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
🇬🇧 United KingdomTartanbreacan
The checked woollen cloth of Scotland, woven from crossing stripes into named patternsDress
🇵🇭 San Fernando, Philippines and 3 moreParolparól
A Filipino star lantern of bamboo and paper, hung at Christmas from September to JanuaryFestival
🇯🇵 Osaka, Japan and 1 moreBunraku文楽
Osaka's puppet theatre, with chanters, shamisen players and puppeteers in plain sightPerformance
🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptFanousفانوس
An Egyptian lantern of metal and glass, hung in streets and homes through RamadanFestival
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreBatikꦧꦛꦶꦏ꧀ (bathik)
A Javanese wax-resist way of patterning cloth, and the textiles made that wayCraft
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCalaca
Skull and skeleton figures made for the Day of the Dead, joyful rather than sadCraft
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 3 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven cloth threaded with gold or silver, worn at weddings and royal courtsDress
🇵🇸 Bethlehem, PalestineTatreezتَطْرِيز
Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery, stitched onto dresses and read for its regionCraft
🇸🇪 Nusnäs, Sweden and 1 moreDala horseDalahäst
A carved painted wooden horse from Dalarna, a children's toy that became a national symbolCraft
🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey and 5 moreKaragöz and Hacivat
A Turkish shadow play of two quarrelling friends, acted on a lit screen behind a curtainPerformance
🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainFallasFalles de València
Valencia's five-day March fiesta of giant paper figures and bonfiresFestival
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian embroideryвишивка (vyshyvka)
A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishingsCraft
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBarong tagalog
The Philippine national shirt for men: embroidered, worn loose and never tucked inDress
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRangoliरंगोली
Floor patterns of rice flour, sand or petals, drawn at the doorstep for festivalsCraft
🇮🇳 Nadia, IndiaDhunachi
A Bengali incense burner, swung in worship and danced with at Durga PujaSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKolamகோலம்
A rice-flour floor drawing made at South Indian doorsteps before sunriseCraft
🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreOudعُود (ʿūd)
A fretless, pear-shaped Middle Eastern lute, plucked with a plectrum called a rishaPerformance
🇮🇶 Kufa, Iraq and 5 moreArabic calligraphykhatt (خَطّ)
Artistic handwriting of the Arabic script, practiced as a sacred craft and a living visual tradition.Craft
🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta
A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress
🇸🇮 Idrija, SloveniaIdrija lace
A bobbin tape lace from the Slovenian mining town of Idrija, still taught there todayCraft
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 7 moreEgg decorating
Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft
🇦🇺 AustraliaBoat building
The craft of constructing watercraft from timber, metal and modern composite materialsCraft
🇦🇴 Angola and 2 moreLusona
Sand drawings from Angola and Zambia that carry proverbs, fables and animalsCraft
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka
A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding invitationनिमन्त्रण पत्र/पत्रिका
Decorative ceremonial cards sent to announce marriages and invite guests across IndiaRite of passage
🇨🇳 Huizhou, ChinaHui-style architecture
A traditional Chinese building style of white walls, dark tiles and horse-head gablesCraft
🇯🇵 JapanKamifūsen紙風船
Japanese paper balloons enjoyed as self-inflating toys, gifts and festival lanternsGame
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKasayaकाषाय
The traditional patchwork robes worn by ordained Buddhist monasticsDress
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreArkhalig
A traditional fitted jacket worn by men and women in the Caucasus and IranDress
🇲🇲 Amarapura, MyanmarAcheikအချိတ်
A Burmese silk weave of waves and stripes, made with up to 200 shuttlesDress
🇧🇬 Chiprovtsi, Bulgaria and 1 moreChiprovtsi kilimЧипровски килим
Handmade flatwoven rugs with identical sides, crafted in a Bulgarian town since the 17th century.Craft
🇰🇭 Longvek, Cambodia and 2 moreKhmer traditional clothing
How Khmer people dress: the wrapped sampot, the embroidered sbai, the checkered kramaDress
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSalwar
Loose trousers gathered at the ankle, worn with a kameez across South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 IndiaShamianaশামিয়ানা (Bengali); شامیانہ (Urdu)
A ceremonial tent of cloth and wooden poles, raised for weddings, feasts and partiesFestival
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreMuslin
A fine handwoven cotton from Bengal, once famed worldwide and woven again todayCraft
🇱🇹 LithuaniaLithuanian cross craftingLietuvos kryždirbystė
A Lithuanian folk art of carving wooden crosses that blend Christian faith with ancient Baltic symbols.Craft
🇰🇼 Kuwait and 3 moreAl Sadu
A traditional Bedouin weaving craft from the Arabian Peninsula, known for geometric patterns and wool textiles.Craft
🇮🇹 Pantelleria, ItalyVite ad alberello of Pantelleria
A traditional low-bush vine training system kept on the Italian island of Pantelleria for thousands of years.Craft
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten
Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGèlè
A voluminous sculpted headwrap worn by Yoruba women for gatherings and daily lifeDress
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese herbology中藥學
The traditional Chinese system of preparing and prescribing herbal and natural remediesCraft
🇯🇵 Kagoshima, JapanSatsuma kiriko薩摩切子
Cut glass from Kagoshima: coloured glass laid over clear, then cut deepCraft
🇺🇿 Namangan, UzbekistanFlower Festival in UzbekistanGul bayrami
An annual spring celebration of floriculture and floral art held across several cities in Uzbekistan.Festival
🇮🇳 Bagh, IndiaBagh print
Hand block printed cloth from a village in Madhya Pradesh, dyed red and black on whiteCraft
🇹🇼 TaiwanSimple Life Festival簡單生活節
A biennial cultural gathering in Taiwan featuring live music, markets and craftsFestival
🇺🇬 UgandaEkisaakaate
A Buganda youth retreat teaching traditional manners, crafts and life skillsEtiquette
🇺🇬 Mengo, UgandaEkisaakaate
A royal Buganda cultural retreat teaching heritage, crafts, and manners to the youngRite of passage
🇨🇳 ChinaManchu platform shoes
Wooden-soled shoes worn by Manchu women from the early Qing dynastyDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kamifūsen: アルトクール, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hui-style architecture: Huangchenhai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indian wedding invitation: Onef9day, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chiprovtsi kilim: Edal Anton Lefterov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chinese herbology: Vberger, Public domain, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Swiss traditional costume: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vite ad alberello of Pantelleria: Luca Volpi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Al Sadu: Ashley Columbus, CC0, source
- Lithuanian cross crafting: Vilensija, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Muslin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Shalwar kameez: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Tartan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parol: Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bunraku: 氏子, CC0, source
- Fanous: Ibrahim.ID, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Batik: Fpangestuphotographer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calaca: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
- Tatreez: Ma'moun Othman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dala horse: User:Mysid, Public domain, source
- Karagöz and Hacivat: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fallas: Goodnighmoon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barong tagalog: Hiart, CC0, source
- Dhunachi: Amitbsws, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kolam: mckaysavage, CC BY 2.0, source
- Acheik: Chenzeyan29, CC0, source
- Oud: Creator:Manol (Emmanuel Venios), CC0, source
- Xhubleta: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Idrija lace: Lace: Pavla Podobnik Photograph: Ines Zgonc, Public domain, source
- Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
- Khmer traditional clothing: Engsamnang, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Shamiana: Badri Seshadri, CC BY 2.0, source
- Satsuma kiriko: Dime Gontar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bagh print: Mrqd9, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manchu platform shoes: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Boat building: Kevin Saff, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Arabic calligraphy: Aieman Khimji, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kasaya: Unknown author, Public domain, source