All traditions
2,237 traditions so far, best known first. 12,423 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
🇧🇷 BrazilForró
Music, dance and party from Brazil's Northeast, with accordion, triangle and zabumba drumPerformance
🇺🇸 Boise, United States and 3 moreBasque festivalEuskal jaiak
Gatherings of dance, sport and food that keep Basque culture alive far from homeFestival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreHoly FireἋγιον Φῶς
A fire ceremony in Jerusalem each year, kept by Orthodox Christians before EasterSpiritual
🇪🇪 EstoniaJaanipäev
Estonia's midsummer night of bonfires, song and fortune-telling, on 23 and 24 JuneFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBarn raising
A communal tradition where neighbours assemble to erect a farm barn in a few daysCraft · Lunch
🇮🇱 IsraelMishloach manotמשלוח מנות
Food parcels exchanged on Purim, so everyone has plenty for the day's festive mealSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreDreidelדרײדל (Yiddish); סביבון (Hebrew)
A four-sided top spun for small stakes, most often by Jewish families at HanukkahGame
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreRara
A Haitian street music of bamboo trumpets and drums, played in the Easter seasonPerformance
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreWhite SundayLotu Tamaiti
A Samoan holiday honoring children with church services, white clothing, and family gatherings on the second Sunday of OFestival · Dinner
🇴🇲 Salalah, Oman and 3 moreKhareefخَرِيْف
The monsoon season of Dhofar and Al Mahrah, welcomed with a festival in SalalahSeasonal
🇹🇿 Zanzibar, TanzaniaSauti za Busara
A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old FortPerformance
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, Georgia and 4 moreGeorgian polyphonic singing
Several voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddingsPerformance
🇺🇸 Falcon Heights, United StatesMinnesota State Fair
Minnesota's twelve-day fair of farm animals, contests and food, ending on Labor DayFestival
🇨🇱 Santiago, Chile and 3 moreCueca
A courtship dance of Chile and the Andes where partners trace circles with handkerchiefs to mimic a rooster and hen.Performance
🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao)
A Lao rite that calls the soul home and ties a thread on the wrist for good luckSpiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesFeast of the Seven FishesFesta dei sette pesci
An Italian-American Christmas Eve seafood dinner marking abstinence from meat.Table custom · Dinner
🇦🇷 Córdoba, ArgentinaCuarteto
An upbeat partner dance and music tradition born in Córdoba, ArgentinaPerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaKambala
An annual traditional buffalo race across muddy paddy fields in southwestern IndiaGame
🇵🇷 Ponce, Puerto Rico and 1 morePlena
Puerto Rican folk songs and dance sharing community news with rhythmic frame drumsPerformance
🇦🇴 AngolaSemba
A traditional style of music and partner dance from AngolaPerformance
🇬🇧 Pilton, United KingdomGlastonbury Festival
A five-day summer performing arts festival held on Somerset farmlandFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreChristmas carol
Festive songs and hymns sung during the Christmas season and door to doorPerformance
🇹🇻 TuvaluMusic of Tuvalu
Rhythmic storytelling dances and choral singing from the Polynesian atolls of TuvaluPerformance
🇯🇵 Kishiwada, JapanKishiwada Danjiri Matsuri岸和田だんじり祭
A high-speed festival of wooden shrine floats pulled through Kishiwada, JapanFestival
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaArdahالعرضة
A traditional Arabian group dance of facing lines, drums, poetry, and swordsPerformance
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 5 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки
An annual day for wearing traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts across the worldDress
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreApril Fools' Day
An annual day of lighthearted pranks, hoaxes and teasing kept on the first of AprilFestival
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 2 moreIrish traditional music
A living folk practice of dance tunes, airs, songs and communal pub sessionsPerformance
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkFaroese chain danceFøroyskur dansur
A living medieval chain dance guided by sung ballads in the Faroe IslandsPerformance
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDandiya Raas
A stick dance from Gujarat performed in pairs during the festival of NavaratriPerformance
🇳🇿 New ZealandTivaevaetīvaevae
A traditional Polynesian art of artistic quilting made by women for gifts and ceremonies.Craft
🇧🇿 Dangriga, Belize and 4 morePunta rock
A fast-paced Garifuna dance music mixing traditional percussion with electric guitarsPerformance
🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival
An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival
🇨🇱 ChileNgillatun
A communal Mapuche rite of prayer, sacrifice and dance to maintain cosmic balanceSpiritual
🇨🇳 Tianjin, ChinaManchu-Han Imperial Feast滿漢全席
