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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreTopping out
A builders' rite for the day the last beam goes up, marked with a tree, a flag and a toastCraft
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTailgate party
Grilling, sharing and drinking beside a car before the game, mostly in North AmericaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 Lewes, United KingdomLewes Bonfire
A Sussex town marks 5 November with torchlit processions, burning crosses and bonfiresFestival
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر
A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual
🇬🇧 United KingdomPlough Monday
England's old start of the farming year, kept with ploughs, straw bears and sword dancesSeasonal
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAdumuEnkipaata
A Maasai warrior dance of high jumps from a circle, done at weddings and ritesPerformance
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico and 1 moreParranda
A Puerto Rican Christmas custom of night-time visits with songs, food and drinkPerformance · Supper
🇨🇳 Hong Kong, China and 5 moreLunar New Year
New year festivals dated by the moon, kept from East Asia to the Middle EastFestival
🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia and 3 moreRijsttafel
Many small dishes around rice: a colonial-era banquet still served in the NetherlandsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 Cleveland, United StatesClambake
Shellfish steamed over seaweed in a pit, eaten outdoors along the New England coastTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇧🇴 La Paz, Bolivia and 1 moreEkekoIqiqu
A small figurine of abundance kept in Andean homes and carried at the Alasitas fair to invite prosperity.Spiritual
🇬🇧 Yorkshire, United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief NightNoson Ddrygioni (Welsh); Oidhche nan Cleas (Scottish Gaelic)
An evening of pranks and tricks, kept before Halloween or Guy Fawkes NightFestival
🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt and 1 moreNayrouzالنيروز (Arabic); ⲡⲓⲭⲗⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ϯⲣⲟⲙⲡⲓ (Coptic)
A Coptic feast marking the new year and honoring martyrs, kept in Egypt and Ethiopia.Festival
🇳🇬 Abuja, NigeriaNew Yam FestivalIri ji
A yearly harvest thanksgiving across Nigeria, when the first new yams may be eatenFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇬 Goroka, Papua New GuineaGoroka Show
An annual cultural gathering and sing-sing in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New GuineaFestival
🇪🇨 Quito, EcuadorFanesca
Ecuador's Holy Week soup of grains, beans and salt cod, made for Good FridayTable custom · Lunch
🇵🇭 San Fernando, Philippines and 3 moreParolparól
A Filipino star lantern of bamboo and paper, hung at Christmas from September to JanuaryFestival
🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch)
Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony
🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptFanousفانوس
An Egyptian lantern of metal and glass, hung in streets and homes through RamadanFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoOfrenda
A home altar of food, flowers and candles that welcomes the dead home at Día de MuertosSpiritual
🇦🇹 Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria and 2 moreSilent NightStille Nacht, heilige Nacht
A Christmas carol composed in Austria in 1818, now sung worldwide as a symbol of peace.Performance
🇮🇩 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
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreSwabian-Alemannic FastnachtFastnacht
A late-winter carnival of masks and jesters kept before Lent in the Alemannic landsFestival
🇮🇳 Baripada, IndiaChhau dance
A masked dance of eastern India, blending martial steps with epic storiesPerformance
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCalaca
Skull and skeleton figures made for the Day of the Dead, joyful rather than sadCraft
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEpiphany
A January feast of the Magi, the Jordan baptism and the Cana miracle, kept by ChristiansSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreSeharane
A Kurdish Jewish festival of campfires, circle dances and shared foodFestival
🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد
The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual
🇬🇧 Llangollen, United Kingdom and 5 moreEisteddfod
A Welsh festival of poetry and music competitions, featuring the chairing and crowning of winning bards.Festival
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 2 moreAso ebiAsọ-Ẹbí
Matching cloth worn by family and friends at Yoruba weddings, funerals and partiesDress
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSukkahסוכה
A temporary hut with a branch roof, lived in for the seven days of SukkotSpiritual
🇬🇧 Cardiff, United KingdomGorsedd CymruGorsedd Cymru (yr Orsedd)
A Welsh society of poets and writers that holds ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod to honour cultural achievements.Festival
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreEasterΠάσχα
The day Christians mark the resurrection, kept with vigils, feasts and eggsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇧🇾 BelarusBatlejkaБатле́йка
A two-level puppet booth from Belarus, playing Nativity and folk scenes at ChristmasPerformance
🇨🇳 Meizhou Island, China and 5 moreMazu媽祖
A sea goddess of the Chinese coast, asked for calm water and a safe returnSpiritual
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaCape Town Minstrel CarnivalKaapse Klopse
Cape Town's 2 January parade of minstrel troupes, ghoema drums and bright umbrellasFestival
🇵🇹 Coimbra, PortugalPraxePraxe Académica
A set of student initiation rituals and traditions in Portuguese universities.Rite of passage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreChristmas dinner
The festive family meal of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, with roast meats and puddingsTable custom · Dinner
🇦🇷 Mendoza, ArgentinaFiesta Nacional de la Vendimia
Argentina's national grape harvest festival, celebrated each year in MendozaSeasonal
🇯🇵 Suwa, JapanOnbashira Festival式年造営御柱大祭
A rite in Nagano where massive fir logs are dragged down mountains and raised at shrinesSpiritual
🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة
A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات
The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival
🇮🇹 Siena, ItalyPalio
Traditional Italian competitions where local districts race horses, donkeys, or boats to win prizes and pride.Festival
🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں
A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal
Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSaint Patrick's DayLá Fhéile Pádraig
An annual Irish holiday of parades, church services, green dress and shamrocksFestival
🇮🇪 Galway, IrelandGalway International Oyster Festival
An annual autumn gathering in Galway honouring native oysters with shucking contestsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreChingay Parade妝藝
A lively street procession of floats, giant flags, and performing arts in Southeast AsiaFestival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Queima das Fitas: Fotografía realizada por: Ángel Serrano Sánchez de León, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Topping out: PKS at Danish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Tailgate party: Ben Vardi, Public domain, source
- Lewes Bonfire: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Plough Monday: Rawpixel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Adumu: K15photos, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lunar New Year: Flying Pharmacist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parranda: Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rijsttafel: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Clambake: inuyaki.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ekeko: Ciudades, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nayrouz: Rafael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- New Yam Festival: Adimora chidinma, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fanesca: Agencia de Noticias ANDES, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Parol: Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ommegang: Zorro2212, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fanous: Ibrahim.ID, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ofrenda: Eneas de Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
- Silent Night: Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863), Public domain, source
- Tumpeng: brother-harahap, CC BY 2.0, source
- Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chhau dance: Skasish, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calaca: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Epiphany: Gentile da Fabriano, Public domain, source
- Eid prayers: Azimronnie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eisteddfod: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aso ebi: SUPREME LACE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sukkah: Gilabrand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gorsedd Cymru: Els Pam Pels, CC0, source
- Easter: Piero della Francesca, Public domain, source
- Batlejka: user:Хомелка, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cape Town Minstrel Carnival: George Duff, Public domain, source
- Mazu: Prince Roy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Christmas dinner: Austin McGee, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia: Javinaselli, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Onbashira Festival: Si-take. at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
- Chaand Raat: Phadke09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Palio: faberh, Public domain, source
- Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
- Saint Patrick's Day: rannṗáirtí anaiṫnid ( coṁrá ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Galway International Oyster Festival: Thoslee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chingay Parade: HundenvonPenang, CC BY-SA 4.0, source