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
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 5 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки
An annual day for wearing traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts across the worldDress
🇳🇴 Norway and 3 moreGákti
A traditional coat worn by the Sámi people across northern Scandinavia and Russia, signaling origin and status through cDress
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandKrakowiak
A lively Polish folk dance from Kraków that became a popular ballroom style across Europe.Performance
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник
A sacred embroidered cloth used in East Slavic rituals, weddings and daily life.Dress
🇻🇦 Vatican City and 1 morePontifical Swiss GuardPontificia Cohors Helvetica
The Swiss military corps charged with guarding the Pope and the Apostolic PalaceCeremony
🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreDirndl
A fitted dress with apron from the German-speaking Alps, worn for festivals and weddings.Dress
🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyCarnival of VeniceCarnevale di Venezia
A historic festival in Italy famous for elaborate masks and anonymous social gatherings.Festival
🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumGillesGille
Costumed carnival figures of Binche and surrounding Belgian townsFestival
🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumCarnival of BincheCarnaval de Binche
A Belgian pre-Lenten festival known for masked dancers and orange tossingFestival
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian embroideryвишивка (vyshyvka)
A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishingsCraft
🇷🇺 Kazan, Russia and 2 moreValenkiва́ленки
Russian winter boots of felted wool, worn on dry snow and often paired with galoshesDress
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreUshankaушанка
An ear-flapped fur hat from Russia, tied up or under the chin against the coldDress
🇵🇹 Coimbra, PortugalPraxePraxe Académica
A set of student initiation rituals and traditions in Portuguese universities.Rite of passage
🇳🇴 NorwayBunad
Norway's festive dress, tied to a home district and worn from weddings to 17 MayDress
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreKiltfèileadh
A pleated knee-length skirt in tartan wool, worn as Scottish Highland dressDress
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreLederhosen
Leather breeches that began as work wear and now belong to Alpine festivalsDress
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 1 moreVyshyvankaвишиванка (Ukrainian), вышыванка (Belarusian)
An embroidered shirt of Ukraine and Belarus, its patterns marking region and familyDress
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreTracht
Traditional dress of the German-speaking regions, from lederhosen to the dirndlDress
🇷🇺 RussiaSarafanсарафа́н
A long, flared Russian dress, the everyday wear of peasant women for centuriesDress
🇬🇧 United KingdomTartanbreacan
The checked woollen cloth of Scotland, woven from crossing stripes into named patternsDress
🇩🇪 Munich, Germany and 3 moreSchuhplattler
An Alpine folk dance of stomps, claps and flat-hand slaps on shoes, knees and thighsPerformance
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandShamrockseamróg
A small three-leaved clover, worn in Ireland on St Patrick's Day as a national emblemFolklore
🇷🇺 Pavlovsky Posad, RussiaPavlovo Posad shawlПавловопосадский платок
A woolen Russian shawl printed with flowers, made in the town of Pavlovsky PosadDress
🇦🇱 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBreeching
A rite of passage when a young boy first wore trousers instead of a dress.Rite of passage
🇫🇷 FranceBreton costume
The traditional folk dress and lace headdresses worn for festivals across BrittanyDress
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten
Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKynodesmeκυνοδέσμη
A cord ancient Greek athletes tied around the foreskin to stay modest in public.Dress
🇲🇰 Skopje, North MacedoniaMacedonian embroidery
A hand-stitched village craft of vests, shirts and head covers in North MacedoniaCraft
🇳🇴 Norway and 1 moreSølje
A silver brooch from Norway, worn with the bunad or on its ownDress
🇮🇪 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
🇩🇪 Hamburg, GermanyPrince Henry capPrinz-Heinrich-Mütze
A peaked cap with a tall band and a small firm crown, linked to German naval dressDress
🇭🇺 HungaryDolman
A Hungarian-bred garment, worn as hussar uniform and later as a woman's outdoor wrapDress
🇬🇷 GreecePeronaiπερόνη (perónē)
A long straight pin that fastened Greek clothing, and a weapon in Greek legendDress
🇷🇺 RussiaPodvorotnichokподворотничок
A detachable white fabric strip sewn inside military uniform collars for hygieneDress
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKoningsmantel
The Dutch royal cloak of red velvet and ermine, brought out when a monarch is sworn inDress
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBliaut
A fitted medieval overgarment with trailing sleeves, worn in France and nearby landsDress
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 2 moreOchipokочіпок
The embroidered cap a Ukrainian bride put on at her wedding and kept afterwardsDress
🇬🇷 GreeceTablionταβλίον
An embroidered panel on the ceremonial mantle of Byzantine courtiers.Dress
🇬🇷 Sparta, GreeceChitonχιτών
A draped tunic of wool or linen worn across ancient Greece and RomeDress
🇦🇹 Tyrol, AustriaLoden capeLodenmantel
A rain-shedding wool overcoat from Tyrol, part of the region's TrachtDress
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreDelia
A fur-trimmed outer coat worn by nobility in the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthDress
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 morePapakha
A sheepskin hat of the Caucasus, worn by highland men and by army regimentsDress
🇫🇷 Paris, FranceParis CarnivalCarnaval de Paris
An annual street celebration and costume procession across ParisFestival
🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain and 2 morePeineta
A curved decorative comb worn by women beneath a lace mantilla in the Hispanic worldDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kynodesme: Popinozzi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gákti: Thorguds, Public domain, source
- Sarafan: Hanna Zelenko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gilles: Marie-Claire, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dirndl: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source
- Vyshyvanka Day: Vladimir Yaitskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pontifical Swiss Guard: The White House, Public domain, source
- Krakowiak: Władysław Bakałowicz, Public domain, source
- Schuhplattler: Harald Bischoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bunad: Wolfmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pavlovo Posad shawl: Svetlov Artem, CC0, source
- Queima das Fitas: Fotografía realizada por: Ángel Serrano Sánchez de León, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sølje: Foto Anne-Lise Reinsfelt / Norsk Folkemuseum., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kilt: Georg Cöler, Public domain, source
- Lederhosen: Original photographer and uploader was Florian Schott at bar.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, source
- Vyshyvanka: Vasily Andreevich Tropinin, Public domain, source
- Tracht: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kinsale cloak: LynnMGallagher, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tartan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gymnastyorka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Valenki: akk_rus, CC BY 2.0, source
- Stalin tunic: shakko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Prince Henry cap: KarleHorn, CC BY 3.0, source
- Xhubleta: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dolman: Jean Baptiste Vanmour, Public domain, source
- Koningsmantel: Thérèse Schwartze, Public domain, source
- Bliaut: Edmund Blair Leighton, Public domain, source
- Ochipok: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Tablion: Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chiton: Berlin Painter, CC BY 2.5, source
- Loden cape: KingaNBM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Papakha: Russian school Unknown artist Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Paris Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Peineta: Hiart, CC0, source
- Europeade: Niklas Lydeen, CC BY 3.0, source
- Breeching: Attributed to John Badger , Boston, Masschusetts, Public domain, source
- Carnival of Venice: Roberto Vicario, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ushanka: Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Breton costume: XIIIfromTOKYO, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Swiss traditional costume: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shamrock: Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Macedonian embroidery: Antonio Brsjacki, Public domain, source