Heritage news
HeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrateWeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh TraditionHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsItalian Festival at the Mount celebrates heritage, community and a taste of the old country (79 photos)ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrateWeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh Tradition
EveryParampara

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.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Bhuj, India and 1 moreBandhani Tie-dye cloth from India, knotted by hand and dipped in dye to leave dot patternsCraft 🇨🇦 Montréal, CanadaCeinture fléchée A fingerwoven woollen sash tied at the waist, worn by Québécois and Métis peoplesDress 🇮🇳 IndiaGamosaগামুছা A white Assamese cloth with a red border, worn, gifted and laid under sacred textsDress 🇬🇧 United KingdomTartanbreacan The checked woollen cloth of Scotland, woven from crossing stripes into named patternsDress 🇲🇦 Tangier, MoroccoNegafaنڭافة (Arabic); ⵏⴳⴰⴼⴰ (Tamazight) The woman who dresses a bride and guards the customs of a Moroccan weddingRite of passage 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, MexicoMexican hat danceJarabe tapatío Mexico's national courtship dance, in which a dancer's steps circle the brim of a hatPerformance 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKimono着物 Japan's national dress: a wrapped robe with square sleeves, tied with a wide sashDress 🇰🇷 South Korea and 2 moreHanbok한복 Korea's customary dress: a short jacket, a skirt or trousers, and a bow-tied ribbonDress 🇳🇬 Kano, NigeriaKofar Mata Dye Pits Hand-dyed indigo cloth from centuries-old earthen pits in the heart of KanoCraft 🇨🇳 Shanghai, China and 1 moreCheongsam旗袍 (qípáo), 長衫 (chángshān) A fitted one-piece Chinese dress with a high collar and side slits, worn since the 1920sDress 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreRudrakshaरुद्राक्ष Seeds of the Elaeocarpus tree, worn as prayer beads by devotees of ShivaSpiritual 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreSindoorसिंदूर A red powder worn in the hair parting by many married Hindu womenDress 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBindi A dot worn between the eyebrows, red for marriage and devotion, worn daily by many womenDress 🇦🇫 Kabul, AfghanistanBacha poshباشا بوش / بچه‌ پوشی An Afghan custom of dressing and raising a daughter as a sonHome 🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress 🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival 🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 5 moreNo Bra Day An annual October observance promoting breast cancer awareness and bodily autonomySeasonal 🇵🇰 PakistanSindhi Cultural Dayسنڌي ثقافتي ڏھاڙو An annual December celebration of Sindhi heritage, music, and traditional attireFestival 🇲🇦 MoroccoMoroccan kaftan A floor-length tunic worn by Moroccan women for weddings and celebrations, featuring heavy embroidery and rich textiles.Dress 🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 4 moreSampingسمڤيڠ A traditional Malay waist cloth worn over festive attire in Southeast AsiaDress 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBreeching A rite of passage when a young boy first wore trousers instead of a dress.Rite of passage 🇨🇳 ChinaQizhuang旗裝 (qízhuāng) The traditional attire of the Manchu people, characterized by riding coats, trousers, and horse-hoof cuffs.Dress 🇲🇰 Skopje, North MacedoniaMacedonian embroidery A hand-stitched village craft of vests, shirts and head covers in North MacedoniaCraft 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKynodesmeκυνοδέσμη A cord ancient Greek athletes tied around the foreskin to stay modest in public.Dress 🇴🇲 OmanKumaكمة A round white Omani cap for men, embroidered and pierced to keep the head coolDress 🇹🇭 Phrae, ThailandMo homหม้อห้อม A northern Thai shirt and cloth, dyed deep blue-black with the hom plantDress 🇪🇬 Luxor, Egypt and 1 moreMelaya leff A traditional wrapped Egyptian mantle once worn for modesty and now famous on stageDress 🇨🇳 ChinaChinese academic dress Formal attire for scholars and officials in China, ranging from imperial robes to modern degree gowns.Dress 🇮🇩 Bali, IndonesiaNational costume of IndonesiaPakaian Nasional Indonesia The formal attire worn by Indonesians to represent the nation's diverse cultural heritage.Dress 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDahu褡护 (Dāhù) A cross-collar jacket worn in the Ming dynasty, blending Chinese and Mongol styles.Dress 🇨🇳 Taiyuan, ChinaGuan Li冠禮 The traditional Chinese coming-of-age capping ceremony for young menRite of passage 🇺🇸 United StatesWamus A jacket worn in the United States, in fringed hide, cloth or Amish Sunday bestDress 🇩🇿 Constantine, AlgeriaM'layaملاية A black full-body veil worn by women in Constantine, Algeria, as a sign of modesty.Dress 🇳🇵 NepalPatukaपटुका A traditional Nepalese cloth sash worn for core support, carrying items and festivitiesDress 🇳🇴 Norway and 1 moreSølje A silver brooch from Norway, worn with the bunad or on its ownDress 🇧🇩 BangladeshGrameen checkগ্রামীণ চেক A woven plaid of coloured squares, made by handloom weavers in rural BangladeshDress 🇩🇿 Algeria and 4 moreFoutaفوطة A thin patterned cotton or linen cloth, worn as a wrap at the baths and as dressDress 🇮🇪 Kinsale, IrelandKinsale cloakfallaing Chionn tSáile The last Irish cloak, a hooded wool wrap of West Cork, worn into the 1900sDress 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreGymnastyorkaгимнастёрка A loose pullover smock that began as a peasant shirt and became a soldier's uniformDress 🇷🇺 RussiaStalin tunicсталинка The plain jacket Soviet officials adopted as a political uniformDress 🇵🇰 Peshawar, PakistanPeshawari chappal A leather sandal hand-stitched in Pakistan, worn with shalwar kameez and to weddingsDress 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 moreMadiba shirt A loose batik-print shirt that Mandela wore to formal occasionsDress 🇨🇳 Dunhuang, China and 2 moreYingluo璎珞 A ring-shaped Buddhist neck ornament that became a Chinese necklace, worn again todayDress 🇩🇪 Hamburg, GermanyPrince Henry capPrinz-Heinrich-Mütze A peaked cap with a tall band and a small firm crown, linked to German naval dressDress 🇯🇵 JapanKappōgi割烹着 A Japanese smock worn over a kimono to keep it clean while cooking and cleaningDress 🇻🇳 VietnamÁo gấm A brocade tunic worn by Vietnamese men at ceremonies and festivalsDress 🇨🇳 China and 2 moreDiyi翟衣 (Díyī) A formal ceremonial robe worn by empresses and royal women in China, Korea, and Vietnam.Dress
PreviousMore traditions

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.