Skip to content

ArtsFamily Folk Dance HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremony Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrate WeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh Tradition SeasonsOak Mountain State Park to host annual Harvest Festival Oct. 17 ArtsTwo weekends of Oktoberfest fun begin tonight at American German Club ArtsFamily Folk Dance HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremony Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrate WeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh Tradition SeasonsOak Mountain State Park to host annual Harvest Festival Oct. 17 ArtsTwo weekends of Oktoberfest fun begin tonight at American German Club

Traditions of North America

Thanksgiving, powwow, Dia de Muertos, the Fourth of July and the Canadian maple season. 166 traditions on EveryParampara so far.

🇲🇽 MexicoMesoamerican bloodletting A ritual practice of self-cutting used by ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican elites to communicate with the divine.Spiritual

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreStatue rubbing A global custom of touching public statues to seek luck, love, or a return to the city.Festival

🇲🇽 Tlayacapan, MexicoChinelos Masked dancers from Morelos who spoof colonial manners at CarnivalPerformance

🇺🇸 United StatesPre-Cana Meetings and courses Catholic couples take before a wedding, often called Pre-CanaRite of passage 🇨🇦 Edmonton, CanadaGrand North American Old Time Fiddle Championship An annual summer fiddle tournament and community gathering in Alberta, CanadaPerformance 🇲🇽 MexicoPirekua A gentle Purépecha song form from Michoacán, sung solo or in duetsPerformance 🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaRamadan in Canada A month of fasting, prayer and shared evening meals, kept by Muslims across CanadaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSaber arch A wedding custom where sabers form an arch for the couple to walk through.Rite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual

🇺🇸 United StatesFlower girl A young child walking before the bride, scattering blossoms along the wedding aisleRite of passage 🇨🇦 Turtle Lake, CanadaTurtle Lake Monster A Saskatchewan lake legend of a huge creature, claimed sightings and a sturgeon theoryFolklore

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNude wedding A marriage ceremony where the couple and guests gather without clothingRite of passage

🇺🇸 United StatesOld time fiddle An American string band style played for dancing, kept alive through local contests and family teaching.Performance 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreStag and doe A Canadian fundraising party for an engaged couple, featuring games, food, and raffles to help pay for the wedding.Festival · Dinner

🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaCalling of an Engineerl'Engagement de l'ingénieur A private Canadian rite where engineers pledge ethical duty and receive an iron ringRite of passage 🇺🇸 United StatesWamus A jacket worn in the United States, in fringed hide, cloth or Amish Sunday bestDress 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYom HaHatzalahיום ההצלה A Sat Hasidic holiday marking the rescue of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum from the Holocaust on the 21st of Kislev.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇺🇸 New York, United StatesBark Mitzvah A lighthearted coming of age celebration held by dog owners for their petsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner 🇨🇦 Wallaceburg, CanadaBaldoon Mystery A ghost story from Wallaceburg, Ontario, about a cursed farm and a silver bulletFolklore

🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMemphre A creature of Quebec and Vermont folklore, reported at Lake Memphremagog since 1816Folklore

🇺🇸 United StatesUnity candle A modern wedding ritual where two flames join to ignite a single central candleRite of passage

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Old time fiddle: Edward Washbourne (1831-1860), Public domain, source
Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Calling of an Engineer: Joebobfrank, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pre-Cana: Jebulon, CC0, source
Memphre: Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0, source
Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
Chinelos: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mesoamerican bloodletting: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Saber arch: Rabe100, Public domain, source
Flower girl: lil'bear, CC BY 2.0, source
Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.