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 States and 2 moreTrinity SundayDominica Trinitatis
A Christian feast honouring the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit after PentecostSpiritual
🇲🇱 MaliTayammumتيمم
A dry ritual purification using clean earth or stone when water is unavailable or harmful.Spiritual
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 morePresentation of Mary
A Christian feast on November 21 marking a child's dedication to God in Jerusalem.Spiritual
🇬🇧 St Andrews, United Kingdom and 10 moreSaint Andrew's DayLà Naomh Anndrais
The feast of Andrew the Apostle, kept on 30 November and Scotland's national daySpiritual
🇲🇱 Mali and 1 moreKhumsخُمْس
The Islamic practice of giving a one-fifth share of certain wealth to designated causesSpiritual
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreIntercession of the TheotokosПокровъ
An Eastern Christian autumn feast honoring the protective veil of the Virgin MarySpiritual
🇪🇬 Alexandria, Egypt and 5 moreCenobitic monasticism
A communal way of monastic life where monks live, pray, and follow a shared ruleSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil
A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇬🇷 Olympia, GreeceHeraean Games
An ancient Greek festival of running races for unmarried young women at OlympiaGame
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBeheading of John the Baptist
A Christian holy day of strict fasting that marks the death of John the BaptistSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇪🇬 EgyptOpening of the mouth ceremony
An ancient Egyptian rite to awaken a spirit's senses for the afterlifeRite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreRadonitsaРа́доница (Russian), Ра́даўніца (Belarusian)
A spring day when Orthodox families visit graves, share Easter food and greet the deadSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreFirst Communion
A Christian rite of passage marking a person's initial reception of the Eucharist.Rite of passage
🇮🇪 IrelandSolemnitySolemnitas
The highest rank of celebration in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendarSpiritual
🇦🇲 ArmeniaHoly TuesdayMegali Triti
A day of church services in Holy Week that remembers biblical parables about vigilance and readiness.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaSvayamvaraस्वयंवर
An ancient Indian noble assembly where a bride chose her husband among suitorsRite of passage
🇱🇹 Lithuania and 5 moreNativity of John the Baptist
A Christian feast day on June 24 that marks the birth of John the Baptist and anticipates Christmas.Festival
🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭
A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 4 moreMarian feast days
Holy days across the liturgical year celebrating the life and veneration of Mary.Spiritual
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTwelve Days of Christmas
A festive Christian liturgical season linking Christmas Day to the eve of EpiphanySeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇷 Athens, Greece and 2 moreDionysian Mysteries
Ancient Greek and Roman initiation rites of wine, ecstatic dance and spiritual rebirthSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Madurai, India and 4 morePuthanduபுத்தாண்டு (Puttāṇṭu)
The first day of the Tamil solar calendar, celebrated by Tamils with family feasts and auspicious trays.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇩🇰 Denmark and 1 moreQuinquagesima
The last Sunday before Lent in Western Christianity, marking the start of Carnival and Shrovetide.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreDozhinkiDożynki
A Slavic harvest festival of the last sheaf, a woven wreath and a shared mealSeasonal
🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreDay of the Holy InnocentsDía de los Santos Inocentes
A 28 December day of pranks and fake news, kept in the Spanish-speaking worldFestival
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpiclesisἐπίκλησις
The liturgical calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the bread and wine during communionSpiritual
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAdelphopoiesisἀδελφοποίησις
A historical Christian church ceremony creating a spiritual bond of brotherhoodSpiritual
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια
A barefoot firewalking and dance rite honouring Saint Constantine and Saint HelenSpiritual
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyAmbarvalia
An ancient Roman agricultural rite to purify farmland and ensure fertile cropsSpiritual
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCavalcade of Magi
A parade of the Three Magi through town on Epiphany Eve, with sweets thrown to the crowdFestival
🇷🇺 RussiaAsperges
The Christian liturgical ceremony of sprinkling the faithful with blessed waterSpiritual
🇮🇳 Varanasi, IndiaHead shaving in Hinduism
Ritual tonsure for spiritual renewal, life transitions, and devotion in HinduismSpiritual
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRogation days
Springtime Christian days of prayer, fasting, and parish boundary walks.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreTranslation of relicsTranslatio
