Traditions of Southeast Asia
Songkran, Tet, Nyepi and Pchum Ben, rice rituals and temple offerings. 137 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreHoly WeekἉγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς
The solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇵🇭 Marinduque, PhilippinesMoriones Festival
A Holy Week reenactment in Marinduque where masked participants search for the Roman centurion Longinus.Festival
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaPenjorᬧᬾᬜ᭄ᬚᭀᬃ
A curved bamboo pole decorated with leaves and offerings, raised in Bali to mark Galungan and invite prosperity.Spiritual
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPandanggo
A lively Philippine folk dance of quick steps, clapping and balanced lightsPerformance
🇮🇩 IndonesiaPasola
A ritual horseback spear contest in western Sumba marking the rice-planting seasonGame
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaMelasti
A Balinese Hindu purification ritual held at the sea before Nyepi to cleanse sacred objects and people.Spiritual
🇲🇲 Yangon, MyanmarThadingyutသီတင်းကျွတ်
A Burmese celebration and calendar month marking the completion of Buddhist Lent.Seasonal
🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeNational Day Parade
Singapore's annual independence day celebration of parades, music and fireworksCeremony
🇲🇲 MyanmarYoke théရုပ်သေး
A classical Burmese string puppet theatre performed with complex marionettes and music.Performance
🇵🇭 Manila, Philippines and 5 moreNovena
A nine-day Christian prayer tradition for petitions, feasts, or mourning.Spiritual
🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia and 1 moreLegonglégong
A refined Balinese dance of intricate finger movements and expressive gestures, kept in Indonesia.Performance
🇮🇩 North Sumatra, IndonesiaUlosᯥᯞᯘᯬ᯲
A hand-woven textile of the Batak people in Indonesia, worn for warmth and ceremony.Dress
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 2 moreNgajatTanda Ngajat
A traditional folk dance of the Iban people in Sarawak and Borneo, mimicking birds and warriors.Performance
🇹🇭 Thailand and 7 moreSpirit house
A small roofed shrine on a pillar, kept in homes and villages across Southeast Asia to honour protective spirits.Spiritual
🇻🇳 Hoa Lư, VietnamChèo嘲
Satirical folk musical theatre performed by village troupes across northern VietnamPerformance
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandCoronation of the Thai monarchพระราชพิธีบรมราชาภิเษก
A consecration ceremony blending Hindu and Buddhist rites to formally install the King of Thailand.Ceremony
🇹🇱 Dili, Timor-Leste and 1 moreTais
Traditional hand-woven cloth of East Timor, worn as dress or used in ceremonies and exchange.Dress
🇹🇭 ThailandThai solar calendarปฏิทินสุริยคติไทย
The official solar calendar of Thailand, numbered in the Buddhist EraSeasonal
🇻🇳 Huế, VietnamNón lá𥶄蘿
A pointed leaf and bamboo hat worn across Vietnam for shelter, work and celebrationDress
🇵🇭 Cebu, PhilippinesBatok
Indigenous Filipino tattooing, once worn as dress, rank and a rite of passageCraft
🇰🇭 CambodiaApsara Danceរបាំទេពអប្សរា
A classical Cambodian court dance inspired by the stone carvings of AngkorPerformance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesCariñosa
A Philippine folk dance of colonial origin where a couple uses a fan and handkerchief to enact a playful romance.Performance
🇵🇭 Manila, Philippines and 1 moreSimbang Gabi
A nine-day series of early morning Masses held in the Philippines to prepare for Christmas.Festival
🇹🇱 Timor-LesteUma Lulik
Sacred ancestral clan houses and ritual shrines in East TimorSpiritual
🇵🇭 Cebu, PhilippinesArnis
The national martial art of the Philippines using sticks, bladed weapons and open handsGame
🇲🇲 Mandalay, Myanmar and 2 moreSand pagodaသဲပုံစေတီ (Burmese), พระเจดีย์ทราย (Thai)
Temporary sand or mud structures built by Theravada Buddhists to cultivate merit and honor the Buddha.Spiritual
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreKopitiam
A neighbourhood coffee shop where Southeast Asians share meals, drinks and newsTable custom · Breakfast
🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao)
A Lao rite that calls the soul home and ties a thread on the wrist for good luckSpiritual
🇹🇭 Phon Phisai, Thailand and 1 moreNaga fireballsบั้งไฟพญานาค (bang fai phaya nak)
A festival of glowing orbs rising from the Mekong River, attributed to a mythical serpent.Festival
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreDikir baratDikir Hulu / Dikir Barat
A group singing art from the Malay Peninsula where verses are traded back and forth in a witty lyrical duel.Performance
🇵🇭 Palo, Philippines and 1 moreTinikling
A Philippine folk dance where dancers step between clapping bamboo polesPerformance
🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesPasyon
A Tagalog epic of Christ's passion, chanted without a break during Holy WeekSpiritual
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreKenduri
A communal prayer meal and gathering shared across Indonesia, Malaysia and BruneiSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇩 IndonesiaOgoh-ogohᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄ
Giant handcrafted statues paraded and burned on the eve of the Balinese Saka New YearFestival
🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia and 5 moreIkat
A resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingCraft
🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia and 3 morePencak silat
