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
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreLand Dayيَوْم اَلْأَرْض (Yawm al-Ard)
A yearly day of remembrance for Palestinians marking the 1976 protests against land seizures.Ceremony
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day
A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival
🇷🇺 Mordovia, Russia and 2 moreErzya Language DayЭрзянь келень чи
A yearly day for the Erzya language, held on 16 April, the birthday of Anatoli RyabovFestival
🇰🇷 South Korea and 4 moreParents' Day어버이날 (Eobeoinal)
Days set aside in several countries to thank mothers and fathersFestival
🇨🇳 Yulin, ChinaYulin Dog Meat Festival狗肉节
A ten-day June festival in Yulin, China, where dog meat is eaten with lycheesFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta
A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndependence DayHari Merdeka
Malaysia's national day, marking the end of British rule on 31 August 1957Ceremony
🇺🇸 Sitka, United StatesAlaska Day
Alaska's 18 October holiday marking the 1867 transfer from Russia to the United StatesCeremony
🇸🇮 SloveniaStatehood DayDan državnosti
Slovenia's one-day public holiday on 25 June, marking the 1991 move to independenceCeremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelJerusalem Film Festivalפסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים / مهرجان القدس السينمائي
Ten summer days of films from around the world, held in Jerusalem since 1984Performance
🇩🇪 Kiel, GermanyKiel WeekKieler Woche
A week of yacht racing, tall ships and waterfront music on the Kiel FjordGame
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea and 5 moreCouvade
Childbirth rituals where fathers take to bed and mimic the labor of childbirthRite of passage
🇮🇳 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
🇬🇧 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
🇸🇪 Sweden and 5 moreMushroom hunting
Gathering wild fungi for food and other uses, relying on careful identification to ensure safety.Table custom
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh, Cambodia and 3 moreBokatorល្បុក្កតោ (lbŏkkâtaô)
Cambodia's battlefield martial art of strikes, locks and weapons, now a ring sportGame
🇬🇷 Athens, Greece and 2 moreDionysian Mysteries
Ancient Greek and Roman initiation rites of wine, ecstatic dance and spiritual rebirthSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇬🇧 Goodwood, United KingdomGoodwood Festival of Speed
A yearly British motorsport festival where cars and bikes race up a hill in West SussexFestival
🇩🇰 Denmark and 1 moreQuinquagesima
The last Sunday before Lent in Western Christianity, marking the start of Carnival and Shrovetide.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 United StatesFestivus
A secular December observance marked by bare poles, voiced grievances, and wrestlingFestival · Dinner
🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreDozhinkiDożynki
A Slavic harvest festival of the last sheaf, a woven wreath and a shared mealSeasonal
🇯🇵 JapanMarine Day海の日
A Japanese summer holiday to thank the ocean and mark the country's ties to the seaCeremony
🇪🇸 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
🇵🇭 Kawit, PhilippinesIndependence DayAraw ng Kasarinlán
The Philippines' national day, marked each 12 June with flags and paradesCeremony
🇵🇰 Islamabad, Pakistan and 1 morePakistan Dayیومِ پاکستان
Pakistan's national day on 23 March: the 1940 Lahore Resolution and the 1956 constitutionCeremony
🇺🇸 Columbia, United States and 1 moreBreastfeeding in public
The custom of nursing an infant openly in shared and public spacesHome
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpiclesisἐπίκλησις
The liturgical calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the bread and wine during communionSpiritual
🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade
An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreVictory Dayবিজয় দিবস
Bangladesh's national day on 16 December, marking the 1971 surrender that made the stateCeremony
🇬🇷 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
🇦🇫 Kabul, AfghanistanAfghan Independence Dayد افغانستان د خپلواکۍ ورځ (Pashto); روز استقلال افغانستان (Dari)
Afghanistan's national day, kept on 19 August for the treaty of 1919Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRogation days
Springtime Christian days of prayer, fasting, and parish boundary walks.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMourning of Muharramعَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ
Annual rites of grief and remembrance for Imam Husayn and his companionsSpiritual
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreTranslation of relicsTranslatio
The ceremonial transfer of holy remains or relics to a new church or shrineSpiritual
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaIndependence Dayდამოუკიდებლობის დღე
Georgia's national holiday marking the 1918 declaration of sovereignty from the Russian Empire.Ceremony
🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë
Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony
🇹🇷 Van, Turkey and 5 moreChildren's Day
An international observance supporting youth welfare, education and children's rightsCeremony
🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag
A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing
The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day
A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month
An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal
🇦🇿 Shusha, AzerbaijanVictory DayZəfər Günü
Azerbaijan's day off on 8 November, marking the 2020 taking of ShushaCeremony
🇪🇸 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
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyAmbarvalia
An ancient Roman agricultural rite to purify farmland and ensure fertile cropsSpiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Children's Day: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Europeade: Niklas Lydeen, CC BY 3.0, source
- Breastfeeding in public: carlosalbertony, CC0, source
- Erzya Language Day: Erzianj jurnalist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Grandparents' Day: Wendy Berry, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yulin Dog Meat Festival: Maria Ly, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kiel Week: Arne List, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jerusalem Film Festival: Gilabrand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Independence Day: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marine Day: Manish Prabhune, CC BY 2.0, 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
- Afghan Independence Day: Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor (U.S. armed forces), CC BY 2.0, source
- Victory Day: Jubair1985, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cavalcade of Magi: Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, source
- Independence Day: Kober, Public domain, source
- Xhubleta: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Quinquagesima: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Twelve Days of Christmas: Giotto, Public domain, source
- Dionysian Mysteries: Tilemahos Efthimiadis, CC BY 2.0, source
- Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Festivus: en:User:DRosenbach Original uploader was DRosenbach at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Asperges: Ian42, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
- Mourning of Muharram: Naser Jafari, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bokator: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Shoe throwing: Zarateman, CC0, source
- Mushroom hunting: Игорь Лебединский, CC BY 3.0, source
- Alaska Day: Sgt. David Bedard, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: amrufm, CC BY 2.0, source
- Land Day: Lata66, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pakistan Day: Imniazi001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Epiclesis: Nheyob , cropped by Tahc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Goodwood Festival of Speed: Bruno Postle, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Parents' Day: 草花写真館, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Youth Day: Andrey Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ambarvalia: Alberto Pisa, Public domain, source
- Victory Day: Toghrul Rahimli, CC BY-SA 4.0, source