Traditions of South Asia
Diwali, Holi, Eid and Vesak, saptapadi and mehndi: the densest calendar of living traditions anywhere. 346 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
🇦🇫 Afghanistan 28🇧🇩 Bangladesh 64🇧🇹 Bhutan 14🇮🇳 India 363🇲🇻 Maldives 4🇳🇵 Nepal 70🇵🇰 Pakistan 69🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 45
Cities and towns
On the calendar
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUgadiఉగాది
A South Indian New Year feast celebrating life with sweet, sour, and bitter tastesSeasonal
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreNaga Panchamiनागपञ्चमी (Nāgapañcamī)
A day of worship for serpent deities and cobras, observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists across South Asia.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUpanayanaउपनयन (Sanskrit)
A Hindu rite of passage that begins a child's study and marks a second birthRite of passage
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKarva Chauthकरकचतुर्थी
A fasting festival kept by married women in North India and Nepal for the safety of their husbands.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThaipusam
A Tamil Hindu festival honoring Murugan through devotional burdens and pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreGuru Purnimaगुरुपूर्णिमा
A sacred South Asian festival honouring spiritual guides, teachers, and mentorsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreChhath Pujaछठ पूजा
A four-day Hindu festival honouring the sun and Chhathi Maiya along riverbanksSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Gaya, India and 1 moreShraddhaश्राद्ध
Rituals of faith for the ancestors, kept yearly and through Pitru PakshaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 2 morePitri Pakshaपितृ पक्ष (Pitṛ pakṣa)
A sixteen-day Hindu period for honoring ancestors through food offerings and rites.Spiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaHanuman Jayantiहनुमानजयंती
A Hindu festival marking the birth of Hanuman with prayers, readings and offeringsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Haridwar, India and 3 moreAntyestiअन्त्येष्टि
The traditional Hindu funeral ceremony and final rite of passageRite of passage
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय तृतीया (Akṣaya Tṛtīyā)
A spring festival of lasting prosperity observed by Hindus and Jains in India.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 3 moreKartika Purnimaकार्त्तिकपूर्णिमा (Kārttikapūrṇimā)
A full moon festival of lights and holy baths celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across South Asia.Festival
🇮🇳 Kolkata, India and 1 moreKali Pujaকালীপূজা
A Hindu festival of midnight worship and illuminated shrines honoring the goddess KaliSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDhanterasधनतेरस (Hindi), धनत्रयोदशी (Sanskrit)
The first day of Diwali, a festival of lamps, health and wealth kept across India and Nepal.Festival
🇮🇳 Goa, India and 2 moreBhai Doojभाई दूज
A Hindu festival of sibling bonds marked by forehead markings, feasts and blessingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreHolika Dahanहोलिकादहन
A Hindu ritual bonfire lit on the eve of Holi to welcome the spring.Spiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaVishuവിഷു
The Malayali new year, kept on 14 or 15 April with an auspicious first sightingSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Goa, IndiaGudi Padwaगुढी पाडवा
A spring festival marking the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus in Maharashtra and Goa.Festival
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal and 4 moreDashainबडादशैँ
A fifteen-day festival of family gatherings, blessings, and feasts across NepalFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahaतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A ritual wedding of the tulasi plant to Vishnu, kept in homes and temples across IndiaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSharad Purnima
A Hindu autumn full moon festival of night vigils, moonlit sweets and sacred dancesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreTiharतिहार
A five-day Nepalese festival honoring animals, deities, and the bond between siblingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, India and 1 moreTeejतीज (Tīja)
A monsoon festival where women fast and sing to celebrate the union of Shiva and Parvati.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaMahavir Janma Kalyanak
A Jain festival of temple worship, street processions and acts of charitySpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaNamakaranaनामकरणम्
A Hindu rite that gives a baby its name, kept in the days after a birthRite of passage
🇮🇳 Anandpur Sahib, IndiaHola Mohallaਹੋਲਾ-ਮਹੱਲਾ
A three-day Sikh festival of martial arts, poetry, shared meals and grand processionsFestival
🇧🇹 Thimphu, BhutanTshechuཚེས་བཅུ།
Annual Bhutanese Buddhist festivals of sacred Cham dances and colossal cloth scrollsFestival
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingVivaha (विवाह)
A traditional Hindu marriage ceremony involving sacred rituals and vows witnessed by fire.Rite of passage
🇮🇳 Jaipur, IndiaGangaurगणगौर
A North Indian spring festival honouring Shiva and Gauri with clay idols and processionsFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Mysuru, IndiaMysore Dasara
Karnataka's ten-day Dasara, with the lit Mysuru Palace and a Vijayadashami processionFestival
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGai JatraSā Pāru (𑐳𑐵𑐥𑐵𑐬𑐸)
A Newar festival in the Kathmandu Valley to honor relatives who died that year through processions and satire.Festival
