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All traditions

2,280 traditions so far, best known first. 12,325 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and meal.

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KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇦🇷 Salta, Argentina and 3 moreZamba A graceful Argentine couple dance of circling steps and fluttering white handkerchiefsPerformance 🇨🇳 Beijing, China and 2 moreChinese opera戲曲 / 戏曲 (xìqǔ) A sung, danced and acrobatic theatre from China, in over a hundred regional stylesPerformance 🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaKandyan danceඋඩරට නැටුම් The sacred dance of Sri Lanka's hill country, kept in temple and on the stagePerformance 🇹🇷 Samsun, TurkeyHoronχορόν Line dances of Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, danced with shaking shouldersPerformance 🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilCapoeira An Afro-Brazilian martial art and musical game played inside a circleGame 🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkFaroese chain danceFøroyskur dansur A living medieval chain dance guided by sung ballads in the Faroe IslandsPerformance 🇹🇴 TongaTauʻolunga A Tongan dance of hand gestures and steady eyes, performed by young women at weddingsPerformance 🇹🇷 Konya, Turkey and 4 moreMevlevi OrderMevlevilik A Sufi tradition from Konya known for its whirling ceremony and devotion to Rumi's teachings.Spiritual 🇧🇿 Dangriga, Belize and 4 morePunta rock A fast-paced Garifuna dance music mixing traditional percussion with electric guitarsPerformance 🇲🇺 Mauritius and 3 moreSegaséga A music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.Performance 🇮🇳 Gwalior, India and 1 moreDhrupadध्रुवपद The foundational vocal and instrumental classical music tradition of northern IndiaPerformance 🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesKrewe Carnival clubs that stage parades, balls, and pageantry along the Gulf CoastFestival 🇲🇦 Morocco and 5 moreAndalusi classical musicطرب أندلسي A classical suite of vocal and instrumental music shared across North AfricaPerformance 🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDhaanto A Somali folk dance and music style used for morale and celebration in the Horn of Africa.Performance 🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreEwe drumming The drum ensembles of the Ewe people, with iron bells, rattles and talking drumsPerformance 🇵🇾 ParaguayParaguayan harp Paraguay's national harp, strung with 32 to 46 strings and plucked with long fingernailsPerformance 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreTalchum탈춤 A Korean mask dance drama in which masked actors sing, dance and mock the powerfulPerformance 🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreRara A Haitian street music of bamboo trumpets and drums, played in the Easter seasonPerformance 🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSongline A navigational and spiritual path across Australia that links ancestral stories to the physical landscape.Folklore 🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual 🇺🇸 New York, United States and 2 moreSalsa A lively Latin partner dance rooted in Afro-Caribbean rhythms and social dance traditionsPerformance 🇬🇲 Gambia and 4 moreKoraߞߐߙߊ A 21-string West African harp-lute played by hereditary storytellers and bardsPerformance 🇲🇱 Bamako, Mali and 5 moreGriotjeli, ߖߋ߬ߟߌ in N'Ko script West Africa's hereditary keepers of spoken history, praise and musicPerformance 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار A traditional double-reed instrument and drum ensemble for weddings and folk dancesPerformance 🇯🇵 JapanMiko巫女 A woman who serves at a Shinto shrine, dancing, cleansing and helping with ritesSpiritual 🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 morePangalay A traditional fingernail dance of the Tausūg and Bajau peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah.Performance 🇮🇳 Goa, India and 2 moreShehnai A traditional reed instrument played at weddings and temple festivals across IndiaPerformance 🇵🇭 PhilippinesPandanggo A lively Philippine folk dance of quick steps, clapping and balanced lightsPerformance 🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreSiva Samoa A graceful Samoan dance marked by subtle, expressive arm and hand movementsPerformance 🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 2 moreIrish stepdance A percussive dance form with swift, intricate footwork and an upright torsoPerformance 🇮🇸 IcelandKvæði Long narrative ballads sung during traditional chain dances in the Faroe IslandsPerformance 🇵🇰 Karachi, Pakistan and 2 moreSouth Asian truck art The craft of painting and adorning cargo trucks and buses across India and Pakistan.Craft 🇹🇿 Zanzibar, TanzaniaSauti za Busara A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old FortPerformance 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKyōgen狂言 A traditional Japanese comic theatre of short farces, spoken dialogue and satirePerformance 🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreAgbadza An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivalsPerformance 🇮🇩 Ubud, IndonesiaBarongᬩᬭᭀᬂ A sacred Balinese masked dance drama depicting the eternal struggle of good and evilPerformance 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan and 1 moreBonsai盆栽 A Japanese craft of keeping small trees in shallow pots, shaped for contemplationCraft 🇬🇪 Tbilisi, Georgia and 4 moreGeorgian polyphonic singing Several voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddingsPerformance 🇺🇾 Montevideo, UruguayNostalgia NightNoche de la Nostalgia Uruguay's nationwide retro music and dance celebration held every 24 AugustFestival 🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaGumboot danceIsicathulo A percussive South African dance born in the mines, performed in Wellington boots to communicate and celebrate.Performance 🇮🇪 Ros Muc, Ireland and 2 moreSean-nós dancedamhsa ar an sean nós An improvised solo Irish dance: low footwork, free arms and a loud battering beatPerformance 🇮🇳 Puri, India and 1 morePattachitra A cloth scroll painting tradition from eastern India featuring mythological stories and folk tales.Performance 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreGhazalغَزَل A short rhyming poem of love and parting, recited and sung from Arabia to South AsiaPerformance 🇮🇳 IndiaWarli painting Sacred white rice paste murals made on red clay walls in western IndiaCraft 🇺🇸 Raven's Roost, United StatesStomp dance A ceremonial night dance kept by Eastern Woodland tribes in the United States and Oklahoma.Performance · Dinner 🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeNational Day Parade Singapore's annual independence day celebration of parades, music and fireworksCeremony 🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay A traditional line and circle folk dance kept across Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Syria.Performance 🇮🇳 IndiaTheyyam A sacred ritual dance and divine invocation from North Malabar in IndiaSpiritual
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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.