All traditions
2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,310 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
🇮🇹 Lake Nemi, ItalyNemoralia
A three-day Roman festival of torches and garlands for the goddess DianaSpiritual
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaZangfu脏腑
A traditional Chinese model of internal organs as paired networks of energy and functionFolklore
🇮🇷 Kashan, IranOmar Koshanعمرکشان
A yearly carnival in Iran where social roles reverse to honor Fatima al-Zahra and remember historical figures.Festival
🇮🇳 Mathura, IndiaKrishna legends in Kathak
The enactment of Krishna's sacred stories in Indian classical dancePerformance
🇷🇺 RussiaBlack wedding
A traditional Jewish crisis wedding held in a cemetery to ward off diseaseSpiritual
🇩🇿 Tlemcen, AlgeriaAshura in Algeriaيوم عاشوراء
A day of fasting, almsgiving, evening feasting and regional folk masquerades.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇵🇬 Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaRepentance Day
An annual public holiday of prayer and national reflection across Papua New GuineaSpiritual
🇭🇷 Metković, CroatiaŽudije
Dalmatian guardians who watch the tomb of Christ from Holy Thursday to Easter VigilSpiritual
🇮🇱 Safed, IsraelShalom Aleichemשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם
A traditional song sung on Friday night to welcome Sabbath angels into the homeSpiritual
🇿🇲 Maala, ZambiaShimunenga
An annual Zambian celebration of cattle displays, dances, and ancestral memoryFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇵🇹 PortugalMissas do Parto
Nine morning Masses in Madeira that follow Mary through the last days of her pregnancySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوزيعة
A communal meat-sharing custom fostering rural solidarity across AlgeriaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇼 Rumphi, Malawi and 2 moreTumbuka dances and festivals
Dances for healing and celebration, and the yearly festivals that keep themPerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaParashurama Jayantiपरशुरामजयंती (Paraśurāmajayantī)
A Hindu day of fasting and worship marking Parashurama's birth on Akshaya TritiyaSpiritual
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 5 moreLhabab Duchenལྷ་བབས་དུས་ཆེན་
A Buddhist festival for the day the Buddha returned to earth from a god's realmSpiritual
🇬🇷 GreeceKalanta ChristougenonΚάλαντα Χριστουγέννων
A Greek Christmas carol, sung around the feast with triangle and guitarPerformance
🇬🇷 Athens, GreecePeplosπέπλος
A draped woolen tunic worn by women in ancient Greece, central to Athenian religious festivals.Dress
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVenus Verticordia
A Roman cult of Venus as the turner of hearts, kept by married womenSpiritual
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaZangfu脏腑
The traditional Chinese medical model of interconnected organ networks and vital energyFolklore
🇮🇹 Palermo, ItalyFeast of Saint RosaliaFestino di Santa Rosalia
An annual July festival in Palermo honouring the patron saint who ended the plague.Festival
🇧🇬 BulgariaSurvakaneСурвакане
A Bulgarian New Year ritual where children tap family members with decorated branches to wish them health and prosperityFestival
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreFilsetaፍልሰታ
A fifteen-day fast and feast honouring the Dormition and Assumption of MarySpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreAldersgate Day
A Methodist observance on 24 May marking the spiritual turning point of John Wesley.Festival
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreLeil Selichotליל הסליחות
A night of penitential prayers and poems recited before the Jewish New Year to seek forgiveness.Spiritual
🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreGeorge's Day in AutumnЕгорий Осенний (Yegoriy Osenniy), Юрьев день (Yuriev den); Serbian: Ђурђиц (Đurđic)
The autumn feast of Saint George, kept at harvest's end in Slavic landsFestival
🇿🇦 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
🇮🇳 IndiaMarga Natya
A dance, music and acting tradition rebuilt from Bharata's Natya ShastraPerformance
🇮🇹 Benevento, ItalyWitches of Benevento
A southern Italian tradition of walnut-tree gatherings and protective folk charmsFolklore
🇮🇳 IndiaAbhiṣekaabhiṣeka (Sanskrit); wang (Tibetan)
A Vajrayāna rite in which a guru empowers a pupil for secret tantric practiceSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreUrs-e-Razaviعرس اعلی حضرت
A three-day annual Sufi gathering honouring the legacy of Imam Ahmad Raza KhanSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith
A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual
🇩🇪 Weingarten, Germany and 1 moreBlutritt
