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HeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsWaldo Fall Festival celebrates 34 years of community traditionFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy 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?Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ Pasadena’s 28th annual Latino Heritage Parade and Festival is scheduled for this afternoon and evening, with organizers planning a special recognitioHeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsWaldo Fall Festival celebrates 34 years of community traditionFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy 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?Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ Pasadena’s 28th annual Latino Heritage Parade and Festival is scheduled for this afternoon and evening, with organizers planning a special recognitio
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2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,311 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and meal.

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RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreEwe drumming The drum ensembles of the Ewe people, with iron bells, rattles and talking drumsPerformance 🇳🇬 Enugu, NigeriaAtilogwu A high-energy Igbo youth dance featuring acrobatics, drum music and rhythmic jumps.Performance 🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreSabar A traditional Wolof and Serer drum played in Senegal and The Gambia, accompanying dance at weddings and festivals.Performance 🇱🇷 LiberiaDan maskgle or ge A sacred wooden mask worn by the Dan people of Liberia to embody forest spirits during masquerade.Spiritual 🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreAgbadza An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivalsPerformance 🇨🇮 Abidjan, Ivory Coast and 3 moreZouglou A dance-led music style from Ivory Coast, sung in street slang and local languagesPerformance 🇸🇴 SomaliaBuraanbur A traditional Somali poetic form composed by women, recited with drums and dance at weddings and gatherings.Performance 🇳🇪 In-Gall, Niger and 2 moreGuérewol A week-long courtship ritual where Wodaabe men dance and sing to win the attention of marriageable women.Festival 🇲🇼 Malawi and 3 moreNyau A secret society and masked dance tradition of the Chewa people in Southern Africa.Spiritual 🇿🇼 ZimbabweBira ceremony An all-night Shona ritual in Zimbabwe where music and dance summon ancestral spirits for guidance.Spiritual 🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreIndlamu A Zulu war dance of two warriors in pelts, matched move for move and stamped on the beatPerformance 🇲🇱 Bamako, Mali and 5 moreGriotjeli, ߖߋ߬ߟߌ in N'Ko script West Africa's hereditary keepers of spoken history, praise and musicPerformance 🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival 🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreKumpo A palm-leaf figure of the Diola, danced at village festivals to urge good conductFolklore 🇲🇿 Island of Mozambique, MozambiqueTufo A women's dance of northern Mozambique, performed at Islamic feasts to drums and songPerformance 🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 4 moreKizomba A close, slow couple dance from Angola, named after a Kimbundu word for partyPerformance 🇧🇮 Gitega, BurundiKaryenda A sacred drum of Burundi that symbolized the monarchy and announced royal events.Performance 🇲🇺 Mauritius and 3 moreSegaséga A music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.Performance 🇹🇿 Zanzibar, TanzaniaSauti za Busara A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old FortPerformance 🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 2 moreKuduro An energetic Angolan music and dance style born in Luanda that mixes African rhythms with electronic beats.Performance 🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaGumboot danceIsicathulo A percussive South African dance born in the mines, performed in Wellington boots to communicate and celebrate.Performance 🇨🇻 Cape VerdeFunaná An accordion and iron-scraper music and couple dance from Cape VerdePerformance 🇦🇴 AngolaSemba A traditional style of music and partner dance from AngolaPerformance 🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDhaanto A Somali folk dance and music style used for morale and celebration in the Horn of Africa.Performance 🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarHiragasyHira gasy A day-long Malagasy highland tradition of song, dance, and poetic speech competitionsPerformance 🇬🇲 Gambia and 4 moreKoraߞߐߙߊ A 21-string West African harp-lute played by hereditary storytellers and bardsPerformance 🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual 🇲🇬 MadagascarValiha A bamboo tube zither from Madagascar, played for recreation and spirit ritualsPerformance 🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual 🇳🇬 Onitsha, NigeriaAgbogho MmuoAgbọghọ Mmụọ An Igbo masked dance celebrating maidenhood and the female spiritPerformance 🇲🇬 MadagascarFamadihana A Malagasy reburial custom where families gather to rewrap and honour their ancestorsRite of passage 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeledeGẹlẹdẹ A Yoruba masked dance festival honoring the spiritual power of mothers and social harmony.Festival 🇹🇿 Zanzibar City, TanzaniaZanzibar International Film Festival An annual ten-day arts, music and cinema gathering held across Zanzibar.Performance 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 5 moreCongolese rumba An African dance music and guitar tradition born along the Congo RiverPerformance 🇪🇹 Mekelle, EthiopiaAshendaአሸንዳ An Ethiopian festival celebrating women and girls with song, dance and tall grass attireFestival 🇷🇼 Rwanda and 1 moreIntore A men's dance of Rwanda and Burundi, once for war, now for ceremony and celebrationPerformance 🇬🇭 GhanaPanafest A biennial Ghanaian festival uniting Africans and the diaspora through arts and healingFestival 🇨🇻 Boa Vista, Cape Verde and 5 moreMorna Cape Verde's guitar-and-voice song, danced in pairs, listed by UNESCO in 2019Performance 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreGule Wamkulu A masked Chewa dance of the Nyau society, danced at funerals and chief installationsPerformance 🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAdumuEnkipaata A Maasai warrior dance of high jumps from a circle, done at weddings and ritesPerformance 🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaCape Town Minstrel CarnivalKaapse Klopse Cape Town's 2 January parade of minstrel troupes, ghoema drums and bright umbrellasFestival 🇬🇭 Accra, GhanaChale Wote Street Art Festival An annual street art festival in Accra featuring murals, theater, and music.Performance 🇬🇭 GhanaAdowa A Ghanaian Akan dance where hands and feet carry the mood of the occasionPerformance 🇸🇨 SeychellesMoutya A Seychellois evening dance of drum, song and bolder movement, listed by UNESCO in 2021Performance 🇸🇳 Dakar, Senegal and 4 moreWorld Festival of Black ArtsFestival Mondial des Arts Nègres A recurring month-long gathering of arts, music and writing from Africa and its diasporaFestival 🇬🇭 Anloga, Ghana and 1 moreHogbetsotso festival An Anlo Ewe festival in Anloga recalling an escape from NotsieFestival 🇦🇴 Angola and 2 moreLusona Sand drawings from Angola and Zambia that carry proverbs, fables and animalsCraft 🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
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The weekly EveryParampara

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