Traditions of North America
Thanksgiving, powwow, Dia de Muertos, the Fourth of July and the Canadian maple season. 164 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
Cities and towns
New York 38Toronto 19New York City 17Mexico City 16Los Angeles 15Chicago 13Philadelphia 13New Orleans 12Washington 12
On the calendar
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United States and 5 moreMardi Gras
A festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent beginsFestival
🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaCanada DayFête du Canada
A national holiday on July 1 that marks the 1867 union of Canadian colonies into a single dominion.Ceremony
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 4 moreKwanzaa
A seven-day African American celebration of heritage, family and community valuesFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico and 1 moreMariachi
A Mexican string and trumpet music tradition featuring charro attire and communal singing.Performance
🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk
A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day
An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage
A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage
🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day
A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 morePotlatch
A ceremonial feast of gift-giving and wealth distribution among First Nations on the Northwest Coast.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSun DanceWi-wayang-wa-c'i-pi
A days-long dance of fasting and sacrifice among the Plains peoplesSpiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesVeterans Day
A U.S. federal holiday honoring all who have served in the armed forces.Ceremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesPresidents' DayWashington's Birthday
An annual American holiday honouring George Washington and the nation's past leadersCeremony
🇨🇦 Calgary, CanadaCalgary StampedeStampede de Calgary
A ten-day July festival of rodeo, racing, and community breakfasts in Alberta.Festival · Breakfast
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesThanksgiving
An annual American holiday of gratitude, family gatherings and an autumn harvest feastFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreHoʻoponopono
A Hawaiian family ritual of prayer, confession and forgiveness that sets wrongs rightSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇦 CanadaSaint-Jean-Baptiste DayFête nationale du Québec
An annual civic and cultural celebration observed across Quebec every June 24Ceremony
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine
A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Independence DayDía de la Independencia de México
An annual Mexican national holiday marking the 1810 uprising against Spanish ruleCeremony
🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 moreLas Posadas
A nine-night Christmas pageant remembering Mary and Joseph seeking shelterSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreFeast of San GennaroFesta di San Gennaro
A patronal festival of parades, street food and prayer honouring Saint JanuariusFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreTartan DayLà an Tartain
An annual celebration of Scottish culture, clan tartans, and diaspora heritageFestival
🇨🇦 CanadaThanksgivingAction de grâce
An annual Canadian autumn holiday celebrating the harvest with family feastsFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesNational Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation
An annual White House ceremony in which the American president spares a holiday turkey.Ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesPotluck
A shared meal where every guest brings a dish, kept by churches, clubs and neighborsTable custom · Dinner
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreGuelaguetza
An annual Oaxacan festival of indigenous dance, music, costumes and communal sharingFestival
🇺🇸 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
🇲🇽 Puebla, Mexico and 1 moreCinco de Mayo
May 5 observance honoring the 1862 Mexican victory over French troops near Puebla.Ceremony
🇲🇽 Acolman, Mexico and 1 morePiñata
A festive decorated container broken open with a stick to scatter treats and fruitFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana
A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoNight of the RadishesNoche de Rábanos
An annual festival of intricate sculptures carved from oversized radishes in OaxacaCraft
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreMummering
A festive midwinter custom of disguised visits, music and playful guessing gamesFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesJazz funeral
A New Orleans funeral march led by brass music, moving from mourning to joyful danceRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage
🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday
An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreBridal shower
A gift-giving party for a bride before her wedding, best known in North AmericaRite of passage
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
An Ashkenazi Jewish instrumental tradition of lively dance tunes and ritual melodiesPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day
An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePowwow
A communal gathering of dancing, singing and fellowship across Native North AmericaFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSweet sixteen
A North American coming-of-age celebration marking a sixteenth birthdayRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreNational day of mourning
A day a government sets aside for national grief, often marked by flags at half-mastCeremony
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesWest Indian Day Parade
A lively Caribbean street procession held every September in Brooklyn, New YorkFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoPassion Play of Iztapalapa
A community passion play staged across Iztapalapa during Holy WeekSpiritual
🇨🇦 Montreal, CanadaMontreal International Jazz FestivalFestival international de Jazz de Montréal
A ten-day summer jazz festival filling downtown Montreal with free and ticketed concertsPerformance
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreEaster parade
A festive Easter Sunday stroll featuring stylish clothes and elaborate bonnetsFestival
🇨🇦 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
🇲🇽 Mazatlán, MexicoCarnival of MazatlánCarnaval de Mazatlán
An annual five-day festival of parades, fireworks, poetry and dance in coastal MexicoFestival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation: Trump White House Archived, Public domain, source
- Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mariachi: Elidealista, CC0, source
- Potlatch: James Gilchrist Swan (1818–1900), Public domain, source
- Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
- Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
- Veterans Day: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day: Montrealais, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Presidents' Day: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
- Victoria Day: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, source
- Thanksgiving: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Public domain, source
- Mexican Independence Day: PetrohsW, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Las Posadas: Yavidaxiu, CC BY 3.0, source
- Feast of San Gennaro: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thanksgiving: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tartan Day: daniel2177, CC BY 2.0, source
- Carnival of Mazatlán: The New Foxy, CC0, source
- Quebec Winter Carnival: Shapiros10, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Easter parade: Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo, Public domain, source
- Montreal International Jazz Festival: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Passion Play of Iztapalapa: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- West Indian Day Parade: Fordmadoxfraud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sweet sixteen: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, No restrictions, source
- Powwow: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, source
- Columbus Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source
- Bridal shower: The McClouds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jazz funeral: Photo by Infrogmation, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mummering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerry_curtis/, CC0, source
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mexican Revolution Day: Ute Hagen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Piñata: No machine-readable author provided. JEDIKNIGHT1970 assumed (based on, Public domain, source
- Cinco de Mayo: anonymous, Public domain, 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
- Guelaguetza: A01321718, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sun Dance: Robert Harry Lowie, Public domain, source
- Hoʻoponopono: Makana Chai, Public domain, source
- National day of mourning: Dudzislaw, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Canada Day: Martin C. Barry ( Marty555 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Potluck: Mack Male, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mardi Gras: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0, source