Traditions of Southeast Asia
Songkran, Tet, Nyepi and Pchum Ben, rice rituals and temple offerings. 144 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaTumpengꦠꦸꦩ꧀ꦥꦼꦁ (Javanese); ᬢᬸᬫ᭄ᬧᭂᬂ (Balinese)
A tall cone of rice ringed with side dishes, central to Javanese ceremonies and partiesTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇹🇭 ThailandWai khruพิธีไหว้ครู
A Thai ceremony of thanks to teachers, held in schools and in the artsSpiritual
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 3 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven cloth threaded with gold or silver, worn at weddings and royal courtsDress
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBarong tagalog
The Philippine national shirt for men: embroidered, worn loose and never tucked inDress
🇸🇬 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
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndependence DayHari Merdeka
Malaysia's national day, marking the end of British rule on 31 August 1957Ceremony
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh, Cambodia and 3 moreBokatorល្បុក្កតោ (lbŏkkâtaô)
Cambodia's battlefield martial art of strikes, locks and weapons, now a ring sportGame
🇵🇭 Kawit, PhilippinesIndependence DayAraw ng Kasarinlán
The Philippines' national day, marked each 12 June with flags and paradesCeremony
🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreVessantara JatakaVessantara Jātaka
A Buddhist festival celebrating the last life of the Buddha as a generous prince.Festival
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamReunification DayNgày Thống nhất
A public holiday in Vietnam on 30 April, marking the war's end in 1975Ceremony
🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaIndonesian Independence DayHari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia
Indonesia's national day, marking the 1945 proclamation of independenceCeremony
🇹🇭 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
🇻🇳 Hanoi, VietnamNational DayNgày Quốc khánh
Vietnam's national day, marking the 1945 independence declaration read in HanoiCeremony
🇹🇭 Lopburi, ThailandMonkey Buffet Festival
A yearly feast of fruit and vegetables set out for Lopburi's macaquesFestival
🇹🇭 Dan Sai, ThailandPhi Ta Khonผีตาโขน
A three-day festival in Dan Sai, north-east Thailand, of ghost masks and merit-makingFestival
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 4 moreSampingسمڤيڠ
A traditional Malay waist cloth worn over festive attire in Southeast AsiaDress
🇵🇭 Bulacan, PhilippinesLuksong baka
A traditional Filipino jumping game where players leap over a kneeling partner without touching them.Game
🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeSingapore International Festival of Arts
A month of theatre, dance, music and visual art in Singapore each mid-yearPerformance
🇲🇲 Bagan, MyanmarAtar-ohအတာအိုး
A terracotta vessel prepared for the Myanmar New Year to welcome celestial blessings and purify the home.Festival
🇻🇳 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
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBinirayan Festival
An annual December cultural festival in Antique celebrating Panay's Malay settlementFestival
🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaNational costume of IndonesiaPakaian Nasional Indonesia
The formal attire worn by Indonesians to represent the nation's diverse cultural heritage.Dress
🇱🇦 Vientiane, LaosBoun Suang Hueaບຸນຊ່ວງເຮືອ
A Lao festival of riverboat races and floating offerings at the close of Buddhist LentFestival
🇮🇩 IndonesiaBatik kawung
An old Indonesian batik pattern of four neat ovals, read as fruit or lotusCraft
🇵🇭 PhilippinesTapis
A hand-woven wrap skirt from the Philippines, fastened at the waist with a sashDress
🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaPadusan
A Javanese purification bath kept by the Abangan community before Ramadan begins.Spiritual
🇰🇭 CambodiaAv pakអាវប៉ាក់
A Cambodian women's shirt in silk or cotton, embroidered or laced, for festivalsDress
🇻🇳 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
🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese zodiacMười hai con giáp
A twelve-year cycle of animal years, kept in Vietnam on the lunar calendarFolklore
🇵🇭 PhilippinesHarana
A Filipino serenade where a suitor sings beneath his beloved's window at nightPerformance
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNgerorod
A Balinese Hindu way of marrying, where a couple wed by their own choiceRite of passage
🇵🇭 PhilippinesInabel weavingAbél-Ilóco
A handwoven cotton textile tradition of the Ilocano people in Northern Luzon, Philippines.Craft
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreMenoraมโนราห์
A traditional Thai dance drama from the south, featuring acrobatics and sacred rituals.Performance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBali-og
Layered necklaces and fringed collars from the Visayas and MindanaoDress
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPatadyong
A traditional Philippine wrap skirt and versatile woven cloth from the VisayasDress
🇲🇾 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
🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreAldersgate Day
A Methodist observance on 24 May marking the spiritual turning point of John Wesley.Festival
🇹🇭 ThailandKhruiครุย
A sheer ceremonial robe worn by Thai royalty and now as academic dress at universities.Dress
🇲🇲 Amarapura, MyanmarAcheikအချိတ်
A Burmese silk weave of waves and stripes, made with up to 200 shuttlesDress
🇵🇭 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
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBuklog
A thanksgiving ritual of the Subanen people in the Philippines, honoring spirits through offerings and dance.Spiritual
🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding
A multi-stage marriage ritual of the Brunei Malay community, blending Islamic vows with traditional blessings and publicRite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇻🇳 VietnamÁo gấm
A brocade tunic worn by Vietnamese men at ceremonies and festivalsDress
🇵🇭 Hungduan, PhilippinesPunnuk
A tug of war in a river at harvest's end, kept by Tuwali-speaking villages in IfugaoGame
🇰🇭 Longvek, Cambodia and 2 moreKhmer traditional clothing
How Khmer people dress: the wrapped sampot, the embroidered sbai, the checkered kramaDress
🇮🇩 IndonesiaRampokan
A Javanese rite of the closing days of Ramadan, with lancers ringed around big catsSpiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Khrui: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Buklog: Theglennpalacio, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mass of the Lord's Supper: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Padusan: Muhammad Khafidz Riza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- National costume of Indonesia: President of Indonesia, Public domain, source
- Cây nêu: vi:Phạm Xuân Nguyên, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tapis: Hiart, CC0, source
- Av pak: Puppetcreator, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vietnamese zodiac: Unknown (traditional painting dated back to the 17th century), Public domain, source
- Tumpeng: brother-harahap, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wai khru: seetefl on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
- Barong tagalog: Hiart, CC0, source
- Acheik: Chenzeyan29, CC0, source
- Bokator: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Independence Day: amrufm, CC BY 2.0, source
- Independence Day: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Áo gấm: White House photo by Eric Draper, Public domain, source
- Reunification Day: HappyMidnight, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indonesian Independence Day: Betari Ratih, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tabuik: en:User:Brakatop upload to commons by Ladsgroup, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- National Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Punnuk: Bernardguerrero, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Monkey Buffet Festival: Mr.Peerapong Prasutr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Khmer traditional clothing: Engsamnang, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rampokan: Elite Atelier H.G. Rimestadt (Fotograaf/photographer)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Phi Ta Khon: E.D.W., Public domain, source
- Singapore International Festival of Arts: Waycool27 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Atar-oh: Maung Sun, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Binirayan Festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Boun Suang Huea: ClaireM1FLERéunion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Batik kawung: Alteaven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- First Communion: Fortepan adományozó URBÁN TAMÁS, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vessantara Jataka: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, 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
- Samping: Gryffindor, Public domain, source
- Luksong baka: Free2barredo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Harana: Markytour777, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Inabel weaving: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Menora: AjarnRichard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bali-og: Patrick Poculan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Patadyong: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Malam Tujuh Likur: Qatrunan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aldersgate Day: Man vyi, Public domain, source