All traditions
2,350 traditions so far, best known first. 12,186 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
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaUmrahعُمْرَة
A pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims may make at most times of year, unlike the HajjSpiritual
🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى
An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreLentQuadragesima
Forty days of prayer, fasting and giving that lead Christians towards EasterSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇾 Aleppo, SyriaAleppo soapصابون غَار (ṣābūn ghar)
A hard olive-oil and laurel soap, hand-made in Aleppo and aged for monthsCraft
🇪🇪 EstoniaSeto leeloleelo
Polyphonic folk singing of the Setos, led by women in traditional dressPerformance
🇵🇭 Philippines and 6 moreMaundy ThursdayDies Cenae Domini
A Christian feast marking the start of Easter observances with foot washing and communion services.Spiritual
🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawlid in Algeriaيوم المولد النبوي
The Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration in Algeria with family feasts and prayersFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇳🇿 Waitangi, New ZealandPōwhiri
A formal Māori welcome onto a marae, with calls, speeches, song and the hongiEtiquette
🇰🇪 Nairobi, KenyaMadaraka Day
Kenya's annual public holiday marking the start of self-governance on 1 June 1963Ceremony
🇩🇰 DenmarkJul
Winter feasts, carols around the tree, and family gatherings across DenmarkFestival · Lunch
🇻🇳 Huế, VietnamTraditional Vietnamese wedding
A Vietnamese wedding: two families joined through proposal, engagement and ceremonyRite of passage
🇲🇽 Veracruz, Mexico and 3 moreBaile folklórico
Staged folk dances of Mexico and Central America, with regional dress and mariachi musicPerformance
🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreBurqa
A garment covering the body and face, worn by some Muslim womenDress
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreGuelaguetza
An annual Oaxacan festival of indigenous dance, music, costumes and communal sharingFestival
🇨🇭 Appenzell, Switzerland and 5 moreYodeling
A singing style switching between chest voice and falsetto, kept as a folk tradition across the Alps and globally.Performance
🇦🇲 Yerevan, Armenia and 5 moreKhachkarխաչքար
A carved stone cross raised as a memorial, a grave marker and a prayer in stoneCraft
🇬🇪 Georgia and 2 moreKvevriქვევრი
A buried clay jar, and the Georgian way of making wine inside itCraft
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreTuvan throat singing
A style of singing from Tuva where one voice sounds a drone and a melody at oncePerformance
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreBonfire Night
Yearly nights of bonfires and fireworks, kept in Britain, Ireland and beyondFestival
🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyCalcio storico fiorentino
A fierce Renaissance ball game played on sand between four Florentine districtsGame
🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainMascletà
A daytime sound and rhythm pyrotechnic display typical of the Valencian CommunityFestival
🇫🇮 FinlandChristmas in Finlandjoulu
A quiet midwinter festival of saunas, grave candles and table casseroles across FinlandSeasonal · Dinner
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 2 moreAssumption of Mary
A feast on 15 August, when Christians remember Mary taken up into heavenSpiritual
🇦🇲 Yerevan, ArmeniaYarkhushtaՅարխուշտա
A men's row dance from Sasun, where pairs clap palms as the lines advancePerformance
🇳🇱 NetherlandsBloemencorso Bollenstreek
An annual mid-April parade of flower-covered floats across the Dutch bulb regionFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSuper Bowl Sunday
The day the NFL championship is played, kept with gatherings and buffet foodFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreChulloch'ullu
An earflapped Andean hat in alpaca or llama wool, worn against the coldDress
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaHanfu漢服
The dress of the Han Chinese, named for the Han dynasty and worn again todayDress
🇬🇪 Georgia and 5 moreChokha
A high-collared wool coat of the Caucasus, worn by men for battle and ceremonyDress
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalasutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram)
A necklace tied by the groom at a wedding, worn through married lifeDress
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreGo圍棋 (wéiqí), 囲碁 (igo), 바둑 (baduk)
Two players surround territory with black and white stones on a lined boardGame
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSukkahסוכה
A temporary hut with a branch roof, lived in for the seven days of SukkotSpiritual
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء
A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the weddingRite of passage
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesWest Indian Day Parade
A lively Caribbean street procession held every September in Brooklyn, New YorkFestival
