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 Kingdom and 3 moreApple bobbing
A Halloween game where players try to catch floating apples with their teeth.Game
🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayHolmenkollen Ski FestivalHolmenkollen skifestival
An annual Nordic skiing festival at Holmenkollen in Oslo, held each March since 1892Game
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 morePub quiz
A weekly social trivia game played by teams at tables in pubs and barsGame
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchwingen
A traditional Swiss folk wrestling style fought in sawdust ringsGame
🇪🇸 Ronda, Spain and 5 moreBullfightingCorrida de toros
A ritual contest between a bullfighter and a bull, kept in Spain and Latin AmericaGame
🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreBasque rural sportsHerri kirolak
Stone lifting, wood chopping and oxen tests, born of Basque farm and fishing workGame
🇨🇭 Aproz, Switzerland and 2 moreCombat de Reines
An annual Swiss pushing contest where Hérens cows compete for herd dominanceGame
🇸🇪 Mora, SwedenVasaloppet
A 90 km cross-country ski race from Sälen to Mora, run every March since 1922Game
🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 1 moreOlympic torch relay
The ceremonial journey of the flame from Olympia to each host city of the Olympic GamesCeremony
🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreGreasy pole
A slippery pole climbed, walked or crossed to win a prize at the top or the far endGame
🇪🇸 Pamplona, SpainFestival of San FermínSanfermines
An annual nine-day festival in Pamplona featuring bull runs, parades, and street music.Festival
🇷🇺 Kazan, Russia and 2 moreSabantuyСабан туе
A Tatar summer festival of wrestling, horse races and village contestsFestival
🇬🇧 Dunoon, United Kingdom and 5 moreHighland gamesgeamannan Gàidhealach
A series of Scottish athletic and cultural competitions held in Scotland and across the diaspora.Festival
🇭🇷 Sinj, CroatiaSinjska Alka
An annual jousting tournament in Sinj where galloping riders strike a hanging ringGame
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreEgg rolling
A spring game of rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down hills or along lawnsGame
🇬🇷 Patras, GreecePatras CarnivalPatrino karnavali
A winter carnival of parades, street games and satirical floats in western GreeceFestival
🇮🇹 Foligno, ItalyGiostra della Quintana
A June and September joust in Foligno, where ten knights spear ringsFestival
🇮🇹 Siena, ItalyPalio
Traditional Italian competitions where local districts race horses, donkeys, or boats to win prizes and pride.Festival
🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyCalcio storico fiorentino
A fierce Renaissance ball game played on sand between four Florentine districtsGame
🇬🇧 Brockworth, United KingdomCooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
A round of cheese, a steep hill, and runners chasing it down for the prizeGame
🇬🇷 Olympia, GreeceAncient Olympic Gamesτὰ Ὀλύμπια
A quadrennial athletic festival held in ancient Greece to honor the god ZeusGame
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreKnucklebones
An ancient hand game of tossing, catching, and scooping small bones or stonesGame
🇬🇷 Olympia, GreeceHeraean Games
An ancient Greek festival of running races for unmarried young women at OlympiaGame
🇩🇪 Kiel, GermanyKiel WeekKieler Woche
A week of yacht racing, tall ships and waterfront music on the Kiel FjordGame
🇬🇧 Goodwood, United KingdomGoodwood Festival of Speed
A yearly British motorsport festival where cars and bikes race up a hill in West SussexFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing
The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore
🇫🇷 FranceLa soule
A rough medieval ball game from Normandy and Picardy played between parishes on religious holidays.Game
🇧🇦 Kupres, Bosnia and HerzegovinaMowing on KupresStrljanica
A July scythe-mowing contest on the Strljanica meadow at Kupres, kept since 1687Game
🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaSpartakiad of the Peoples of the USSRСпартакиада народов СССР
A massive multi-sport festival that brought together Soviet republics every four yearsGame
🇮🇹 Trieste, ItalyBarcolanaBarkovljanka
A one-start-line sailing race held each October in the Gulf of TriesteGame
🇬🇧 Chipping Campden, United KingdomCotswold Olimpick Games
Races, wrestling and shin-kicking on a Cotswold hillside, held since about 1612Game
🇬🇧 Atherstone, United KingdomAtherstone Ball Game
An annual medieval football match played in Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday to honour a 12th-century victory.Game
🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti
An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame
🇬🇧 Ashbourne, United Kingdom and 1 moreRoyal Shrovetide Football
A medieval mob football game played in Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.Game
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Patras Carnival: www.infocenterpatras.gr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Combat de Reines: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vasaloppet: Vasaloppet/Nisse Schmidt, CC BY 3.0, source
- Festival of San Fermín: SanchoPanzaXXI, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Egg rolling: White House/Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, source
- Olympic torch relay: DieselCat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Greasy pole: Andrepoiy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holmenkollen Ski Festival: Ahhh25, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pub quiz: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Royal Shrovetide Football: Adrian Roebuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Schwingen: Quejaytee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bullfighting: No machine-readable author provided. Manuel González Olaechea assumed, CC BY 3.0, source
- Basque rural sports: Javier Mediavilla Ezquibela, CC BY 2.5, source
- Apple bobbing: Caleb Zahnd, CC BY 2.0, source
- Giostra della Quintana: Alb.Maur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cotswold Olimpick Games: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Barcolana: Roberto Baroni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kiel Week: Arne List, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ancient Olympic Games: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mowing on Kupres: PLATFORMA SARAJEVO, CC BY 3.0, source
- Knucklebones: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Public domain, source
- Heraean Games: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- La soule: Unknown author Unknown author illustrator (based on a sketch by M.J.L., Public domain, source
- Highland games: marsupium photography, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sinjska Alka: L. Carević, CC0, source
- Shoe throwing: Zarateman, CC0, source
- Goodwood Festival of Speed: Bruno Postle, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Palio: faberh, Public domain, source
- Calcio storico fiorentino: Stradanus / After Giorgio Vasari, Public domain, source
- Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR: Scanning Dmitry Makeev , scan date - 2020 year., Public domain, source
- Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake: Dave Farrance, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Atherstone Ball Game: Adrian Roebuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sabantuy: Якупов Рамиль, CC BY 3.0, source