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HeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’HeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’
EveryParampara

Traditions of East Asia

Lunar New Year, tea ceremony, hanami, chuseok and the ancestors. 266 traditions on EveryParampara so far.

Countries

🇨🇳 China 156🇭🇰 Hong Kong 9🇯🇵 Japan 146🇲🇴 Macau 4🇲🇳 Mongolia 24🇰🇵 North Korea 22🇰🇷 South Korea 60🇹🇼 Taiwan 31

Cities and towns

Tokyo 38Kyoto 28Osaka 18Beijing 15Seoul 14Shanghai 14

On the calendar

VesakLosarHungry Ghost FestivalLunar New YearLantern FestivalQingming FestivalDragon Boat FestivalQixi FestivalMid-Autumn FestivalDouble Ninth FestivalDongzhi FestivalLaba Festival
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreHouse A traditional children's make-believe game of acting out domestic family rolesGame 🇹🇼 Taipei, Taiwan and 1 moreRetrocession Day臺灣光復節 / 台湾光复节 (Táiwān guāngfùjié) A public holiday on 25 October marking the end of Japanese rule in Taiwan in 1945Ceremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Foundation of the Republic9.9절 (Inmin Jeonggwon Changgeonil) A national holiday in North Korea marking the founding of the state on September 9.Ceremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaParty Foundation Day조선로동당 창건일 A national holiday in North Korea that marks the founding of its ruling party in 1945.Ceremony 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDajiao打醮 An annual Taoist ritual and festival seeking peace and safety for the communitySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇳 ChinaQizhuang旗裝 (qízhuāng) The traditional attire of the Manchu people, characterized by riding coats, trousers, and horse-hoof cuffs.Dress 🇯🇵 JapanJiuchi地打ち The steady base beat that holds traditional Japanese music and taiko ensembles togetherPerformance 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFive Grains五穀 A sacred grouping of staple crops honoured as the bedrock of East Asian civilizationFolklore 🇹🇼 TaiwanSimple Life Festival簡單生活節 A biennial cultural gathering in Taiwan featuring live music, markets and craftsFestival 🇲🇳 Ölgii, MongoliaGaridгарьд A top wrestling title in Mongolia, named for Genghis Khan's eagle and the mythical bird Garuda.Game 🇰🇷 Jindo Island, South KoreaNamdo Field Songs남도 들노래 Farmers' choral work songs from South Jeolla, sung through the rice field yearPerformance 🇨🇳 Huizhou, ChinaHui-style architecture A traditional Chinese building style of white walls, dark tiles and horse-head gablesCraft 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreRed Thread of Fate姻緣紅線 An East Asian belief in an invisible cord binding two people destined for marriageFolklore 🇨🇳 ChinaSanfutie三伏贴 A seasonal Chinese medicine practice applying herbal patches during peak summer heatSeasonal 🇨🇳 Hengyang, China and 1 moreShan'ge山歌 A family of Chinese folk ballads from the countryside, in many regional formsPerformance 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanGenpuku元服 The Japanese rite of passage that marked a child's entry into adult lifeRite of passage 🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQimen Dunjia奇門遁甲 A classical Chinese divination system that maps time, space, and strategySpiritual 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese academic dress Formal attire for scholars and officials in China, ranging from imperial robes to modern degree gowns.Dress 🇰🇷 Seoul, South KoreaJultagi줄타기 (eoreum) A traditional Korean tightrope performance that combines acrobatics with music and storytelling.Performance 🇯🇵 Shuri, JapanKumi Odori組踊 (Okinawan: Kumi wudui) A narrative dance from Okinawa that blends East Asian styles to tell stories of Confucian virtue.Performance 🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanTomimoto-bushi富本節 A subtle school of Japanese sung storytelling with shamisen, popular in the 1700sPerformance 🇰🇷 South KoreaSinawi시나위 An improvisational Korean musical style played for shamanic rituals.Performance 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDahu褡护 (Dāhù) A cross-collar jacket worn in the Ming dynasty, blending Chinese and Mongol styles.Dress 🇨🇳 Taiyuan, ChinaGuan Li冠禮 The traditional Chinese coming-of-age capping ceremony for young menRite of passage 🇯🇵 JapanMoai模合 (Mo-ai) A Japanese social support group that provides mutual aid and companionship to its members.Etiquette 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 1 moreMongolian calligraphyМонгол уран бичлэг Artistic handwriting of the traditional Mongolian script, passed from mentor to studentCraft 🇯🇵 JapanTairyō-bata大漁旗 Traditional Japanese flags flown by fishing boats to celebrate a bountiful catchFestival 🇰🇷 Busan, South KoreaBusan Sunrise Festival부산해맞이축제 A bell rung in Busan on 31 December, then the year's first sunrise at the beachSeasonal 🇨🇳 ChinaSymbolic stars神煞 Helpful and harmful influences read from the Chinese calendar's stems and branchesFolklore 🇰🇷 South KoreaMusok eumak무속 음악 (巫俗音樂) Ritual music of Korean shamanism, sung and drummed to carry a shaman into trancePerformance 🇨🇳 Xi'an, ChinaXi'an guyue西安鼓乐 Ritual wind and percussion music from Xi'an, played sitting or walkingPerformance 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreLife release放生 A Buddhist practice of freeing captive animals to spare their lives and gain meritSpiritual 🇨🇳 Tianjin, China and 1 moreBa-zha八蜡 An old Chinese harvest rite of eight offerings, later a guardian against locustsSpiritual 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreTraditional games of Korea전통놀이 (jeontongnori) Korean games kept through the seasons, from New Year board games to winter kitesGame 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreChiwen蚩吻 A dragon figure on Chinese roof ridges, set there to swallow evil and guard against fireCraft 🇯🇵 JapanKamifūsen紙風船 Japanese paper balloons enjoyed as self-inflating toys, gifts and festival lanternsGame 🇨🇳 Luoyang, China and 1 moreYin and yang陰陽 Two opposite but complementary forces that Chinese thought sees in all thingsFolklore 🇨🇳 Dunhuang, China and 2 moreYingluo璎珞 A ring-shaped Buddhist neck ornament that became a Chinese necklace, worn again todayDress 🇯🇵 JapanKappōgi割烹着 A Japanese smock worn over a kimono to keep it clean while cooking and cleaningDress 🇨🇳 China and 2 moreDiyi翟衣 (Díyī) A formal ceremonial robe worn by empresses and royal women in China, Korea, and Vietnam.Dress 🇲🇳 MongoliaBlue Pearl Ice FestivalХөх Cувд Mөсний Баяр Mongolia's yearly winter ice festival of skating races, ice shooting and horse racesFestival 🇨🇳 ChinaMamianqun馬面裙 (马面裙) A Chinese wrap skirt with flat front and back panels, worn over trousers with a jacketDress 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJiuta地歌 A shamisen song style born in Kamigata and long kept by blind musician guildsPerformance 🇨🇳 ChinaManchu platform shoes Wooden-soled shoes worn by Manchu women from the early Qing dynastyDress 🇯🇵 JapanKirikane截金 A Japanese craft of cut gold, silver or platinum leaf for Buddhist statues and paintingsCraft 🇨🇳 ChinaTui na推拿 A traditional Chinese hands-on therapy using pushing, grasping, and acupressure pointsFolklore 🇨🇳 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
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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.