🇮🇳 Vrindavan, India and 2 moreGovardhan Puja
A Hindu festival of piled vegetarian foods and sculpted earth, honouring KrishnaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalIndra JatraYenyā Punhi
An eight-day street festival in Nepal featuring masked dances, chariot processions, and sacred pole ceremonies.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNaraka Chaturdashi
The dawn festival of oil baths, ancestor lamps, and harvest foods during DiwaliFestival · Breakfast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLakshmi Pujaलक्ष्मीपूजा
A Hindu festival of lamps, prayers and offerings welcoming the goddess of prosperitySpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaUttarayanaउत्तरायण (Uttarāyaṇa)
The Sun's six-month journey north, kept as an auspicious Hindu season and festivalSeasonal
🇮🇳 IndiaBathukammaబతుకమ్మ
A nine-day floral festival celebrated by women across Telangana and Andhra PradeshFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaChaturmasyaचातुर्मास्य
A four-month sacred monsoon season of fasting, vows, and monastic retreat in IndiaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreCheti Chandچيٽي چنڊ
The Sindhi New Year festival celebrating the arrival of spring and JhulelalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, India and 1 moreKarthika DeepamKārtikai Tīpam
A Tamil and Malayali Hindu festival of lights honouring Shiva, Kartikeya and ParvatiSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaAyudha Pujaआयुध पूजा
A Hindu festival blessing the tools, vehicles, books and instruments of daily workSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDol Purnima
A Hindu spring festival honouring Radha and Krishna with swing processions and colourFestival
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluபொம்மை கொலு
An autumn festival display of stepped dolls and figurines in South Indian homesFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai
An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaEsala Perahera
A Sri Lankan procession of sacred relics, drummers and elephants honouring the BuddhaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Kolkata, IndiaDurga Puja in Kolkataকলকাতার দুর্গাপূজা
The grand annual autumn festival honouring the mother goddess Durga across KolkataSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaParyushana
An annual Jain holy period of intense fasting, reflection, and asking for forgivenessSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chhath Puja: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naga Panchami: No machine-readable author provided. Krish Dulal assumed (based on cop, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Antyesti: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kali Puja: Jonoikobangali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tshechu: Stephen Shephard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Govardhan Puja: Ms Sarah Welch, CC0, source
- Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dol Purnima: Satyabrata sahoo369, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Akshaya Tritiya: Fgndgndgnr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Durga Puja in Kolkata: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Gudi Padwa: Abhijit Tembhekar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gangaur: Avinashmaurya, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cheti Chand: Coolross ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bathukamma: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nuakhai: Mamata Padhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mysore Dasara: Kalyan Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bhai Dooj: SandeshLamsalNepal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thaipusam: hams Nocete, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Paryushana: Aayush18, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Teej: Ganesh Paudel at ne.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Karthika Deepam: SriniG, Public domain, source
- Lakshmi Puja: Subharnab Majumdar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dhanteras: The original uploader was F16 at Hebrew Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak: Francis Harry Roy S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Naraka Chaturdashi: India (Delhi Agra area), Public domain, source
- Hanuman Jayanti: Haha sugarr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Esala Perahera: Ashan96, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indra Jatra: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tihar: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, source
- Dashain: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Karva Chauth: Iamwiki001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guru Purnima: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pitri Paksha: Firoz Shakir, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sharad Purnima: ShotgunMavericks, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ugadi: Kalyan Kanuri, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hola Mohalla: Aayush sharma 923, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayudha Puja: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tulasi Vivaha: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kartika Purnima: Pictowrit, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holika Dahan: Banswalhemant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shraddha: Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vishu: Vishnu Kunnathully, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Upanayana: vinodbahal, CC BY 2.0, source