All traditions
2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,311 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and meal.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇦🇹 Bludenz, AustriaBludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik
An international festival of contemporary classical music held annually in BludenzPerformance
🇨🇳 Hengyang, China and 1 moreShan'ge山歌
A family of Chinese folk ballads from the countryside, in many regional formsPerformance
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoDokuFest
An annual summer gathering in Prizren dedicated to non-fiction cinema and short filmsFestival
🇬🇧 United KingdomWooing Play
A folk performance of farm labourers in the East Midlands, featuring a sieve horse.Performance
🇯🇲 Kingston, JamaicaJamaica Independence Festival
An August festival of music, pageantry and parades marking Jamaican freedomCeremony
🇿🇦 Durban, South AfricaPoetry Africa
A week or more of readings, music and workshops in Durban, with poets from AfricaPerformance
🇬🇧 United KingdomGarland dance
A nineteenth-century English dance tradition performed with flower-covered garlandsPerformance
🇪🇸 SpainThe Water of LifeL'aigua de vida
A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking birdPerformance
🇰🇷 Jindo Island, South KoreaNamdo Field Songs남도 들노래
Farmers' choral work songs from South Jeolla, sung through the rice field yearPerformance
🇳🇬 Uyo, NigeriaAkwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival
A large annual gathering of carol singers in Nigeria that holds a Guinness World Record for the largest assembly.Festival
🇬🇧 United KingdomAssipattle and the Stoor Worm
An Orcadian dragon-slayer tale of a fireside daydreamer who defeats a giant sea monsterFolklore
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, IsraelLethal Lesbianלסבית קטלנית
An annual film festival in Tel Aviv dedicated to cinema by and about lesbian women.Festival
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale
A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance
🇱🇧 Byblos, LebanonByblos International Festival
An annual summer music and arts festival held in the historic port town of Byblos, Lebanon.Festival
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut International Women Film Festival
An annual cinema festival in Beirut celebrating films made by and about womenPerformance
🇿🇲 Lundazi, ZambiaZengani
An annual October gathering of Tumbuka and Ngoni communities in eastern Zambia to celebrate unity through traditional daFestival
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS
An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance
🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival
An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇿🇲 Muyombe, ZambiaVinkhakanimba
An annual gathering and dance celebration of the Tumbuka people in northeastern ZambiaFestival
🇲🇹 Floriana, MaltaIsle of MTV
A major free summer open-air pop and electronic music gathering held in MaltaFestival
🇰🇳 Charlestown, Saint Kitts and NevisCulturama
An annual summer carnival celebrating Nevisian heritage and returning islandersFestival
🇽🇰 Gjilan, KosovoFlaka e Janarit
A winter arts festival in Kosovo honoring national martyrs through music, drama and verseFestival
🇮🇱 Safed, IsraelShalom Aleichemשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם
A traditional song sung on Friday night to welcome Sabbath angels into the homeSpiritual
🇨🇾 Nicosia, Cyprus and 1 moreInternational Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
An annual summer gathering in Cyprus staging classical Greek plays in historic open arenasPerformance
🇬🇷 GreeceKalanta ChristougenonΚάλαντα Χριστουγέννων
A Greek Christmas carol, sung around the feast with triangle and guitarPerformance
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 moreManifesta
A roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsPerformance
🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival
A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance
🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaL-Għanja tal-Poplu
An annual Maltese music festival celebrating original songs in MaltesePerformance
🇯🇵 JapanKirikane截金
A Japanese craft of cut gold, silver or platinum leaf for Buddhist statues and paintingsCraft
🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreFlabiol
A Catalan woodwind flute played alongside a small drum in folk dancesPerformance
🇨🇿 Prague, CzechiaPrague SoundsStruny podzimu
An annual music festival in Prague presenting jazz, classical and electronic artistsFestival
🇵🇭 PhilippinesHarana
A Filipino serenade where a suitor sings beneath his beloved's window at nightPerformance
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreMenoraมโนราห์
A traditional Thai dance drama from the south, featuring acrobatics and sacred rituals.Performance
🇳🇬 NigeriaKwagh-Hir
A Tiv puppet theatre and masquerade performance from central Nigeria that uses masks and marionettes to tell moral storiPerformance
🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaSeal carving篆刻
The Chinese craft of engraving characters and personal emblems into stone stamping sealsCraft
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkNatFilm Festival
