan, woven slowly on a low loomCraft
🇨🇳 Zhongshan, ChinaChinese clothing
Robes, gowns, and suits shaped across dynasties, ranks, and daily life in ChinaDress
🇨🇳 Nanjing, ChinaYunjin brocade雲錦
A traditional Chinese silk brocade woven with coloured silk, gold and silverCraft
🇨🇳 ChinaTraditional Chinese wedding dress
The ceremonial bridal garments worn in Han Chinese marriage ceremoniesDress
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreChinese patchwork
A needlework craft joining fabric scraps into protective clothing, quilts and folk artCraft
🇯🇵 JapanAuxiliary armour (Japan)
Extra guards that filled the gaps left by the six main pieces of a Japanese armour setDress
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanBoroぼろ
Japanese cloth kept going by mending: patched layers dyed with indigoCraft
🇨🇳 ChinaSankeng三坑
Chinese slang for three dress styles young fans wear, and the money they takeDress
🇨🇳 ChinaHuadian花鈿
A forehead ornament of Chinese women, painted or fixed on, still worn with hanfuDress
🇨🇳 ChinaXifu戏服
The stage dress of Chinese opera, its colour and pattern telling rank, sex and characterDress
🇨🇳 Taiyuan, ChinaGuan Li冠禮
The traditional Chinese coming-of-age capping ceremony for young menRite of passage
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDahu褡护 (Dāhù)
A cross-collar jacket worn in the Ming dynasty, blending Chinese and Mongol styles.Dress
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese academic dress
Formal attire for scholars and officials in China, ranging from imperial robes to modern degree gowns.Dress
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreMianfu冕服
The most formal dress of China's emperors, worn at coronations and court ritesDress
🇯🇵 JapanKappōgi割烹着
A Japanese smock worn over a kimono to keep it clean while cooking and cleaningDress
🇨🇳 Dunhuang, China and 2 moreYingluo璎珞
A ring-shaped Buddhist neck ornament that became a Chinese necklace, worn again todayDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Cheongsam: Jacklee ., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chinese academic dress: Ren Renfa, Public domain, source
- Miko: Chris Gladis, Flickr user MShades, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dahu: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Norigae: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Yūzen: Ismoon ( talk ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tangzhuang: Gobierno de Chile, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yingluo: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Kappōgi: 賢太郎 森川, CC BY 2.0, source
- Diyi: Annonymous court painter, Public domain, source
- Mamianqun: Bilale Boyce, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manchu platform shoes: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Qizhuang: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Teeth blackening: momo, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yūki-tsumugi: タバコはマーダー, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chinese clothing: Yan Li-pen, Public domain, source
- Yunjin brocade: Dr. Meierhofer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Traditional Chinese wedding dress: Tunere, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Golden Eagle Festival: Altaihunters, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Auxiliary armour (Japan): Samuraiantiqueworld, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Boro: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Sankeng: Yumeto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Huadian: Gu Kaizhi (c.345-c.406), Public domain, source
- Hanfu: Anonymous Song Chinese artist after the original by Gu Hongzhong, Public domain, source
- Mianfu: Unknown photographer, Public domain, source
- Chinese patchwork: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Xifu: Walter Lim, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kimono: Takaaki Kawai, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hanbok: DongyiKoguryo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source