An equestrian pilgrimage across southern Germany honoring a relic of the Holy BloodSpiritual
🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain and 4 moreFeast of Saint Isidore the LaborerFiestas de San Isidro Labrador
A May festival honoring the patron saint of farmers, marked by processions and harvest gratitude in Spain and former colFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇫🇷 Lyon, France and 2 moreWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity
An eight-day international period of shared prayer for reconciliation among churchesSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaPrathamastami
An Odia ritual blessing the firstborn child for long life and good fortuneRite of passage
🇳🇪 Niger and 1 moreSitta min Shawwalستة من شوال
A voluntary six-day Islamic fast observed during the month following RamadanSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 IndiaVadhu Praveshaवधूप्रवेश
A Hindu ceremony welcoming a bride into her new husband's homeRite of passage
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 3 moreGhadir Khummغَدِير خُمّ
A historic sermon and annual festival marking Ali's role in early Islam.Festival
🇲🇦 Morocco and 2 moreTweezaتويزة
A North African tradition of communal voluntary work, mutual aid and shared harvestsCeremony · Dinner
🇬🇧 United KingdomBean-nighe
A Scottish spirit of the streams who washes shrouds to foretell deathFolklore
🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint MarkFesta di san Marco
Saint Mark's day on 25 April, kept with rosebuds in Venice and harvest care in LithuaniaSpiritual
🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival
A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance
🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon
A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
🇨🇳 ChinaTui na推拿
A traditional Chinese hands-on therapy using pushing, grasping, and acupressure pointsFolklore
🇮🇳 IndiaDivja
A Goan ritual where women carry oil lamps in a temple procession to fulfill vows.Spiritual
🇭🇷 Hvar, CroatiaZa križen
A night procession on Hvar island where six villages walk simultaneously to honor the cross.Spiritual
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreMarriage vows
The promises a couple speak to each other as they marryRite of passage
🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreĐurđevdanЂурђевдан
A spring festival and feast of Saint George kept across the Balkans and Eastern EuropeFestival · Feasts and festival meals
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Venus Verticordia: kladcat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Krishna legends in Kathak: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Nemoralia: Frederic Leighton, Public domain, source
- Parashurama Jayanti: Rajasekhar1961, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Abhiṣeka: Wonderlane, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kola San Jon: Dvfernandes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kuru Dance and Music Festival: SanDanceVR, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ashura in Algeria: Jan Janssonius, Public domain, source
- Missas do Parto: Porto Bay Events, CC BY 2.0, source
- Feast of Saint Mark: No machine-readable author provided. Cremedia assumed (based on copyri, Public domain, source
- Divja: Govenkarpriyanka, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marriage vows: Tumi-1983, Public domain, source
- Za križen: E.mil.mil, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Đurđevdan: Anonymous Russian icon painter (before 1917) Public domain image (acco, Public domain, source
- Zangfu: Foristslow, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tweeza: Demeester, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vadhu Pravesha: Shounak Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Prathamastami: Swetabiswal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feast of Saint Isidore the Laborer: Ángel Lizcano Monedero, Public domain, source
- Blutritt: Joseph Bayer, Public domain, source
- Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
- Witches of Benevento: Guglielmo della Porta, CC0, source
- Marga Natya: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Tooth ablation: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- George's Day in Autumn: Sergey Ivanov, Public domain, source
- Leil Selichot: Yael Shilo יעל שילה, CC BY 3.0, source
- Aldersgate Day: Man vyi, Public domain, source
- Feast of Saint Rosalia: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Peplos: No machine-readable author provided. Harrieta171 assumed (based on cop, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black wedding: American Colony Photo Department, Public domain, source