Indonesia's many schools of full-body fighting, with strikes, locks, throws and bladesGame
🇲🇲 Bagan, MyanmarNat worshipနတ်
Veneration of guardian spirits and nature deities alongside Buddhism in MyanmarSpiritual
🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia and 2 moreMudik
Indonesians head home to family before Lebaran, in the year's biggest journeyHome
🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 morePangalay
A traditional fingernail dance of the Tausūg and Bajau peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah.Performance
🇮🇩 Ubud, IndonesiaBarongᬩᬭᭀᬂ
A sacred Balinese masked dance drama depicting the eternal struggle of good and evilPerformance
🇮🇩 IndonesiaIsra and Mi'rajالإسراء والمعراج (al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj)
An Islamic observance marking the prophet Muhammad’s night journey and ascent through the heavens.Spiritual
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai, Thailand and 5 moreLoy Krathongลอยกระทง
A Thai festival of floating leaf baskets on rivers to honor water and release negativity.Festival
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ
A Balinese Hindu day of silence, fasting and stillness marking the Saka new yearSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreMāgha Pūjāមាឃបូជា
A Buddhist holy day honoring monastic unity, moral guidance and spiritual fellowshipSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇲🇲 Yangon, MyanmarThingyanသင်္ကြန်
A four-day water festival marking the Myanmar New Year, celebrated in April with merit-making and playful splashing.Festival
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreKathina
A Buddhist season of offering new robes and gifts to monks after the rains retreatSpiritual
🇻🇳 VietnamHùng Kings' Temple FestivalLễ hội đền Hùng
A Vietnamese national festival honoring the legendary founding kings with temple worship and processions.Festival
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 4 moreRoyal Ploughing Ceremonyព្រះរាជពិធីបុណ្យច្រត់ព្រះនង្គ័ល
A royal agricultural rite opening the rice season across mainland Southeast AsiaCeremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Moriones Festival: EMMAN A. FORONDA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kenduri: Andreasprasetya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Uma Lulik: Isabel Nolasco, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pangalay: BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tinikling: U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nestor Cruz, Public domain, source
- Pencak silat: Agus Triyanto, CC0, source
- Loy Krathong: John Shedrick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Isra and Mi'raj: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy Week: Anonymous ( Maasland ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Kathina: Thai Government, CC BY 2.0, source
- Māgha Pūjā: myself, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thingyan: Pagan era painter(s), Public domain, source
- Hùng Kings' Temple Festival: Xuannguyen1133, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Royal Ploughing Ceremony: Xiengyod, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pasyon: Judgefloro, CC0, source
- Ikat: Midori, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mudik: Arie Basuki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baci: Dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nat worship: Emily Khine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ogoh-ogoh: Simondodit, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandanggo: John Charlton, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Arnis: Carmen Novoa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barong: Michael Gunther, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chèo: Thomas Schoch, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- National Day Parade: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thadingyut: Aungzawtoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Apsara Dance: Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nón lá: Ratmanhme282020, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yoke thé: Uthantofburma ( talk ) 05:15, 30 November 2010 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Simbang Gabi: Avito C. Dalan for the Philippine News Agency, Public domain, source
- Dikir barat: SMK SERI MAHKOTA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Naga fireballs: J A Forbes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tais: Daderot, CC0, source
- Coronation of the Thai monarch: Tris_T7, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kopitiam: Chongkian, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Penjor: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ngajat: Menuaibansarawak, CC0, source
- Sand pagoda: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, source
- Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Spirit house: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Legong: P. (Paul) Spies (Fotograaf/photographer)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pasola: Fakhri Anindita, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Melasti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cariñosa: Markytour777, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Novena: Catedrales e Iglesias/Cathedrals and Churches, CC BY 2.0, source
- Batok: Lee, CC BY 2.0, source