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 StatesTalking stick
A carved staff that shows who may speak at a Northwest Coast gatheringCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDreamcatcherᐊᓴᐱᑫᔒᓐᐦ (asabikeshiinh)
A hand-woven hoop from Anishinaabe tradition, hung above a cradle to protect a childCraft
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBarn raising
A communal tradition where neighbours assemble to erect a farm barn in a few daysCraft · Lunch
🇲🇽 San Salvador Huixcolotla, Mexico and 1 morePapel picado
A Mexican folk art of cutting intricate designs into tissue paper for festive and spiritual displays.Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreQuilting bee
A communal gathering where people stitch quilts together while sharing news and strengthening community bonds.Festival
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesWampum
Shell beads woven into belts by Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands for record-keeping and ceremony.Folklore
🇲🇽 Huamantla, Mexico and 4 moreSawdust carpettapete de aserrín
Colored sawdust designs laid on streets to greet religious processions in Latin America and beyond.Festival
🇧🇲 BermudaBermuda kite
Flying bright geometric kites on Good Friday across Bermuda to mark EasterCraft
🇬🇱 Greenland and 3 moreDog sledding
An Arctic tradition of navigating snow and ice behind working dog teamsCraft
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesNavajo weavingdiyogí
Handwoven wool textiles and rugs made on continuous warps by Navajo artisansCraft
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMedicine wheel
Sacred circular stone arrangements built across the plains of North AmericaSpiritual
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreGuelaguetza
An annual Oaxacan festival of indigenous dance, music, costumes and communal sharingFestival
🇲🇽 Acolman, Mexico and 1 morePiñata
A festive decorated container broken open with a stick to scatter treats and fruitFestival
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoNight of the RadishesNoche de Rábanos
An annual festival of intricate sculptures carved from oversized radishes in OaxacaCraft
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreInuksuk
Stone markers raised by Inuit across the Arctic to guide, hunt and rememberCraft
🇨🇦 Montréal, CanadaCeinture fléchée
A fingerwoven woollen sash tied at the waist, worn by Québécois and Métis peoplesDress
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCalaca
Skull and skeleton figures made for the Day of the Dead, joyful rather than sadCraft
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Talking stick: Sandra Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dreamcatcher: Jorge Barrios, Public domain, source
- Barn raising: Alexander W. Galbraith, Public domain, source
- Guelaguetza: A01321718, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Navajo weaving: Don Graham, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Medicine wheel: U.S. Forest Service Photo, Public domain, source
- Papel picado: Ferfive, CC BY 4.0, source
- Quilting bee: Carol M. Highsmith via Library of Congress, Commons, CC0, source
- Wampum: Museuvalenciaetnologia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sawdust carpet: Rosalba Muñoz RomeroLia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bermuda kite: Aodhdubh ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Inuksuk: Christina Chan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ceinture fléchée: Ceinture fléchée, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Calaca: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dog sledding: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Piñata: No machine-readable author provided. JEDIKNIGHT1970 assumed (based on, Public domain, source