Traditions of Middle East
Ramadan, hospitality of coffee and dates, Shabbat, Nowruz and the hajj. 187 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreEid al-Fitrعيد الفطر
The feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits homeFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Iran and 7 moreNowruzنوروز
The Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelPassoverפסח
A Jewish spring festival celebrating freedom from slavery with ritual mealsSpiritual · Dinner
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreHanukkahחֲנֻכָּה
An eight-day Jewish festival marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a single day'Festival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelYom Kippurיוֹם כִּפּוּר
The holiest day in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, prayer and atonementSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇱 IsraelRosh Hashanahרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה
The Jewish New Year marked by shofar horn blasts, prayer and sweet foodsSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSukkotסוכות
A seven-day autumn Jewish festival of temporary booths, harvest prayers and hospitalitySpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 morePurimפּוּרִים
A lively Jewish festival of storytelling, shared food, masks and charityFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreKol Nidreכָּל נִדְרֵי
An Aramaic declaration of vow annulment that opens the Yom Kippur evening service in Jewish synagogues.Spiritual
🇹🇷 Samsun, TurkeyHoronχορόν
Line dances of Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, danced with shaking shouldersPerformance
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreTzitzitצִיצִית
Knotted ritual fringes worn on a four-cornered garment, a reminder of the commandmentsDress
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates and 1 moreYowlahاليولة (al-yawlah)
A traditional stick and sword dance of the UAE and Oman, performed at weddings and celebrations.Performance
🇹🇷 Konya, Turkey and 4 moreMevlevi OrderMevlevilik
A Sufi tradition from Konya known for its whirling ceremony and devotion to Rumi's teachings.Spiritual
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی
An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft
🇮🇷 Shiraz, Iran and 1 moreKhatamخاتم
A Persian inlay craft that builds geometric patterns from thousands of tiny cut piecesCraft
🇮🇶 IraqMudhifالمضيف
A traditional reed guest house kept by the Ahwari people of southern Iraq for ceremonies and hospitality.Home
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreTisha B'Avתשעה באב
A solemn fast day in July or August to mourn the destruction of the Jerusalem Temples and other Jewish tragedies.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇱 Tiberias, Israel and 2 moreYahrzeitיאָרצײַט (yortsayt)
A Jewish death anniversary marked by prayer and a burning candle to honour the departed.Rite of passage
🇴🇲 Salalah, Oman and 3 moreKhareefخَرِيْف
The monsoon season of Dhofar and Al Mahrah, welcomed with a festival in SalalahSeasonal
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreNazarnazar boncuğu
A blue glass eye amulet worn and displayed to deflect the evil eye.Folklore
🇮🇱 IsraelMishloach manotמשלוח מנות
Food parcels exchanged on Purim, so everyone has plenty for the day's festive mealSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 IsraelTallitטלית
A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreMezuzahמְזוּזָה (mezuzah)
A parchment scroll with Hebrew verses placed in a case on the doorposts of Jewish homes.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreKaddishקַדִּישׁ
A Jewish hymn of sanctification recited during prayer services and mourning rituals.Spiritual
🇮🇷 IranGabbehگبه
A thick, boldly simple wool rug, hand-woven by women in Iran's Zagros MountainsCraft
🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 4 moreMajlis
A traditional sitting room and community assembly for hospitality and civic counselEtiquette
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 5 moreZajalزجل
Half-sung Arabic poetry in colloquial speech, traded as a duel between improvising poetsPerformance
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreKhordad Salخرداد روز
A Zoroastrian festival marking the birth of the prophet Zarathushtra with prayers and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreDreidelדרײדל (Yiddish); סביבון (Hebrew)
A four-sided top spun for small stakes, most often by Jewish families at HanukkahGame
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 4 moreDabkeدبكة
A Levantine folk dance of linked lines and stomping steps, kept at weddings and community gatherings.Performance
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle folk dance kept across Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Syria.Performance
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 2 moreBay'ahبَيْعَة
An Islamic oath of allegiance pledged to a ruler or spiritual guideCeremony
🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 2 moreStations of the CrossVia Crucis
A Christian prayer journey following fourteen moments of the Passion of JesusSpiritual
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaArdahالعرضة
A traditional Arabian group dance of facing lines, drums, poetry, and swordsPerformance
🇧🇭 Bahrain and 3 moreFann at-Tanburaفن الطنبورة
A Gulf song and dance of drums and tanbura, born in healing, now stagedPerformance
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreHoly FireἋγιον Φῶς
A fire ceremony in Jerusalem each year, kept by Orthodox Christians before EasterSpiritual
🇹🇷 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
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaIhramإِحْرَام
A sacred state and simple dress that Muslims enter for Hajj and UmrahSpiritual
🇰🇼 KuwaitDewaniya
An evening gathering and reception central to Kuwaiti social, business, and civic lifeEtiquette · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelShavuotשבועות
A late-spring Jewish festival of the wheat harvest and the giving of the TorahSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 morePresentation of Jesus at the TempleIn praesentatione Domini
A February feast of candles and welcome, kept forty days after ChristmasSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreYaldā Nightشب یلدا
A solstice night of poetry, fruit and family, kept from Iran through Central AsiaFestival · Dinner
🇾🇪 Mokha, Yemen and 7 moreArabic coffeeqahwa (Arabic: قهوة)
A bitter, spiced brew served as a gesture of hospitality across the Arab world.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelPassover Sederסדר פסח
A ritual meal opening Passover, told over wine, matzah and symbolic foodsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبهسوری
An Iranian festival of fire and renewal celebrated on the eve of the final Wednesday before spring.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreSamaSema (Turkish); سَماع (Persian)
A Sufi rite of listening, music and turning, kept by Mevlevi and other Sufi ordersSpiritual
🇹🇷 Turkey and 6 moreHıdırellez
A spring festival marking the meeting of two prophets, celebrated across Turkey and the Balkans.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreMehreganمهرگان
An Iranian autumn festival honoring Mithra, friendship, and the harvestSeasonal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple: Gaudenzio Ferrari, Public domain, source
- Halay: Post of Moldova, Public domain, source
- Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
- Eid al-Fitr: Mohammed Tawsif Salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
- Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
- Passover: User:RadRafe~commonswiki, Public domain, source
- Mehregan: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khatam: Fabienkhan, Public domain, source
- Hanukkah: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
- Horon: Macukali, Public domain, source
- Mevlevi Order: Georges Jansoone ( JoJan ), CC BY 3.0, source
- Yom Kippur: Maurycy Gottlieb, Public domain, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Rosh Hashanah: N100a . The original uploader was N100a at Hebrew Wikipedia ., Attribution, source
- Sukkot: Zachi Evenor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Purim: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Holy Fire: William Holman Hunt, Public domain, source
- Mishloach manot: Yoninah, CC BY 2.5, source
- Dreidel: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tzitzit: DRosenbach at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Khareef: May Paulose, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ihram: United Press International, Public domain, source
- Shavuot: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Passover Seder: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sama: myself, Public domain, source
- Ardah: Abodi009, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tallit: Mushki Brichta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Majlis: Abū Zayd ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Zayd, CC0, source
- Dabke: Sarah Canbel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Arabic coffee: Canbel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ramadan in Turkey: Wiki leylek, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nazar: Alev Akın, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kaddish: Jwh, CC BY-SA 3.0 lu, source
- Yowlah: Sharon Harper, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mudhif: Hassan Janali, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain, source
- Kol Nidre: אליעזר ב"ר רבי אליהו הלוי שבט סופר, Public domain, source
- Tisha B'Av: shlomi kakon, CC BY 2.5, source
- Yahrzeit: Elipongo, Public domain, source
- Mezuzah: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, source
- Stations of the Cross: Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yaldā Night: M.Sadegh Nikgostar/Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, source