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
🇻🇳 Hội An, VietnamTết Trung Thu節中秋
A mid-autumn festival of lanterns, mooncakes and folklore celebrated across VietnamFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain and 4 moreCaganerEl Caganer
A defecating figurine placed in Catalan nativity scenes to bring good luck and fertilize the earth.Festival
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden and 2 moreSmorgasbordsmörgåsbord
A Swedish table of hot and cold dishes where guests serve themselvesTable custom · Lunch
🇭🇰 Cheung Chau, Hong KongCheung Chau Bun Festival包山節
A week of vegetarian days, bun towers and a midnight scramble on a Hong Kong islandFestival
🇧🇴 Tiwanaku, Bolivia and 2 moreWillkakuti
An Aymara new year at the June solstice, marking the sun's returnSeasonal
🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 5 moreCarnival
A season of parades, masks and feasting in the days before LentFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDoljanchi돌 (dol); 돌잔치 (doljanchi)
A Korean first-birthday rite where a baby picks an object that hints at the years aheadRite of passage
🇱🇹 Vilnius, Lithuania and 3 moreSaint Casimir's FairKaziuko mugė
A spring craft market and folk celebration across the historic streets of VilniusCraft
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreŚwięconka
The Polish Holy Saturday blessing of baskets filled with Easter morning foodSpiritual
🇮🇳 Palani, India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம்
Tamil devotees of Murugan carry burdens as a vow during ThaipusamSpiritual
🇵🇰 PakistanPakistani weddingپاکستانی شادی
Weddings across Pakistan: a match is found, a contract signed, two families joinedRite of passage
🇳🇱 Landgraaf, NetherlandsPinkpop
A three-day pop and rock festival in the Netherlands, held on the Pentecost weekendFestival
🇩🇰 Roskilde, DenmarkRoskilde Festival
A week-long Danish music festival south of Roskilde, run by volunteers since 1971Festival
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandBarmbrackbairín breac
A sweet Irish fruit loaf with charms baked in, eaten at Halloween and on New Year's EveTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 5 moreLabour Day
A day honouring workers, kept on 1 May in most countries and on other dates elsewhereFestival
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 2 moreAnnunciationΟ Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου
A Christian feast marking the angel Gabriel's message to Mary about bearing Jesus, kept on 25 March.Festival
🇮🇱 Israel and 6 moreHoly SaturdaySabbatum Sanctum
The closing day of Holy Week, a Saturday of waiting, fasting and vigil before EasterSpiritual
🇬🇷 Olympia, GreeceAncient Olympic Gamesτὰ Ὀλύμπια
A quadrennial athletic festival held in ancient Greece to honor the god ZeusGame
🇻🇪 Mérida, VenezuelaFeria del Sol
Mérida's February fair: bullfights, parades, concerts and the Queen of the SunFestival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreNativity of Mary
A Christian feast day honouring the birth of Mary, the mother of JesusSpiritual · Lunch
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 1 moreIndependence Day
A public holiday on 15 August marking the end of British rule in India in 1947Ceremony
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalySaturnalia
A December festival of ancient Rome, with feasting, gifts, gambling and role reversalSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇷 Eleusis, Greece and 1 moreEleusinian MysteriesἘλευσίνια Μυστήρια
Secret annual initiations in ancient Greece dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, promising a blessed afterlife.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ
A Hindu ritual of offering items into a sacred fire to honor deities and ancestors.Spiritual
🇬🇷 GreeceSymposiumσυμπόσιον
An ancient Greek post-meal gathering for diluted wine, debate, music and lively gamesTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyBacchanalia
An ancient Roman mystery festival dedicated to the god of wine and ecstasyFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTowel Day
An annual worldwide celebration on 25 May honouring the author Douglas Adams.Festival
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreVictory in Europe Day8 mai 1945
The day Nazi Germany's surrender was accepted, marking the end of the war in EuropeCeremony
🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyGerman Unity DayTag der Deutschen Einheit
Germany's national day, marking reunification on 3 October 1990Ceremony
🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaCosmonautics DayДень космонавтики
Russia's yearly day for Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight, kept on 12 April with memorial walksCeremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 6 moreSaint George's Day
A saint's feast on 23 April, kept by churches and patron nations from England to GeorgiaSpiritual
🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreVisitation
A Christian feast commemorating Mary's journey to visit her cousin ElizabethSpiritual
🇩🇪 Wittenberg, Germany and 5 moreReformation Day
An annual Christian observance marking the start of the Protestant ReformationSpiritual
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaGandhi Jayanti
India's annual holiday on 2 October, for Mahatma Gandhi's birth and nonviolenceCeremony
🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineIndependence Day of UkraineДень Незалежності України
