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
🇲🇺 Mauritius and 3 moreSegaséga
A music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.Performance
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreEwe drumming
The drum ensembles of the Ewe people, with iron bells, rattles and talking drumsPerformance
🇲🇱 Bamako, Mali and 5 moreGriotjeli, ߖߋ߬ߟߌ in N'Ko script
West Africa's hereditary keepers of spoken history, praise and musicPerformance
🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreKumpo
A palm-leaf figure of the Diola, danced at village festivals to urge good conductFolklore
🇬🇭 Ntɔnso, Ghana and 1 moreAdinkra symbols
Symbols of the Akan people, stamped on cloth, each one carrying a proverbCraft
🇨🇬 Republic of the CongoNkisi
Spiritual vessels and figures crafted to channel ancestral power, healing and justiceSpiritual
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaGumboot danceIsicathulo
A percussive South African dance born in the mines, performed in Wellington boots to communicate and celebrate.Performance
🇧🇯 Porto-Novo, Benin and 3 moreZangbeto
A traditional security institution and night-guardian cult among the Ogu people of West Africa.Ceremony
🇸🇳 Dakar, Senegal and 1 moreSenegalese wrestlingLaamb (Wolof), Njom (Serer)
A striking folk wrestling sport from Senegal that blends combat with oral poetry and music.Game
🇿🇼 ZimbabweMhondoro
Territorial guardian spirits and mediums honoured in Zimbabwe for guidance and rainSpiritual
🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 moreSouthern African traditional healing
Ancestral divination, herbal muthi, and spiritual care across Southern AfricaSpiritual
🇱🇸 LesothoMokorotlo
A conical straw hat that serves as the national symbol of Lesotho and a key element of Basotho traditional dress.Dress
🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDhaanto
A Somali folk dance and music style used for morale and celebration in the Horn of Africa.Performance
🇬🇲 Gambia and 4 moreKoraߞߐߙߊ
A 21-string West African harp-lute played by hereditary storytellers and bardsPerformance
🇲🇬 MadagascarFady
A system of cultural taboos in Madagascar that regulate daily life and spiritual practice.Spiritual
🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ
An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual
🇨🇲 Douala, CameroonNgondo
An annual coastal water festival celebrated by the Sawa people in CameroonFestival
🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 3 moreSango Festival
An annual Yoruba gathering in Nigeria honoring the deity of thunder and lightningFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreGule Wamkulu
A masked Chewa dance of the Nyau society, danced at funerals and chief installationsPerformance
🇬🇭 Winneba, GhanaAboakyer festival
A deer hunt kept by the people of Winneba, Ghana, on the first Saturday in MayFestival
🇦🇴 Angola and 2 moreLusona
Sand drawings from Angola and Zambia that carry proverbs, fables and animalsCraft
🇧🇫 Dédougou, Burkina Faso and 5 moreFESTIMAFestival International des Masques et des Arts
A biennial West African festival in Burkina Faso celebrating traditional mask dancesFestival
🇿🇲 Maala, ZambiaShimunenga
An annual Zambian celebration of cattle displays, dances, and ancestral memoryFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇳🇬 NigeriaKwagh-Hir
A Tiv puppet theatre and masquerade performance from central Nigeria that uses masks and marionettes to tell moral storiPerformance
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South Africa and 5 moreTooth ablation
A global custom of deliberately removing healthy teeth for social, ritual, or aesthetic reasons.Rite of passage
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreOkpu Aguokpu agụ
A knitted wool cap from southeastern Nigeria, historically worn by warriors to display status and now used in ceremoniesDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ewe drumming: Freddythehat at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Griot: Pierre-Georges Jeanniot (gravure) [ 1 ] M. Barbier (photograph, Public domain, source
- Kumpo: Pietervp, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Adinkra symbols: Bosomba Amosah other versions=, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nkisi: MiddleOfAfrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gumboot dance: Michal Maňas, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ngondo: Photokadaffi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mokorotlo: Vanellus Foto, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dhaanto: aflaanta std, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kora: kevinzim, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fady: Robin Taylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mmanwu: Northcote Whitridge Thomas, Public domain, source
- Zangbeto: Grete Howard, CC BY 3.0, source
- Nyau: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Senegalese wrestling: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Southern African traditional healing: Wizzy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aboakyer festival: Fquasie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- FESTIMA: Nomwindé, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sega: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sango Festival: Demola Ajayi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kwagh-Hir: Wilses, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tooth ablation: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Okpu Agu: Justice kelechi achinefu, CC0, source