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
🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 2 moreMongolian wrestlingBökh
A traditional folk wrestling style of the Mongols, kept as a central part of Naadam festivals across Mongolia and neighbGame
🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 1 moreShagaiшагай
Traditional ankle bone games and fortune-telling played across Central Asia.Game
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKendo剣道
A Japanese martial art of swordsmanship using bamboo swords and protective armourGame
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCuju蹴鞠
An ancient Chinese kicking game played without hands using a stuffed or air-filled ballGame
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreKyūdō弓道
The Japanese martial art of archery, practiced with an asymmetrical longbowGame
🇲🇳 Ölgii, Mongolia and 3 moreHunting with eagles
The Central Asian tradition of hunting foxes and hares from horseback with golden eagles.Game
🇯🇵 Ōmuta, JapanKarutaかるた
Japanese playing cards from the 16th century, still raced over poems each New YearGame
🇯🇵 Takasaki, JapanDaruma doll達磨 (daruma)
A round Japanese wishing doll: fill one eye to set a goal, the other to mark it done.Folklore
🇰🇷 South KoreaJwibullori쥐불놀이
A Korean New Year game of whirling fire-cans to clear fields and wish good luckGame
🇲🇳 Ölgii, MongoliaGolden Eagle FestivalБүргэдийн баяр
An annual gathering in western Mongolia celebrating Kazakh eagle hunting and horsemanshipFestival
🇯🇵 JapanShogi将棋 (shōgi)
Japan's two-player strategy game, where captured pieces change sides and returnGame
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreGo圍棋 (wéiqí), 囲碁 (igo), 바둑 (baduk)
Two players surround territory with black and white stones on a lined boardGame
🇰🇷 Seoul, South KoreaYunnori윷놀이
A Korean board and stick-tossing game played with tokens during the Lunar New YearGame
🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North Korea and 4 moreMass games
Disciplined, large-scale gymnastic spectacles celebrating unity and national prideCeremony
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreXiangqi象棋
A two-player game of armies and cannons, played on the points of a nine-by-ten boardGame
🇨🇳 Ningbo, China and 2 moreMahjong麻將
A tile game from China, played by two to four people at a tableGame
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreJegichagi제기차기
A paper shuttlecock kicked and kept in the air, a winter game for Korean childrenGame
🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreHouse
A traditional children's make-believe game of acting out domestic family rolesGame
🇨🇳 Xiamen, China and 2 moreBo Bing博餅 (Bóbǐng)
A dice game played at Mid-Autumn, where mooncakes of many sizes are the prizesGame
🇲🇳 Ölgii, MongoliaGaridгарьд
A top wrestling title in Mongolia, named for Genghis Khan's eagle and the mythical bird Garuda.Game
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreTraditional games of Korea전통놀이 (jeontongnori)
Korean games kept through the seasons, from New Year board games to winter kitesGame
🇲🇳 MongoliaBlue Pearl Ice FestivalХөх Cувд Mөсний Баяр
Mongolia's yearly winter ice festival of skating races, ice shooting and horse racesFestival
🇯🇵 JapanKamifūsen紙風船
Japanese paper balloons enjoyed as self-inflating toys, gifts and festival lanternsGame
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
- Garid: hu:Burumbátor, Public domain, source
- Hunting with eagles: Franz Roubaud, Public domain, source
- Karuta: Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)., Public domain, source
- Shagai: User:Yaan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mass games: photo: unknown file: James Steakley, Public domain, source
- Kendo: Source: photo taken by Harald Hofer, CC BY-SA 2.0 at, source
- Cuju: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kyūdō: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mongolian wrestling: U.S. Department of State, Public domain, source
- Xiangqi: Francesc Fort, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mahjong: yui*, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Daruma doll: Crisco 1492, Public domain, source
- Jwibullori: KOREA.NET, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Traditional games of Korea: Davidturnswood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blue Pearl Ice Festival: MN5, CC0, source
- House: Alborzagros, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Golden Eagle Festival: Altaihunters, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jegichagi: Official U.S. Navy Page, Public domain, source
- Shogi: Unknown author, CC BY 1.0, source
- Go: Goban1, Public domain, source
- Yunnori: 국립국어원, CC BY-SA 2.0 kr, source
- Bo Bing: Xmhaoyu, CC BY 3.0, source