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
🇹🇷 Edirne, Turkey and 3 moreOil wrestlingYağlı güreş
Oiled wrestlers in leather trousers: Turkey's national sport, centred on KırkpınarGame
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر
A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShofarשׁוֹפָר
A ram's horn blown in synagogue to mark the Jewish new year and the end of Yom KippurSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSukkahסוכה
A temporary hut with a branch roof, lived in for the seven days of SukkotSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelRosh Chodeshרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ
The start of each Hebrew month, marked by the new moon and kept with prayerSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreWinter solstice
The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked with fire, feasting and poetrySeasonal
🇱🇧 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
🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى
An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreNiqabنِقاب
A face veil worn by some Muslim women, hiding all but the eyesDress
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreBar and bat mitzvahבַּר מִצְוָה / בַּת מִצְוָה
A Jewish rite of passage marking when youth reach adulthood and take responsibility for their own actions.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotהַקָּפוֹת
Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreHanukkah menorah
A nine-branched lamp that gains one more flame on each of Hanukkah's eight nightsSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreLord's DayKyriake hemera
Sunday, the weekly day of Christian worship, kept as a memory of the resurrectionSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreChallahחַלָּה
A braided Jewish bread, blessed and shared at Shabbat and holiday tablesTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreKashrutכַּשְׁרוּת (Hebrew)
The Jewish dietary laws: what may be eaten, and how it is preparedTable custom
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب
A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 2 moreAnnunciationΟ Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου
A Christian feast marking the angel Gabriel's message to Mary about bearing Jesus, kept on 25 March.Festival
🇮🇱 Israel and 6 moreHoly SaturdaySabbatum Sanctum
The closing day of Holy Week, a Saturday of waiting, fasting and vigil before EasterSpiritual
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDay of Arafahيوم عرفة
A holy day of prayer, repentance, and vigil on the second day of the Hajj pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMourning of Muharramعَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ
Annual rites of grief and remembrance for Imam Husayn and his companionsSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelFast of the Firstbornתַעֲנִית בְּכוֹרוֹת
A Jewish fast day kept by firstborns on the eve of PassoverSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSa'eeالسعي
The ritual walk between the twin hills of Safa and Marwa during Islamic pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 3 moreTasu'aتاسوعاء
A Shia day of remembrance before Ashura, honouring Abbas and the fallen at KarbalaSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreZeved habatזֶבֶד הַבָּת
A Jewish naming ceremony for newborn girls, kept by Sephardi, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi communities.Rite of passage
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreFatimiyyaفاطمیة
A Shia period of mourning honoring the life and martyrdom of Lady FatimahSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreKiddush Levanahקידוש לבנה
A Jewish ritual service held after the new moon to bless God for the lunar cycle and seek protection.Spiritual
🇹🇷 Bursa, TurkeyLaylat al-Raghaibلَيْلَةُ الرّغائِب
An Islamic night of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the three sacred monthsSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇾 Syria and 2 moreAd orientem
The Christian practice of facing eastward during personal prayer and communal liturgySpiritual
🇹🇷 TurkeyKandilقنديل
Five holy nights marked by illuminated minarets and prayers in Turkey and the BalkansSpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHadraحضرة
A collective Sufi ritual of chanted divine remembrance, sacred poetry and rhythmic movementSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreIsru Chagאסרו חג
A minor Jewish observance extending the joy and sanctity of major pilgrimage holidaysSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Beit HaShoeivahשמחת בית השואבה
Nightly music and dancing during the intermediate days of the festival of SukkotFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaManasikمناسك
The complete set of Islamic pilgrimage rites performed in and around Mecca.Spiritual
🇮🇷 IranKhāne-takānīخانهتکانی
A spring cleaning ritual in Iran that prepares homes for the Norouz new year.Festival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreDough offeringHafrashat challah
A Jewish ritual where a portion of bread dough is set aside for a priest.Spiritual
🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreMystery of Crowning
A ritual where crowns are placed on the heads of the bride and groom during marriage in Eastern Christian churches.Rite of passage
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreRowzeh-khani
A Shia Muslim ritual of reciting mourning narratives about the Battle of Karbala.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTikkun HaKlaliתיקון הכללי
A set of ten Psalms recited for repentance and spiritual healing within the Breslover Hasidic tradition.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAliya la'regelעלייה לרגל
A Jewish commandment to appear at the Temple in Jerusalem during three annual festivals.Spiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelShabbatonשבתון
A Jewish communal retreat or educational program centered on ShabbatSpiritual
🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 1 moreThursday of the Deadخميس الأموات
A spring day of cemetery visits, prayer, and shared yellow breads across the LevantSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇶 IraqShabbat mealsסעודות שבת
Three ritual meals eaten across the Jewish Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday nightTable custom · Dinner
🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George
An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 5 moreChadorchādar
A full-length open cloak that is pulled over the head and held shut by handDress
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelChallah cover
A cloth used to cover braided bread loaves on the Shabbat table in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition.Spiritual · Dinner
🇾🇪 YemenConfession in Judaismוִדּוּי (vīddūy)
Admitting sin before God, in daily prayer, on Yom Kippur and at the end of lifeSpiritual
🇮🇱 Meron, Israel and 1 moreUpsherinאָפּשערן
A boy's first haircut at three, the day his Jewish learning beginsRite of passage · Sweets given and shared
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- High Holy Days: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Oil wrestling: No machine-readable author provided. Math34 assumed (based on copyrigh, Public domain, source
- Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Khāne-takānī: Niloofar Rakhshan, CC BY 4.0, source
- Sukkah: Gilabrand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rosh Chodesh: beth woodrum, CC BY 2.0, source
- Winter solstice: Image by Przemyslaw " Blueshade " Idzkiewicz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kashrut: Daniel Ventura, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hijab: Sophie Barat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holy Saturday: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Isru Chag: Jim Padgett, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source
- Fast of the Firstborn: J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, source
- Mourning of Muharram: Naser Jafari, CC BY 4.0, source
- Sa'ee: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fatimiyya: Mohsen Ataei, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kiddush Levanah: Wacław Koniuszko, Public domain, source
- Simchat Beit HaShoeivah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Manasik: Dan ik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rowzeh-khani: Amir Hesaminejad, CC BY 4.0, source
- Mystery of Crowning: Shakko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ad orientem: Joachim Specht, Public domain, source
- Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zeved habat: I.am.a.qwerty, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Annunciation: El Greco, Public domain, source
- Day of Arafah: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dough offering: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
- Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feast of Saint George: Onceinawhile, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chador: Marius Arnesen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Niqab: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bar and bat mitzvah: Peter van der Sluijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Upsherin: Vered Peer, CC BY 4.0, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shabbat meals: Yoninah, Public domain, source
- Hanukkah menorah: Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Confession in Judaism: Nathan [ben Samson] of Mezhyrich, Public domain, source
- Lord's Day: Globetrotter19, CC BY-SA 3.0, source