The ceremonial transfer of holy remains or relics to a new church or shrineSpiritual
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMourning of Muharramعَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ
Annual rites of grief and remembrance for Imam Husayn and his companionsSpiritual
🇪🇸 Toledo, SpainFeast of the Holy Name of Mary
A Catholic feast day honouring the name and intercession of the Virgin MarySpiritual
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreLustratio
An ancient Greek and Roman cleansing rite using processions and animal sacrifice.Spiritual
🇦🇱 Albania and 5 moreDodolaДодoла / Dodola
A Balkan rainmaking ritual where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summer showers.Festival
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVinalia
Ancient Roman festivals honoring Jupiter and Venus with wine libations to bless the harvest and ensure good weather.Festival
🇮🇱 IsraelFast of the Firstbornתַעֲנִית בְּכוֹרוֹת
A Jewish fast day kept by firstborns on the eve of PassoverSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 8 moreSaint Joseph's Day
A 19 March feast honouring Jesus' earthly father, kept with altars and processionsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 3 moreTasu'aتاسوعاء
A Shia day of remembrance before Ashura, honouring Abbas and the fallen at KarbalaSpiritual
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSa'eeالسعي
The ritual walk between the twin hills of Safa and Marwa during Islamic pilgrimageSpiritual
🇫🇷 FranceMos Teutonicus
A medieval European funerary custom of boiling bones to return nobles home for burialRite of passage
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreFeast of the Sacred HeartSollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu
A Catholic holy day honoring Christ's love and mercy, observed in early summerSpiritual
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, India and 3 moreGuru Nanak Gurpurabਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, kept with processions, hymns and a shared mealSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreFatimiyyaفاطمیة
A Shia period of mourning honoring the life and martyrdom of Lady FatimahSpiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Vinalia: JPS68 via photoshop, Public domain, source
- Beheading of John the Baptist: Caravaggio, Public domain, source
- Radonitsa: Perohanych, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Day of the Holy Innocents: Attributed to Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Public domain, source
- Puthandu: Amila Tennakoon, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dozhinki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Cavalcade of Magi: Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, source
- Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
- Tayammum: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vigil: unknown master, Public domain, source
- Opening of the mouth ceremony: Hunefer, Public domain, source
- Heraean Games: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marian feast days: © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Svayamvara: Nandalal Bose, Public domain, source
- Nativity of John the Baptist: Brakeet, CC0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Twelve Days of Christmas: Giotto, Public domain, source
- Quinquagesima: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Dionysian Mysteries: Tilemahos Efthimiadis, CC BY 2.0, source
- Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Asperges: Ian42, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source
- Head shaving in Hinduism: Napoleon is back, CC0, source
- Rogation days: Ray Trevena, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Translation of relics: User:Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fast of the Firstborn: J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, source
- Mourning of Muharram: Naser Jafari, CC BY 4.0, source
- Feast of the Holy Name of Mary: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dodola: Andrey Shishkin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Sa'ee: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fatimiyya: Mohsen Ataei, CC BY 4.0, source
- Amburbium: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mos Teutonicus: Cryx thypex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Khums: 'Uthman ibn Husayn al-warraq (the copyist), Public domain, source
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab: Giridhar Appaji Nag Y, CC BY 2.0, source
- Presentation of Mary: Zograf Gregorij, Public domain, source
- Holy Tuesday: Brothers Dalziel / John Everett Millais, CC0, source
- Feast of the Sacred Heart: José de Páez, Public domain, source
- Epiclesis: Nheyob , cropped by Tahc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- First Communion: Fortepan adományozó URBÁN TAMÁS, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kowtow: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Trinity Sunday: Max Fürst, Public domain, source
- Intercession of the Theotokos: SNCH, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saint Andrew's Day: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source
- Ambarvalia: Alberto Pisa, Public domain, source