A grand multi-day banquet uniting Manchu and Han culinary traditions in ChinaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesKrewe
Carnival clubs that stage parades, balls, and pageantry along the Gulf CoastFestival
🇲🇲 Bagan, MyanmarNat worshipနတ်
Veneration of guardian spirits and nature deities alongside Buddhism in MyanmarSpiritual
🇮🇩 IndonesiaOgoh-ogohᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄ
Giant handcrafted statues paraded and burned on the eve of the Balinese Saka New YearFestival
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 2 moreSalsa
A lively Latin partner dance rooted in Afro-Caribbean rhythms and social dance traditionsPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSaint Patrick's Day in the United States
An annual celebration of Irish heritage across America with parades, feasts and green dyeFestival · Dinner
🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún
Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual
🇹🇼 Yilan, Taiwan and 4 moreTaiwanese opera歌仔戲
A Taiwanese theatrical art of Hokkien balladry, stylized staging, and expressive song.Performance
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار
A traditional double-reed instrument and drum ensemble for weddings and folk dancesPerformance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPandanggo
A lively Philippine folk dance of quick steps, clapping and balanced lightsPerformance
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 2 moreIrish stepdance
A percussive dance form with swift, intricate footwork and an upright torsoPerformance
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreSiva Samoa
A graceful Samoan dance marked by subtle, expressive arm and hand movementsPerformance
🇮🇳 Goa, India and 2 moreShehnai
A traditional reed instrument played at weddings and temple festivals across IndiaPerformance
🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesSuper Bowl
The annual championship game of American professional football, held every February.Game
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Letra del Año: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chichilaki: Mostafameraji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Forró: As fotos da Virada!, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Basque festival: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Holy Fire: William Holman Hunt, Public domain, source
- Jaanipäev: Jaan Künnap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barn raising: Alexander W. Galbraith, Public domain, source
- Mishloach manot: Yoninah, CC BY 2.5, source
- Dreidel: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rara: Lombinodr Alfonso Lomba, CC BY 3.0, source
- Khareef: May Paulose, CC BY 2.0, source
- Minnesota State Fair: Jonathunder at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cueca: Manuel Antonio Caro, Public domain, source
- Baci: Dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Feast of the Seven Fishes: GW Fins, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kambala: Sajith mv parappally, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Plena: Raylaur15, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Semba: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Glastonbury Festival: Czampal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Christmas carol: Prathyush Thomas, GFDL 1.2, source
- Music of Tuvalu: Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri: Kounosu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ardah: Abodi009, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vyshyvanka Day: Vladimir Yaitskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- April Fools' Day: Lars Andersen, Public domain, source
- Irish traditional music: Gtapp, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Faroese chain dance: Eileen Sandá, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dandiya Raas: User:psubhashish, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tivaevae: John Colles Burland, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Calabar Carnival: Raji kunle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ngillatun: Francisco Cavallo, Public domain, source
- Manchu-Han Imperial Feast: Cara Chow ( Charlotte1125 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Krewe: Tim Ross, Public domain, source
- Nat worship: Emily Khine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ogoh-ogoh: Simondodit, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Salsa: Edil Villa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint Patrick's Day in the United States: White House/Chuck Kennedy, Public domain, source
- Taiwanese opera: Sean Chiu, CC BY 4.0, source
- Mizmar: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pandanggo: John Charlton, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Irish stepdance: John Benson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Siva Samoa: Smita Biswas, CC BY 4.0, source
- Shehnai: TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Super Bowl: John Tornow, CC BY 2.0, source