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HeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsWaldo Fall Festival celebrates 34 years of community traditionFestivalsItalian 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?Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ Pasadena’s 28th annual Latino Heritage Parade and Festival is scheduled for this afternoon and evening, with organizers planning a special recognitioHeritageThailand’s Chud Thai Stops in Paris Ahead of UNESCO Intangible Heritage Inscription BidHeritageOtsu Festival Parades Elaborate Floats Following UNESCO RecognitionSeasonsGreen Bay kicks off Hmong New Year celebrationsHeritageThailand showcases Chud Thai craftsmanship in Paris ahead of UNESCO reviewFestivalsWaldo Fall Festival celebrates 34 years of community traditionFestivalsItalian 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?Carnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ Pasadena’s 28th annual Latino Heritage Parade and Festival is scheduled for this afternoon and evening, with organizers planning a special recognitio
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2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,311 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and meal.

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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
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual 🇱🇰 Sri LankaSanni Yakuma A Sinhalese rite where masked dancers summon eighteen illness demons and banish themSpiritual 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreAncestor veneration Honouring dead relatives with offerings, meals and prayers, kept in cultures worldwideSpiritual 🇯🇵 JapanMiyamairi宮参り A first visit to a Shinto shrine, about a month after a baby is bornRite of passage 🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreWedding cord A loop of white cord laid over a kneeling bride and groom in Catholic weddingsRite of passage 🇯🇵 Hiroshima, JapanKagura神楽 A sacred Shinto dance tradition in Japan that invites deities to descend and perform through human dancers.Performance 🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaWayangꦮꦪꦁ A night-long puppet theatre from Java, where a dalang tells epics behind a lit screenPerformance 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreAncestor worship Honouring dead relatives with offerings and prayers, kept in many cultures worldwideSpiritual 🇧🇴 La Paz, Bolivia and 1 moreEkekoIqiqu A small figurine of abundance kept in Andean homes and carried at the Alasitas fair to invite prosperity.Spiritual 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese funeral葬儀 (sōgi) A Buddhist farewell in Japan: a wake, cremation, bone-gathering and a family graveRite of passage 🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt and 1 moreNayrouzالنيروز (Arabic); ⲡⲓⲭⲗⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ϯⲣⲟⲙⲡⲓ (Coptic) A Coptic feast marking the new year and honoring martyrs, kept in Egypt and Ethiopia.Festival 🇲🇽 Papantla, Mexico and 1 moreDanza de los Voladores A Mesoamerican rite of dance and rope, flown from a tall pole to ask for rainSpiritual 🇪🇬 Thebes, EgyptAncient Egyptian funerary practices Rites for the dead in ancient Egypt: preserving the body, spells and grave goodsRite of passage 🇳🇬 Abuja, NigeriaNew Yam FestivalIri ji A yearly harvest thanksgiving across Nigeria, when the first new yams may be eatenFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇹 Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala and 3 moreMaximón A folk saint of the Guatemalan highlands, asked for health, crops and protectionFolklore 🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, IndiaGirivalam A barefoot walk of about 14 km around Arunachala hill, most of all on full moon nightsSpiritual 🇪🇨 Quito, EcuadorFanesca Ecuador's Holy Week soup of grains, beans and salt cod, made for Good FridayTable custom · Lunch 🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch) Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShofarשׁוֹפָר A ram's horn blown in synagogue to mark the Jewish new year and the end of Yom KippurSpiritual 🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚 A short purification ceremony before the kami, sealed by three cups of sakeRite of passage 🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoOfrenda A home altar of food, flowers and candles that welcomes the dead home at Día de MuertosSpiritual 🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 2 moreAssumption of Mary A feast on 15 August, when Christians remember Mary taken up into heavenSpiritual 🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRoyal Maundy A Church of England service where the monarch gives silver Maundy coins to older peopleSpiritual 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEpiphany A January feast of the Magi, the Jordan baptism and the Cana miracle, kept by ChristiansSpiritual 🇹🇭 ThailandWai khruพิธีไหว้ครู A Thai ceremony of thanks to teachers, held in schools and in the artsSpiritual 🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSukkahסוכה A temporary hut with a branch roof, lived in for the seven days of SukkotSpiritual 🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 5 moreSuhurسحور The pre-dawn meal Muslims eat before a day of fasting in RamadanTable custom · Breakfast 🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreEasterΠάσχα The day Christians mark the resurrection, kept with vigils, feasts and eggsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇳 Meizhou Island, China and 5 moreMazu媽祖 A sea goddess of the Chinese coast, asked for calm water and a safe returnSpiritual 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelRosh Chodeshרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ The start of each Hebrew month, marked by the new moon and kept with prayerSpiritual 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreLast Post A bugle call sounded at military funerals and remembrance services across the Commonwealth to honour those who died in sPerformance 🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreWinter solstice The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked with fire, feasting and poetrySeasonal 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEvil eye A belief in harm cast by envious glares, met with protective charms and spoken blessingsFolklore 🇫🇷 FranceConfirmation A Christian rite of laying on of hands that completes baptism and strengthens faithRite of passage 🇯🇵 Suwa, JapanOnbashira Festival式年造営御柱大祭 A rite in Nagano where massive fir logs are dragged down mountains and raised at shrinesSpiritual 🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival 🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual 🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival 🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSaint Patrick's DayLá Fhéile Pádraig An annual Irish holiday of parades, church services, green dress and shamrocksFestival 🇫🇷 Lyon, FranceFestival of LightsFête des lumières A four-day festival in Lyon marking December 8 with illuminated windows and light artFestival 🇱🇰 Anuradhapura, Sri LankaSinhala New Yearඅලුත් අවුරුද්ද The April solar New Year and harvest festival celebrated across Sri LankaSeasonal 🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawlid in Algeriaيوم المولد النبوي The Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration in Algeria with family feasts and prayersFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇺🇸 United StatesGreen Corn CeremonyPuskita A Southeastern harvest and new year ceremony of fasting, dancing and renewalSeasonal 🇯🇵 Tokushima, JapanAwa Dance Festival阿波踊り A summer street dance festival held in Tokushima during the Buddhist season of ObonFestival 🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival 🇧🇪 Bruges, BelgiumProcession of the Holy BloodHeilig Bloedprocessie An annual sacred parade and historical pageant through the streets of Bruges, Belgium.Spiritual
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The weekly EveryParampara

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