An annual Danish cinema gathering held around Easter from 1990 to 2008Performance
🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon
A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
🇵🇸 Palestine and 1 morePalestine Festival of Literatureاحتفالية فلسطين للأدب
An annual touring literary gathering staging free bilingual readings across PalestinePerformance
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePunjabi wedding traditions
The multi-day marriage customs and rituals of Hindu and Sikh Punjabi familiesRite of passage · Sweets given and shared
🇪🇪 Kuressaare, EstoniaSaaremaa Opera FestivalSaaremaa ooperipäevad
An annual opera festival in Kuressaare, Estonia, featuring international performances.Performance
🇸🇷 Suriname and 1 moreSuriPop
A biennial songwriting festival and gala performance held in SurinamePerformance
🇯🇵 JapanRokudan no Shirabe六段の調
A six-part Japanese koto piece, one of the best known works of the sōkyoku repertoirePerformance
🇪🇪 Tartu, EstoniaTartuff
An open-air romance film festival held in the town hall square of Tartu, EstoniaPerformance
🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanAsrlar Sadosi
An annual outdoor festival celebrating Uzbek folk arts, sports, crafts, and heritageFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaMarga Natya
A dance, music and acting tradition rebuilt from Bharata's Natya ShastraPerformance
🇲🇰 Bitola, North MacedoniaManaki Brothers Film Festival
An annual international festival in Bitola honouring the craft of cinematographyFestival
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel and 5 moreTel Aviv International Student Film Festival
A week-long gathering in June where student filmmakers from around the world screen their work, attend workshops, and mePerformance
🇷🇺 Vladimir, RussiaRozhokрожок
A traditional Russian wooden trumpet played solo and in pastoral horn ensemblesPerformance
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoDokuFest
An annual summer gathering in Prizren dedicated to non-fiction cinema and short filmsFestival
🇬🇧 United KingdomWooing Play
A folk performance of farm labourers in the East Midlands, featuring a sieve horse.Performance
🇯🇲 Kingston, JamaicaJamaica Independence Festival
An August festival of music, pageantry and parades marking Jamaican freedomCeremony
🇿🇦 Durban, South AfricaPoetry Africa
A week or more of readings, music and workshops in Durban, with poets from AfricaPerformance
🇬🇧 United KingdomGarland dance
A nineteenth-century English dance tradition performed with flower-covered garlandsPerformance
🇪🇸 SpainThe Water of LifeL'aigua de vida
A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking birdPerformance
🇰🇷 Jindo Island, South KoreaNamdo Field Songs남도 들노래
Farmers' choral work songs from South Jeolla, sung through the rice field yearPerformance
🇳🇬 Uyo, NigeriaAkwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival
A large annual gathering of carol singers in Nigeria that holds a Guinness World Record for the largest assembly.Festival
🇬🇧 United KingdomAssipattle and the Stoor Worm
An Orcadian dragon-slayer tale of a fireside daydreamer who defeats a giant sea monsterFolklore
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, IsraelLethal Lesbianלסבית קטלנית
An annual film festival in Tel Aviv dedicated to cinema by and about lesbian women.Festival
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale
A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance
🇱🇧 Byblos, LebanonByblos International Festival
An annual summer music and arts festival held in the historic port town of Byblos, Lebanon.Festival
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut International Women Film Festival
An annual cinema festival in Beirut celebrating films made by and about womenPerformance
🇿🇲 Lundazi, ZambiaZengani
An annual October gathering of Tumbuka and Ngoni communities in eastern Zambia to celebrate unity through traditional daFestival
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS
An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance
🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival
An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇿🇲 Muyombe, ZambiaVinkhakanimba
An annual gathering and dance celebration of the Tumbuka people in northeastern ZambiaFestival
🇲🇹 Floriana, MaltaIsle of MTV
A major free summer open-air pop and electronic music gathering held in MaltaFestival
🇰🇳 Charlestown, Saint Kitts and NevisCulturama
An annual summer carnival celebrating Nevisian heritage and returning islandersFestival
🇽🇰 Gjilan, KosovoFlaka e Janarit
A winter arts festival in Kosovo honoring national martyrs through music, drama and verseFestival
🇮🇱 Safed, IsraelShalom Aleichemשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם
A traditional song sung on Friday night to welcome Sabbath angels into the homeSpiritual
🇨🇾 Nicosia, Cyprus and 1 moreInternational Festival of Ancient Greek Drama
An annual summer gathering in Cyprus staging classical Greek plays in historic open arenasPerformance
🇬🇷 GreeceKalanta ChristougenonΚάλαντα Χριστουγέννων
A Greek Christmas carol, sung around the feast with triangle and guitarPerformance
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 moreManifesta
A roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsPerformance
🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival
A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance
🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaL-Għanja tal-Poplu
An annual Maltese music festival celebrating original songs in MaltesePerformance
🇯🇵 JapanKirikane截金
A Japanese craft of cut gold, silver or platinum leaf for Buddhist statues and paintingsCraft
🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreFlabiol
A Catalan woodwind flute played alongside a small drum in folk dancesPerformance
🇨🇿 Prague, CzechiaPrague SoundsStruny podzimu
An annual music festival in Prague presenting jazz, classical and electronic artistsFestival
🇵🇭 PhilippinesHarana
A Filipino serenade where a suitor sings beneath his beloved's window at nightPerformance
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreMenoraมโนราห์
A traditional Thai dance drama from the south, featuring acrobatics and sacred rituals.Performance
🇳🇬 NigeriaKwagh-Hir
A Tiv puppet theatre and masquerade performance from central Nigeria that uses masks and marionettes to tell moral storiPerformance
🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaSeal carving篆刻
The Chinese craft of engraving characters and personal emblems into stone stamping sealsCraft
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkNatFilm Festival
An annual Danish cinema gathering held around Easter from 1990 to 2008Performance
🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon
A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
🇵🇸 Palestine and 1 morePalestine Festival of Literatureاحتفالية فلسطين للأدب
An annual touring literary gathering staging free bilingual readings across PalestinePerformance
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePunjabi wedding traditions
The multi-day marriage customs and rituals of Hindu and Sikh Punjabi familiesRite of passage · Sweets given and shared
🇪🇪 Kuressaare, EstoniaSaaremaa Opera FestivalSaaremaa ooperipäevad
An annual opera festival in Kuressaare, Estonia, featuring international performances.Performance
🇸🇷 Suriname and 1 moreSuriPop
A biennial songwriting festival and gala performance held in SurinamePerformance
🇯🇵 JapanRokudan no Shirabe六段の調
A six-part Japanese koto piece, one of the best known works of the sōkyoku repertoirePerformance
🇪🇪 Tartu, EstoniaTartuff
An open-air romance film festival held in the town hall square of Tartu, EstoniaPerformance
🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanAsrlar Sadosi
An annual outdoor festival celebrating Uzbek folk arts, sports, crafts, and heritageFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaMarga Natya
A dance, music and acting tradition rebuilt from Bharata's Natya ShastraPerformance
🇲🇰 Bitola, North MacedoniaManaki Brothers Film Festival
An annual international festival in Bitola honouring the craft of cinematographyFestival
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel and 5 moreTel Aviv International Student Film Festival
A week-long gathering in June where student filmmakers from around the world screen their work, attend workshops, and mePerformance
🇷🇺 Vladimir, RussiaRozhokрожок
A traditional Russian wooden trumpet played solo and in pastoral horn ensemblesPerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- The Water of Life: Internet Archive Book Images, CC0, source
- Garland dance: Tim Green, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kola San Jon: Dvfernandes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manifesta: Manifesta8 manifesta 8, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kuru Dance and Music Festival: SanDanceVR, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Autostrada Biennale: Lajmmoore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gonapamhanya festival: Tumbuka Arch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Isle of MTV: Continentaleurope, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Flaka e Janarit: E Sadiku, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kirikane: 内閣府, CC BY 4.0, source
- Flabiol: P0mbal, CC0, source
- Harana: Markytour777, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Menora: AjarnRichard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kwagh-Hir: Wilses, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Seal carving: Cyclohexane233, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Punjabi wedding traditions: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Saaremaa Opera Festival: Ave Maria Mõistlik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tartuff: Tusklikupreili, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Asrlar Sadosi: Patisserie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marga Natya: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Manaki Brothers Film Festival: US Embassy, Macedonia, Public domain, source
- Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival: Adam4896, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rozhok: Obakeneko, CC BY 3.0, source
- DokuFest: Fallbackintoreality, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival: MediaMOF, CC BY-SA 4.0, source