Traditions of North America
Thanksgiving, powwow, Dia de Muertos, the Fourth of July and the Canadian maple season. 170 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
Cities and towns
New York 38Toronto 19New York City 17Mexico City 16Los Angeles 15Chicago 13Philadelphia 13New Orleans 12Washington 11
On the calendar
🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United StatesMummers Parade
An annual New Year's Day street parade in Philadelphia featuring music and costumed clubsFestival
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesUnited States presidential inauguration
The formal swearing-in ceremony and celebrations for a new United States presidentCeremony
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana
A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBachelor party
A send-off for a groom-to-be, kept in the days and weeks before a weddingRite of passage
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreMummering
A festive midwinter custom of disguised visits, music and playful guessing gamesFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 Hilo, United StatesMerrie Monarch Festival
A spring week of hula in Hilo, closing with three nights of competitionFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreWedding reception
The party after a wedding, where the couple greet guests over food, cake and dancingFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 United StatesLūʻau
A Hawaiian feast of kālua pig and poi, eaten by hand outdoors with music and hulaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTailgate party
Grilling, sharing and drinking beside a car before the game, mostly in North AmericaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 Cleveland, United StatesClambake
Shellfish steamed over seaweed in a pit, eaten outdoors along the New England coastTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoOfrenda
A home altar of food, flowers and candles that welcomes the dead home at Día de MuertosSpiritual
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCalaca
Skull and skeleton figures made for the Day of the Dead, joyful rather than sadCraft
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreBridal shower
A gift-giving party for a bride before her wedding, best known in North AmericaRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day
An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSweet sixteen
A North American coming-of-age celebration marking a sixteenth birthdayRite of passage
🇨🇦 Montreal, CanadaMontreal International Jazz FestivalFestival international de Jazz de Montréal
A ten-day summer jazz festival filling downtown Montreal with free and ticketed concertsPerformance
🇺🇸 United StatesRehearsal dinner
A meal the night before a US wedding, when the wedding party gathers to toast and thankRite of passage · Dinner
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreEaster parade
A festive Easter Sunday stroll featuring stylish clothes and elaborate bonnetsFestival
🇺🇸 United StatesGreen Corn CeremonyPuskita
A Southeastern harvest and new year ceremony of fasting, dancing and renewalSeasonal
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesWest Indian Day Parade
A lively Caribbean street procession held every September in Brooklyn, New YorkFestival
🇨🇦 Quebec City, CanadaQuebec Winter CarnivalCarnaval de Québec
A midwinter celebration of snow, outdoor sports and caribou in Quebec City.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePowwow
A communal gathering of dancing, singing and fellowship across Native North AmericaFestival
🇺🇸 United StatesMakahiki
A four-month Hawaiian new year season of peace, harvest gifts, feasts and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoNight of the RadishesNoche de Rábanos
An annual festival of intricate sculptures carved from oversized radishes in OaxacaCraft
🇲🇽 Mazatlán, MexicoCarnival of MazatlánCarnaval de Mazatlán
An annual five-day festival of parades, fireworks, poetry and dance in coastal MexicoFestival
🇲🇽 Acolman, Mexico and 1 morePiñata
A festive decorated container broken open with a stick to scatter treats and fruitFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoPassion Play of Iztapalapa
A community passion play staged across Iztapalapa during Holy WeekSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesTimes Square Ball
A ball of light slides down a pole in Times Square to mark the start of the new yearFestival
🇲🇽 Tijuana, Mexico and 1 moreBirria
A rich, seasoned meat stew from western Mexico, cooked for gatherings and holidaysTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesMardi Gras Indians
A New Orleans carnival tradition where Black revelers wear elaborate Native American-inspired suits to honor historical Festival
🇲🇽 Veracruz, Mexico and 3 moreBaile folklórico
Staged folk dances of Mexico and Central America, with regional dress and mariachi musicPerformance
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
An Ashkenazi Jewish instrumental tradition of lively dance tunes and ritual melodiesPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBaby shower
A gift-giving party for a new or expected baby, kept in many countriesRite of passage
🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday
An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 5 moreLabour Day
A day honouring workers, kept on 1 May in most countries and on other dates elsewhereFestival
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCyber Monday
An annual online shopping observance held on the Monday following American Thanksgiving.Seasonal
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 1 moreStar Wars Day
An annual worldwide celebration of the Star Wars universe on May 4Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreWikipedia Day
An annual gathering and birthday party for the Wikipedia community every JanuaryFestival
🇺🇸 United StatesFestivus
A secular December observance marked by bare poles, voiced grievances, and wrestlingFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month
An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLine-crossing ceremony
A naval initiation rite marking a sailor's first voyage across the equatorRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreArmed Forces Day
A civic holiday honouring national military services, their history and active personnelCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreLGBTQ History Month
An annual month of education and remembrance celebrating queer lives and civil rightsCeremony
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreWorld Religion Day
An annual day in January dedicated to spiritual unity and harmony across all faiths.Spiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBanned Books Week
An annual autumn campaign celebrating the freedom to read and access challenged booksCeremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Montreal International Jazz Festival: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sweet sixteen: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, No restrictions, source
- Columbus Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bridal shower: The McClouds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mummering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerry_curtis/, CC0, source
- Mexican Revolution Day: Ute Hagen, CC BY 2.0, source
- United States presidential inauguration: The White House, Public domain, source
- Mummers Parade: Tyler McHenry at English Wikipedia ( Original text: Tyler McHenry (Thi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bachelor party: Derek Springer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Merrie Monarch Festival: Allanbcool, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding reception: Konstantin Makovsky, Public domain, source
- Lūʻau: Ralawami, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tailgate party: Ben Vardi, Public domain, source
- Clambake: inuyaki.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ofrenda: Eneas de Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Calaca: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baby shower: Goizarin, CC0, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Festivus: en:User:DRosenbach Original uploader was DRosenbach at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Line-crossing ceremony: Jules de Caudin, Public domain, source
- Armed Forces Day: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
- Labour Day: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Banned Books Week: carmichaellibrary, CC BY 2.0, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Easter parade: Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo, Public domain, source
- Green Corn Ceremony: George Catlin, Public domain, source
- West Indian Day Parade: Fordmadoxfraud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Quebec Winter Carnival: Shapiros10, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Powwow: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, source
- Makahiki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carnival of Mazatlán: The New Foxy, CC0, source
- Piñata: No machine-readable author provided. JEDIKNIGHT1970 assumed (based on, Public domain, source
- Passion Play of Iztapalapa: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Times Square Ball: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, source
- Birria: Equipo 9mkt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mardi Gras Indians: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Baile folklórico: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source