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
🇮🇳 Ahmedabad, India and 1 moreGarbaगर्भ
A Gujarati circle dance performed around a sacred flame during the festival of NavratriPerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi
Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThimithiதீமிதி
A South Indian firewalking festival honouring Draupadi Amman before DeepavaliSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChapchar KutChapchâr Kût
A spring festival of dance and food kept by the Mizo people in Mizoram, India.Festival
🇮🇳 Ahobilam, IndiaNarasimha Jayantiनरसिंहजयंती
A one-day Hindu festival marking Vishnu's man-lion avatar and the rescue of PrahladaSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaAhoi Ashtami
A day of fasting by Hindu mothers before Diwali, for their children's wellbeingFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Baripada, IndiaChhau dance
A masked dance of eastern India, blending martial steps with epic storiesPerformance
🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد
The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSheetala Ashtami
A day for the goddess Shitala, kept eight days after Holi with food cooked in advanceSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSadyaസദ്യ
A vegetarian feast from Kerala, served on a banana leaf at Onam, Vishu and weddingsTable custom · Lunch
🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز
The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇰 PakistanChilam Joshi
A spring festival of music, dance, and prayers celebrated by the Kalash peopleFestival
🇵🇰 PakistanShandur Polo Festivalشندور چوگان میلہ
A three-day mountain polo competition played with freestyle rules in northern PakistanGame
🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalBiska Jatra𑐧𑐶𑐳𑑂𑐎𑐵𑑅 𑐖𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐵
An annual solar new year festival in Nepal with chariot pulls and tall wooden poles.Festival
🇱🇰 Mihintale, Sri LankaPoson
A Sri Lankan Buddhist festival marking the ancient arrival of Buddhism on the islandSpiritual
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaDahi Handi
A Hindu festival sport where teams build human towers to break suspended curd potsFestival
🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaKumbh MelaKumbha Mēlā
A major Hindu riverside pilgrimage held across four rotating holy cities in IndiaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Krishnanagar, IndiaJagaddhatri Puja
A Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumnSpiritual
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات
The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival
🇵🇰 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
🇱🇰 Anuradhapura, Sri LankaSinhala New Yearඅලුත් අවුරුද්ද
The April solar New Year and harvest festival celebrated across Sri LankaSeasonal
🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan and 1 moreBasant
A Punjabi spring festival marked by rooftop kite flying, yellow clothing and fairsFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela
An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival
🇧🇩 Dhaka, BangladeshPohela Falgunপহেলা ফাল্গুন
A Bangladeshi festival welcoming the first day of spring with music and flowersSeasonal
🇮🇳 IndiaPushkaram
A river worship festival rotating across twelve sacred Indian rivers over twelve yearsSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaVat PurnimaVaṭapūrṇimā
An annual Hindu festival where married women fast and pray around a banyan treeSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Hyderabad, India and 3 moreBonalu
An annual festival of thanksgiving to Goddess Mahakali across Telangana, IndiaFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Amritsar, IndiaBandi Chhor Divasਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ
A Sikh festival of liberation marking the release of Guru Hargobind and fifty-two princes from Mughal imprisonment.Festival
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaMeenakshi TirukalyanamChithirai Thiruvizha
A two-week festival in Madurai celebrating the divine wedding of Meenakshi and Shiva.Festival
🇮🇳 Ujjain, India and 1 moreVikram Samvatविक्रमसंवत्
A lunisolar Hindu calendar of Nepal and India, its years counted 57 ahead of the GregorianSeasonal
🇳🇵 NepalMha Pujaम्हपुजा
A Newar New Year ritual of self-worship, mandalas and renewal in NepalSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 5 moreRamlilaरामलीला
Open-air community plays staged across autumn nights, recounting the journey of Rama.Performance
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaJallikattuஜல்லிக்கட்டு
A traditional bull-embracing event held during harvest celebrations in Tamil NaduGame
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ
A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival
🇵🇰 PakistanPakistani weddingپاکستانی شادی
Weddings across Pakistan: a match is found, a contract signed, two families joinedRite of passage
🇮🇳 Palani, India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம்
Tamil devotees of Murugan carry burdens as a vow during ThaipusamSpiritual
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ
A Hindu ritual of offering items into a sacred fire to honor deities and ancestors.Spiritual
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaGandhi Jayanti
India's annual holiday on 2 October, for Mahatma Gandhi's birth and nonviolenceCeremony
🇮🇳 Madurai, India and 4 morePuthanduபுத்தாண்டு (Puttāṇṭu)
The first day of the Tamil solar calendar, celebrated by Tamils with family feasts and auspicious trays.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇰 Islamabad, Pakistan and 1 morePakistan Dayیومِ پاکستان
Pakistan's national day on 23 March: the 1940 Lahore Resolution and the 1956 constitutionCeremony
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreVictory Dayবিজয় দিবস
Bangladesh's national day on 16 December, marking the 1971 surrender that made the stateCeremony
🇦🇫 Kabul, AfghanistanAfghan Independence Dayد افغانستان د خپلواکۍ ورځ (Pashto); روز استقلال افغانستان (Dari)
Afghanistan's national day, kept on 19 August for the treaty of 1919Ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day
A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaKargil Vijay Diwas
An annual Indian observance honouring soldiers and the end of the Kargil War.Ceremony
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, India and 3 moreGuru Nanak Gurpurabਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, kept with processions, hymns and a shared mealSpiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sadya: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jagaddhatri Puja: শরদিন্দু ভট্টাচার্য্য, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kumbh Mela: Yosarian, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dahi Handi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Poson: Hafiz Issadeen (YIM Hafiz), Dharga Town, Sri Lanka ( https://www.flick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Biska Jatra: Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shandur Polo Festival: Addden321, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chilam Joshi: Jugni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chapchar Kut: Ramesh Lalwani, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sanjhi: Veer jindal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Garba: anurag agnihotri, CC BY 2.0, source
- Narasimha Jayanti: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Ahoi Ashtami: आशीष भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chhau dance: Skasish, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eid prayers: Azimronnie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Puthandu: Amila Tennakoon, CC BY 2.0, source
- Afghan Independence Day: Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor (U.S. armed forces), CC BY 2.0, source
- Victory Day: Jubair1985, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nativity of Mary: Giotto, Public domain, source
- Kargil Vijay Diwas: Ashoosaini2002, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Independence Day: Vidur Malhotra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab: Giridhar Appaji Nag Y, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gandhi Jayanti: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, source
- Youth Day: Andrey Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pakistan Day: Imniazi001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaand Raat: Phadke09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
- Sinhala New Year: Anna Anichkova, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Basant: Haseeb Ahmad Farooqi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pushkar Fair: sheetal saini, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pohela Falgun: Ashraf Siddiqui, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pushkaram: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vat Purnima: Kiran Gopi, CC BY-SA 2.5 in, source
- Bonalu: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bandi Chhor Divas: UrbanUrban_ru, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Meenakshi Tirukalyanam: எஸ். பி. கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vikram Samvat: Westindischer Maler um 1400, Public domain, source
- Mha Puja: Karrattul, Public domain, source
- Ramlila: Ankit Gupta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jallikattu: Mahendrabalan, CC BY 3.0, source
- Pakistani wedding: Rukhsana iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source