🇧🇪 Mons, BelgiumDucasse de Mons
An eight-day festival in Mons featuring a golden carriage and a dragon combatFestival
🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany and 2 moreGerman CarnivalKarneval
Pre-Lenten street parades, costume balls and local revels across German-speaking lands.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela
An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival
🇳🇿 Rotorua, New ZealandKapa haka
Māori group song and dance, from tribal and school groups to the national stagePerformance
🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesHoly Week in the PhilippinesMahal na Araw
An eight-day observance of the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ in the Philippines.Spiritual
🇯🇵 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
🇧🇷 BrazilFesta JuninaFestas Juninas
A Brazilian midwinter celebration marked by bonfires, folk dances and countryside gamesFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaAhimsaअहिंसा
A daily Indian discipline of doing no harm, in deed, word and thoughtSpiritual
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب
A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandBarmbrackbairín breac
A sweet Irish fruit loaf with charms baked in, eaten at Halloween and on New Year's EveTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaLingamliṅga
The pillar-shaped image of Shiva, kept in temples and home shrinesSpiritual
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in Korea
Weddings in Korea, from Goryeo matchmaking to Confucian rites and modern chapel vowsRite of passage
🇮🇳 Kuchipudi, IndiaKuchipudi
A classical dance-drama from Andhra Pradesh, with roots in temple and bhakti performance.Performance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Marriage in Korea: Jérôme Banal ( Eden2004 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kuchipudi: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lingam: शिव साहिल, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hijab: Sophie Barat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pre-Cana: Jebulon, CC0, source
- Ahimsa: Jain cloud, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barmbrack: Solo Beckett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Umrah: The original uploader was Medineli at English Wikipedia ., CC0, source
- Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lent: Manuela Paki-Costa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aleppo soap: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Seto leelo: Ave Maria Mõistlik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maundy Thursday: Benedetto Caliari, Public domain, source
- Mawlid in Algeria: Hammiche Hakim, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pōwhiri: Governor General of New Zealand, CC BY 4.0, source
- Jul: Erik Christensen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Traditional Vietnamese wedding: Gabrielle M. Vassal, Public domain, source
- Baile folklórico: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Burqa: [1], CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Guelaguetza: A01321718, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yodeling: Paebi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Khachkar: Arantz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kvevri: Levan Totosashvili, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tuvan throat singing: Johanna Kovitz, Public domain, source
- Bonfire Night: Jpdfive, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calcio storico fiorentino: Stradanus / After Giorgio Vasari, Public domain, source
- Mascletà: Pablo Enzo, Public domain, source
- Christmas in Finland: Uploaded by Sigketill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yarkhushta: Hablabar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bloemencorso Bollenstreek: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Super Bowl Sunday: Tech. Sgt. Steve Horton, U.S. Air Force, Public domain, source
- Chullo: El archivo fue elegido de manera aleatoria sin uso necesario de su lic, Public domain, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hanfu: Anonymous Song Chinese artist after the original by Gu Hongzhong, Public domain, source
- Chokha: Pyotr Gankevich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mangalasutra: Ackroydman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Go: Goban1, Public domain, source
- Sukkah: Gilabrand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
- West Indian Day Parade: Fordmadoxfraud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ducasse de Mons: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- German Carnival: Neva Micheva, CC BY 2.5, source
- Pushkar Fair: sheetal saini, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kapa haka: Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holy Week in the Philippines: LMP 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Onbashira Festival: Si-take. at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Festa Junina: Leandro Neumann Ciuffo, CC BY 2.0, source