Traditions of Europe
Carnival, Midsummer, Christmas markets, Easter, the village fête and the long Sunday lunch. 714 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
🇦🇱 Albania 27🇦🇩 Andorra 4🇦🇹 Austria 50🇧🇾 Belarus 30🇧🇪 Belgium 40🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16🇧🇬 Bulgaria 49🇭🇷 Croatia 33🇨🇿 Czechia 20🇩🇰 Denmark 26🇪🇪 Estonia 18🇫🇮 Finland 34🇫🇷 France 91🇩🇪 Germany 115🇬🇷 Greece 69🇭🇺 Hungary 22🇮🇸 Iceland 20🇮🇪 Ireland 77🇮🇹 Italy 114🇽🇰 Kosovo 20🇱🇻 Latvia 18🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 2🇱🇹 Lithuania 22🇱🇺 Luxembourg 14🇲🇹 Malta 15🇲🇩 Moldova 11🇲🇨 Monaco 1🇲🇪 Montenegro 13🇳🇱 Netherlands 29🇲🇰 North Macedonia 26🇳🇴 Norway 38🇵🇱 Poland 70🇵🇹 Portugal 27🇷🇴 Romania 39🇷🇺 Russia 102🇸🇲 San Marino 1🇷🇸 Serbia 44🇸🇰 Slovakia 19🇸🇮 Slovenia 25🇪🇸 Spain 96🇸🇪 Sweden 45🇨🇭 Switzerland 34🇺🇦 Ukraine 47🇬🇧 United Kingdom 201🇻🇦 Vatican City 3
Cities and towns
Rome 30London 26Moscow 18Dublin 17Vienna 16Athens 14Venice 14Paris 13Seville 12Kraków 11Riga 11Valencia 11
On the calendar
🇮🇪 Galway, Ireland and 1 moreBrigid's crossCros Bhríde
A cross of woven rushes or straw, made for Saint Brigid's Day on the first of FebruaryCraft
🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreJack-o'-lantern
A carved pumpkin lantern lit with a candle to brighten and protect Halloween nightsFolklore
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 5 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки
An annual day for wearing traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts across the worldDress
🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineBanduraБандура
A Ukrainian plucked string instrument played to accompany epic songs and folk balladsPerformance
🇩🇪 Nuremberg, Germany and 5 moreChristmas marketWeihnachtsmarkt
A seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria and 4 moreLipizzanerLipicanec
A gray riding horse breed and centuries-old tradition of classical dressage kept by the Spanish Riding School.Performance
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 14 morePysankaписанка
A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandKraków szopkaszopka krakowska
Elaborate Christmas cribs modelled on historic Polish architecture in KrakówCraft
🇭🇷 Zagreb, Croatia and 1 moreLicitarlicitarska srca
A hand-painted honey biscuit given as a gift at weddings and on Valentine's DayCraft · Sweets given and shared
🇷🇺 Palekh, RussiaPalekh miniatureПалехская миниатюра
Tiny tempera paintings on lacquered papier-mâché, made in the Russian town of PalekhCraft
🇬🇧 United KingdomTartanbreacan
The checked woollen cloth of Scotland, woven from crossing stripes into named patternsDress
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 1 moreVyshyvankaвишиванка (Ukrainian), вышыванка (Belarusian)
An embroidered shirt of Ukraine and Belarus, its patterns marking region and familyDress
🇭🇷 CroatiaLacemaking in CroatiaČipkarstvo u Hrvatskoj
Hand-worked lace in three styles, kept in Croatian towns from the coast to the northCraft
🇷🇺 Khokhloma, RussiaKhokhlomaхохлома
Russian folk painting of red, black and gold flowers and berries on wooden tablewareCraft
🇩🇪 Saalfeld, Germany and 5 moreEaster egg treeOstereierbaum
A German springtime custom of dressing living trees and branches with blown eggsFestival
🇷🇺 Pavlovsky Posad, RussiaPavlovo Posad shawlПавловопосадский платок
A woolen Russian shawl printed with flowers, made in the town of Pavlovsky PosadDress
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreKiltfèileadh
A pleated knee-length skirt in tartan wool, worn as Scottish Highland dressDress
🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreNativity scene
A seasonal set of figures showing Jesus's birth, put up by Christians at ChristmasFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreTopping out
A builders' rite for the day the last beam goes up, marked with a tree, a flag and a toastCraft
🇸🇪 Nusnäs, Sweden and 1 moreDala horseDalahäst
A carved painted wooden horse from Dalarna, a children's toy that became a national symbolCraft
🇱🇺 Nospelt, LuxembourgEmaischen
An Easter Monday market in Luxembourg known for small bird-shaped clay whistlesFestival
🇳🇱 Noordwijk, Netherlands and 1 moreBloemencorso
Annual parades of flower-covered floats and boats in the Netherlands and BelgiumFestival
🇳🇱 NetherlandsBloemencorso Bollenstreek
An annual mid-April parade of flower-covered floats across the Dutch bulb regionFestival
🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainFallasFalles de València
Valencia's five-day March fiesta of giant paper figures and bonfiresFestival
🇱🇹 Vilnius, Lithuania and 3 moreSaint Casimir's FairKaziuko mugė
A spring craft market and folk celebration across the historic streets of VilniusCraft
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian embroideryвишивка (vyshyvka)
A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishingsCraft
🇪🇸 Seville, Spain and 5 moreAzulejo
Painted, tin-glazed ceramic tiles that cover walls and floors across Portugal and SpainCraft
🇷🇺 Dymkovo, RussiaDymkovo toysДымковская игрушка
Painted clay people, animals and whistles, shaped by women in Dymkovo near KirovCraft
🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta
A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress
🇸🇮 Idrija, SloveniaIdrija lace
A bobbin tape lace from the Slovenian mining town of Idrija, still taught there todayCraft
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 10 moreEgg decorating
Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka
A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival
🇷🇺 Vladimir, RussiaRozhokрожок
A traditional Russian wooden trumpet played solo and in pastoral horn ensemblesPerformance
🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain and 2 morePeineta
A curved decorative comb worn by women beneath a lace mantilla in the Hispanic worldDress
🇮🇹 Pantelleria, ItalyVite ad alberello of Pantelleria
A traditional low-bush vine training system kept on the Italian island of Pantelleria for thousands of years.Craft
🇬🇧 United KingdomGuernsey
A traditional seamless wool sweater crafted for seafarers across the British IslesDress
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten
Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress
🇲🇰 Skopje, North MacedoniaMacedonian embroidery
A hand-stitched village craft of vests, shirts and head covers in North MacedoniaCraft
🇷🇺 Mstyora, RussiaMstyora miniatureМстёрская миниатюра
Tempera miniature painting on lacquered papier-mâché, made in Mstyora, RussiaCraft
🇱🇹 LithuaniaLithuanian cross craftingLietuvos kryždirbystė
A Lithuanian folk art of carving wooden crosses that blend Christian faith with ancient Baltic symbols.Craft
🇧🇬 Chiprovtsi, Bulgaria and 1 moreChiprovtsi kilimЧипровски килим
Handmade flatwoven rugs with identical sides, crafted in a Bulgarian town since the 17th century.Craft
🇭🇷 Marija Bistrica, CroatiaWooden toys of Hrvatsko ZagorjeDrvene igračke Hrvatskog zagorja
Hand-carved wooden toys from the Zagorje hills of Croatia, painted bright by the families who make themCraft
🇬🇧 Skye, United KingdomFairy FlagA' Bhratach Shìth
A tattered silk square kept by Clan MacLeod on Skye, said to hold magical powers for the clan.Folklore
🇬🇷 GreeceHimationἱμάτιον
A wool or linen wrap worn across ancient Greece, later taken up in Rome and ByzantiumDress
🇧🇦 Konjic, Bosnia and HerzegovinaKonjic woodcarvingKonjičko drvorezbarstvo
A traditional hand-carving craft shaping furniture and home ornaments in KonjicCraft
🇷🇺 RussiaPodvorotnichokподворотничок
A detachable white fabric strip sewn inside military uniform collars for hygieneDress
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKoningsmantel
The Dutch royal cloak of red velvet and ermine, brought out when a monarch is sworn inDress
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBliaut
A fitted medieval overgarment with trailing sleeves, worn in France and nearby landsDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jack-o'-lantern: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Bandura: Julianhayda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
- Lacemaking in Croatia: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 hr, source
- Kraków szopka: user:cancre, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Khokhloma: Dmfff, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Easter egg tree: Frank schubert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vite ad alberello of Pantelleria: Luca Volpi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Vyshyvanka Day: Vladimir Yaitskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pavlovo Posad shawl: Svetlov Artem, CC0, source
- Kilt: Georg Cöler, Public domain, source
- Nativity scene: Yvonne Bentele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vyshyvanka: Vasily Andreevich Tropinin, Public domain, source
- Topping out: PKS at Danish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Licitar: Seanpu1, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Palekh miniature: Ivan Ivanovich Golikov, Public domain, source
- Tartan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fairy Flag: Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dala horse: User:Mysid, Public domain, source
- Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
- Xhubleta: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Konjic woodcarving: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Koningsmantel: Thérèse Schwartze, Public domain, source
- Bliaut: Edmund Blair Leighton, Public domain, source
- Lipizzaner: Srdjan Živulovič, Attribution, source
- Idrija lace: Lace: Pavla Podobnik Photograph: Ines Zgonc, Public domain, source
- Pysanka: Lubap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Peineta: Hiart, CC0, source
- Rozhok: Obakeneko, CC BY 3.0, source
- Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Emaischen: Christian Ries, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bloemencorso: Dekraaie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bloemencorso Bollenstreek: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fallas: Goodnighmoon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saint Casimir's Fair: Sirex at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Azulejo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Himation: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Guernsey: LeGroweur, Public domain, source
- Swiss traditional costume: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dymkovo toys: Georg Pik, Public domain, source
- Mstyora miniature: Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lithuanian cross crafting: Vilensija, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chiprovtsi kilim: Edal Anton Lefterov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wooden toys of Hrvatsko Zagorje: Roberta., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Macedonian embroidery: Antonio Brsjacki, Public domain, source