Ukraine's national day, kept every 24 August with parades and flagsCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCyber Monday
An annual online shopping observance held on the Monday following American Thanksgiving.Seasonal
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 2 moreHangul Day한글날
South Korea's public day for Hangul, the Korean alphabet, kept on 9 OctoberFestival
🇨🇳 Nanjing, China and 4 moreSingles' Day光棍节
A day for people without a partner that grew into the world's biggest shopping eventFestival
🇬🇧 St Andrews, United Kingdom and 10 moreSaint Andrew's DayLà Naomh Anndrais
The feast of Andrew the Apostle, kept on 30 November and Scotland's national daySpiritual
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 1 moreStar Wars Day
An annual worldwide celebration of the Star Wars universe on May 4Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreWikipedia Day
An annual gathering and birthday party for the Wikipedia community every JanuaryFestival
🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreOld New YearСтарый Новый год (Russian), Стара Нова година (Macedonian), Српска Нова година (Serbian), Hen Galan (Welsh)
An informal holiday marking the start of the Julian calendar year, celebrated on 14 January in the Gregorian calendar.Festival · Dinner
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaNational Day国庆节 (guóqìng jié)
China's national day on 1 October, marking the republic's founding in 1949Ceremony
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreNational Liberation Day of Korea광복절 (Gwangbokjeol)
A public holiday on 15 August marking Korea's liberation from Japanese rule in 1945Ceremony
🇵🇱 Warsaw, PolandNational Independence DayNarodowe Święto Niepodległości
Poland's national day on 11 November, marking the 1918 return of a sovereign Polish stateCeremony
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night
An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival
🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKakava
A Romani night by the river in Edirne: bonfire, candles and pilafFestival · Feasts and festival meals
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Victory in Europe Day: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, source
- Reformation Day: 95Thesen.jpg : User:Shizhao derivative work: 6birc ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Roskilde Festival: Bill Ebbesen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pinkpop: Gianni Taranto, CC BY 3.0, source
- Eleusinian Mysteries: No machine-readable author provided. Marsyas assumed (based on copyrig, Public domain, source
- Saint George's Day: Raphael, Public domain, source
- Hangul Day: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Holy Saturday: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Independence Day of Ukraine: Official website of the President of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0, source
- National Day: me ( w:User:pfctdayelise ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Kakava: CeeGee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cosmonautics Day: The original uploader was Errabee at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ancient Olympic Games: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nativity of Mary: Giotto, Public domain, source
- Bacchanalia: Nicolas Poussin, Public domain, source
- Symposium: Nikias Painter, CC BY 2.5, source
- Towel Day: Bischy174, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
- Old New Year: ceridwen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Labour Day: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Feria del Sol: Original uploader was MeridaItalia at it.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Independence Day: Vidur Malhotra, CC BY 2.0, source
- German Unity Day: Philipp Hertzog Bearbeitet von Dr. Meierhofer (beschnitten, aufgehellt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saturnalia: Themadchopper, Antoine-François Callet, CC0, source
- Singles' Day: Chrionexfleckeri1350, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- National Liberation Day of Korea: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gandhi Jayanti: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, source
- Annunciation: El Greco, Public domain, source
- Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pakistani wedding: Rukhsana iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barmbrack: Solo Beckett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- National Independence Day: Patryk Matyjaszczyk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Visitation: Giotto, Public domain, source
- Saint Andrew's Day: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source
- Tết Trung Thu: The imperial government of the Nguyễn Dynasty, French Indo-China., Public domain, source
- Caganer: Roeland P., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Smorgasbord: Jordan Klein, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cheung Chau Bun Festival: ．怪貓．, CC BY 2.0, source
- Willkakuti: Tuco Quispe, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Carnival: Etienne Le Cocq, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Doljanchi: en:User:Jamsong, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint Casimir's Fair: Sirex at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Święconka: Błażej Benisz, CC BY-SA 2.5, source