Traditions of Middle East
Ramadan, hospitality of coffee and dates, Shabbat, Nowruz and the hajj. 195 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreNewrozنەورۆز
A Kurdish spring festival and new year celebration marked by bonfires, dance, and the lighting of fires.Festival
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel and 1 moreAdloyadaעדלאידע
A humorous Purim parade in Israel featuring giant puppets and satirical floats.Festival
🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى
An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 IranTaarofتعارف
An Iranian code of ritual politeness, where offers and refusals are traded with graceEtiquette
🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreKalpak
A tall cap of Turkic peoples, thick for winter and wide and light for summerDress
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreNiqabنِقاب
A face veil worn by some Muslim women, hiding all but the eyesDress
🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey and 5 moreKaragöz and Hacivat
A Turkish shadow play of two quarrelling friends, acted on a lit screen behind a curtainPerformance
🇮🇷 Tehran, IranIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران
A wedding with courtship visits, a henna night and a spread of symbols, kept across IranRite of passage
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreBar and bat mitzvahבַּר מִצְוָה / בַּת מִצְוָה
A Jewish rite of passage marking when youth reach adulthood and take responsibility for their own actions.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreFour speciesארבעת המינים (Arba'at HaMinim)
A ritual waving of four plants during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotהַקָּפוֹת
Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreHanukkah menorah
A nine-branched lamp that gains one more flame on each of Hanukkah's eight nightsSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreLord's DayKyriake hemera
Sunday, the weekly day of Christian worship, kept as a memory of the resurrectionSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreChallahחַלָּה
A braided Jewish bread, blessed and shared at Shabbat and holiday tablesTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇸🇾 Aleppo, SyriaAleppo soapصابون غَار (ṣābūn ghar)
A hard olive-oil and laurel soap, hand-made in Aleppo and aged for monthsCraft
🇮🇷 Tabriz, IranPersian carpetفرش ایرانی
Hand-woven knotted rugs and flat textiles crafted across the towns and tribes of IranCraft
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreKashrutכַּשְׁרוּת (Hebrew)
The Jewish dietary laws: what may be eaten, and how it is preparedTable custom
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب
A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreCoffee culture
The habits and etiquette of drinking coffee, and the cafés built around itTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 2 moreAnnunciationΟ Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου
A Christian feast marking the angel Gabriel's message to Mary about bearing Jesus, kept on 25 March.Festival
🇮🇱 Israel and 6 moreHoly SaturdaySabbatum Sanctum
The closing day of Holy Week, a Saturday of waiting, fasting and vigil before EasterSpiritual
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDay of Arafahيوم عرفة
A holy day of prayer, repentance, and vigil on the second day of the Hajj pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇶 Kufa, Iraq and 5 moreArabic calligraphykhatt (خَطّ)
Artistic handwriting of the Arabic script, practiced as a sacred craft and a living visual tradition.Craft
🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKakava
A Romani night by the river in Edirne: bonfire, candles and pilafFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreLand Dayيَوْم اَلْأَرْض (Yawm al-Ard)
A yearly day of remembrance for Palestinians marking the 1976 protests against land seizures.Ceremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelJerusalem Film Festivalפסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים / مهرجان القدس السينمائي
Ten summer days of films from around the world, held in Jerusalem since 1984Performance
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMourning of Muharramعَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ
Annual rites of grief and remembrance for Imam Husayn and his companionsSpiritual
🇹🇷 Van, Turkey and 5 moreChildren's Day
An international observance supporting youth welfare, education and children's rightsCeremony
🇮🇱 IsraelFast of the Firstbornתַעֲנִית בְּכוֹרוֹת
A Jewish fast day kept by firstborns on the eve of PassoverSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 3 moreTasu'aتاسوعاء
A Shia day of remembrance before Ashura, honouring Abbas and the fallen at KarbalaSpiritual
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSa'eeالسعي
The ritual walk between the twin hills of Safa and Marwa during Islamic pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreZeved habatזֶבֶד הַבָּת
A Jewish naming ceremony for newborn girls, kept by Sephardi, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi communities.Rite of passage
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreFatimiyyaفاطمیة
A Shia period of mourning honoring the life and martyrdom of Lady FatimahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreKiddush Levanahקידוש לבנה
A Jewish ritual service held after the new moon to bless God for the lunar cycle and seek protection.Spiritual
🇹🇷 TurkeyKandilقنديل
Five holy nights marked by illuminated minarets and prayers in Turkey and the BalkansSpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇹🇷 Bursa, TurkeyLaylat al-Raghaibلَيْلَةُ الرّغائِب
An Islamic night of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the three sacred monthsSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇾 Syria and 2 moreAd orientem
The Christian practice of facing eastward during personal prayer and communal liturgySpiritual
🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHadraحضرة
A collective Sufi ritual of chanted divine remembrance, sacred poetry and rhythmic movementSpiritual
🇸🇾 Syria and 6 moreKha b'Nisanܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ
A spring new year on 1 April, kept with parades, poems and dancing by AssyriansFestival
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreIsru Chagאסרו חג
A minor Jewish observance extending the joy and sanctity of major pilgrimage holidaysSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Beit HaShoeivahשמחת בית השואבה
Nightly music and dancing during the intermediate days of the festival of SukkotFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonLebanese Independence Dayعيد الاستقلال اللبناني
Lebanon's national day, marking the end of French mandate rule in 1943Ceremony
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaManasikمناسك
The complete set of Islamic pilgrimage rites performed in and around Mecca.Spiritual
🇮🇷 IranKhāne-takānīخانهتکانی
A spring cleaning ritual in Iran that prepares homes for the Norouz new year.Festival
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreCamel Heda'aحداء الإبل
Camel herders' calls that speak to the herd, kept across the Arabian PeninsulaFolklore
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreDough offeringHafrashat challah
A Jewish ritual where a portion of bread dough is set aside for a priest.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTikkun HaKlaliתיקון הכללי
A set of ten Psalms recited for repentance and spiritual healing within the Breslover Hasidic tradition.Spiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Children's Day: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khāne-takānī: Niloofar Rakhshan, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kashrut: Daniel Ventura, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hijab: Sophie Barat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holy Saturday: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kakava: CeeGee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jerusalem Film Festival: Gilabrand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kha b'Nisan: Athrakado, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lebanese Independence Day: Adib Ibrahim, Public domain, source
- Camel Heda'a: Rawan92, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Isru Chag: Jim Padgett, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Arabic calligraphy: Aieman Khimji, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source
- Fast of the Firstborn: J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, source
- Mourning of Muharram: Naser Jafari, CC BY 4.0, source
- Sa'ee: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fatimiyya: Mohsen Ataei, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kiddush Levanah: Wacław Koniuszko, Public domain, source
- Simchat Beit HaShoeivah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Manasik: Dan ik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ad orientem: Joachim Specht, Public domain, source
- Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zeved habat: I.am.a.qwerty, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Annunciation: El Greco, Public domain, source
- Land Day: Lata66, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Day of Arafah: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dough offering: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Newroz: Salar Arkan - سالار ارکان, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Adloyada: ד"ר אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
- Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Taarof: Oxlaey, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kalpak: Prosopee, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Niqab: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Karagöz and Hacivat: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bar and bat mitzvah: Peter van der Sluijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Four species: עוטה אור, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shabbat meals: Yoninah, Public domain, source
- Hanukkah menorah: Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lord's Day: Globetrotter19, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aleppo soap: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Persian carpet: Jastrow, Public domain, source
- Coffee culture: The original uploader was Hajor at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 3.0 br, source