Traditions of Southeast Asia
Songkran, Tet, Nyepi and Pchum Ben, rice rituals and temple offerings. 145 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreRocket Festivalບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ
A rainy-season festival of merit-making, music, parades and homemade rocketsFestival
🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesHoly Week in the PhilippinesMahal na Araw
An eight-day observance of the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ in the Philippines.Spiritual
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai, Thailand and 1 moreYi Pengยี่เป็ง
A northern Thai Buddhist festival of sky lanterns, clay lamps and temple sermonsSpiritual
🇰🇭 CambodiaPchum Benភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ
A fifteen-day Cambodian Buddhist festival honouring ancestors with food and prayersSpiritual
🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreManoPagmamano
A Filipino greeting where a younger person bows and asks an elder for a blessingEtiquette
🇮🇩 Uluwatu, IndonesiaKecakᬓᬾᬘᬓ᭄ (Balinese), Tari Kecak (Indonesian)
A circle of men chanting chak as they dance the Ramayana epic in BaliPerformance
🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking
The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreFirst Communion
A Christian rite of passage marking a person's initial reception of the Eucharist.Rite of passage
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์
The Thai solar New Year marked by temple rites, elder blessings and water throwingSeasonal
🇮🇩 Pariaman, IndonesiaTabuik
A Muharram mourning rite in Pariaman, Sumatra, ending with a bier carried into the seaSpiritual
🇹🇭 Dan Sai, ThailandPhi Ta Khonผีตาโขน
A three-day festival in Dan Sai, north-east Thailand, of ghost masks and merit-makingFestival
🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaPadusan
A Javanese purification bath kept by the Abangan community before Ramadan begins.Spiritual
🇮🇩 IndonesiaRampokan
A Javanese rite of the closing days of Ramadan, with lancers ringed around big catsSpiritual
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreMalam Tujuh Likurمالم توجوه ليكور
The Malay custom of lighting oil lamps during the closing nights of Ramadan.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇻🇳 VietnamSpace of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of VietnamKhông gian văn hóa Cồng Chiêng Tây Nguyên
Gong sets of Vietnam's Central Highlands, played for festivals and spiritsPerformance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBuklog
A thanksgiving ritual of the Subanen people in the Philippines, honoring spirits through offerings and dance.Spiritual
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreMenoraมโนราห์
A traditional Thai dance drama from the south, featuring acrobatics and sacred rituals.Performance
🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreAldersgate Day
A Methodist observance on 24 May marking the spiritual turning point of John Wesley.Festival
🇱🇦 Vientiane, LaosBoun Suang Hueaບຸນຊ່ວງເຮືອ
A Lao festival of riverboat races and floating offerings at the close of Buddhist LentFestival
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNgerorod
A Balinese Hindu way of marrying, where a couple wed by their own choiceRite of passage
🇻🇳 Tuyên Quang, VietnamCây nêuCây nêu (Chữ Nôm: 核標)
A bamboo pole raised in Vietnam to mark the New Year and protect homes from bad spirits.Festival
🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 moreMass of the Lord's Supper
An evening liturgy marking the start of the Easter Triduum and recalling Jesus' final meal with his followers.Spiritual
🇲🇲 Bagan, MyanmarAtar-ohအတာအိုး
A terracotta vessel prepared for the Myanmar New Year to welcome celestial blessings and purify the home.Festival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mass of the Lord's Supper: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Padusan: Muhammad Khafidz Riza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holy Week in the Philippines: LMP 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rocket Festival: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cây nêu: vi:Phạm Xuân Nguyên, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tabuik: en:User:Brakatop upload to commons by Ladsgroup, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Phi Ta Khon: E.D.W., Public domain, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Menora: AjarnRichard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aldersgate Day: Man vyi, Public domain, source
- First Communion: Fortepan adományozó URBÁN TAMÁS, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Atar-oh: Maung Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Boun Suang Huea: ClaireM1FLERéunion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yi Peng: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pchum Ben: Saphabodi, CC0, source
- Mano: TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO, Public domain, source
- Kecak: Rollan Budi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rampokan: Elite Atelier H.G. Rimestadt (Fotograaf/photographer)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Malam Tujuh Likur: Qatrunan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Đỗ Tuấn Hưng, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Buklog: Theglennpalacio, CC BY-SA 4.0, source