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
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreLustratio
An ancient Greek and Roman cleansing rite using processions and animal sacrifice.Spiritual
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVinalia
Ancient Roman festivals honoring Jupiter and Venus with wine libations to bless the harvest and ensure good weather.Festival
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKoledariколядники
A Slavic winter caroling custom of visiting homes with songs, masks and blessingsFestival
🇦🇱 Albania and 5 moreDodolaДодoла / Dodola
A Balkan rainmaking ritual where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summer showers.Festival
🇮🇱 IsraelFast of the Firstbornתַעֲנִית בְּכוֹרוֹת
A Jewish fast day kept by firstborns on the eve of PassoverSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreVessantara JatakaVessantara Jātaka
A Buddhist festival celebrating the last life of the Buddha as a generous prince.Festival
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaHindi Dayहिन्दी दिवस
An annual Indian observance on 14 September marking the adoption of Hindi as an official language.Ceremony
🇪🇸 Toledo, SpainFeast of the Holy Name of Mary
A Catholic feast day honouring the name and intercession of the Virgin MarySpiritual
🇮🇹 ItalyConsualia
Ancient Roman harvest festivals honoring the god of stored grain with chariot races and decorated draft animals.Festival
🇮🇹 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
🇨🇳 Suzhou, China and 4 moreDongzhi Festival冬至
A winter solstice festival of family reunions, ancestor rites and sweet rice ballsSeasonal · Dinner
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreKing's Official Birthday
A day when Commonwealth realms mark the monarch's birthday, seldom the real dateCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLine-crossing ceremony
A naval initiation rite marking a sailor's first voyage across the equatorRite of passage
🇰🇿 Astana, KazakhstanIndependence DayҚазақстан Республикасының Тәуелсіздік күні
A national holiday marking the end of Soviet rule and the birth of the modern state.Ceremony
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSa'eeالسعي
The ritual walk between the twin hills of Safa and Marwa during Islamic pilgrimageSpiritual
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaKargil Vijay Diwas
An annual Indian observance honouring soldiers and the end of the Kargil War.Ceremony
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamReunification DayNgày Thống nhất
A public holiday in Vietnam on 30 April, marking the war's end in 1975Ceremony
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 5 moreNo Bra Day
An annual October observance promoting breast cancer awareness and bodily autonomySeasonal
🇫🇷 FranceMos Teutonicus
A medieval European funerary custom of boiling bones to return nobles home for burialRite of passage
🇫🇷 FranceLa soule
A rough medieval ball game from Normandy and Picardy played between parishes on religious holidays.Game
🇵🇪 Mito, PeruHuaconada
A three-day January ritual dance in Mito, Peru, led by masked men called huaconesPerformance
🇲🇦 MoroccoBujloodبوجلود
A masked carnival of animal skins held in Morocco just after Eid al-AdhaFestival
🇸🇮 Idrija, SloveniaIdrija lace
A bobbin tape lace from the Slovenian mining town of Idrija, still taught there todayCraft
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 3 moreTasu'aتاسوعاء
A Shia day of remembrance before Ashura, honouring Abbas and the fallen at KarbalaSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFeast of the Holy Name of Jesus
A Christian observance honoring the name of Jesus, celebrated on various dates across different traditions.Spiritual
🇫🇷 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
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreFatimiyyaفاطمیة
A Shia period of mourning honoring the life and martyrdom of Lady FatimahSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaMonlam Prayer Festival
A Tibetan Buddhist festival of mass prayers, sacred dances and ritual offeringsSpiritual
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyMegalesiaMegalenses Ludi
An ancient Roman spring festival of theatrical plays, races and feasts for CybeleFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaFatherland Liberation War Day조국해방전쟁 승리 기념일
North Korea's July 27 holiday marking the 1953 armistice that stopped the Korean WarCeremony
🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic National DayÞjóðhátíðardagurinn
Iceland's national day, 17 June, marking the founding of the republic in 1944Ceremony
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreTauroctonyταυροκτόνος
The sacred bull-slaying imagery at the heart of the ancient Roman Mithraic mysteriesSpiritual
🇮🇹 Italy and 6 morePatronal festivalFiesta patronal
A town's yearly feast for its patron saint, with processions, a fair and shared foodFestival
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreZeved habatזֶבֶד הַבָּת
A Jewish naming ceremony for newborn girls, kept by Sephardi, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi communities.Rite of passage
🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaIndonesian Independence DayHari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia
Indonesia's national day, marking the 1945 proclamation of independenceCeremony
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, India and 3 moreGuru Nanak Gurpurabਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, kept with processions, hymns and a shared mealSpiritual
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyFeraliaFerālia
An ancient Roman day of offerings to the dead, marking the close of ParentaliaSpiritual
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyEquirria
Two ancient Roman festivals of horse and chariot racing held in honor of Mars.Festival
🇸🇪 SwedenElevationēlevātiō
The ritual lifting of the bread and chalice during the Christian EucharistSpiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreArmed Forces Day
A civic holiday honouring national military services, their history and active personnelCeremony
🇦🇲 Armenia and 5 moreFeast of the TransfigurationՊայծառակերպութիւն
A Christian holy day marking the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount TaborSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreHouse
A traditional children's make-believe game of acting out domestic family rolesGame
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์
The Thai solar New Year marked by temple rites, elder blessings and water throwingSeasonal
🇮🇱 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
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreFukubukuro福袋
Surprise discount grab bags sold by Japanese retailers for the New YearSeasonal
🇮🇩 Pariaman, IndonesiaTabuik
A Muharram mourning rite in Pariaman, Sumatra, ending with a bier carried into the seaSpiritual
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSweden Finns' Dayruotsinsuomalaisten päivä (Finnish); sverigefinnarnas dag (Swedish)
An annual day in Sweden for the Sweden Finns, their language and their historyFestival
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSoviet Occupation Dayსაბჭოთა ოკუპაციის დღე
Georgia's annual day of remembrance, held on 25 February for victims of Soviet ruleCeremony
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
- Huaconada: Alfredo Palacios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fatherland Liberation War Day: Stefan Krasowski, Public domain, source
- Reunification Day: HappyMidnight, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indonesian Independence Day: Betari Ratih, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Soviet Occupation Day: Jeremy Teigen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tabuik: en:User:Brakatop upload to commons by Ladsgroup, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
- King's Official Birthday: City of Toronto, Public domain, source
- No Bra Day: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL, source
- Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source
- Fast of the Firstborn: J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, source
- Feast of the Holy Name of Mary: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dodola: Andrey Shishkin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Koledari: Mikhail Germashev, Public domain, source
- Line-crossing ceremony: Jules de Caudin, Public domain, source
- Vessantara Jataka: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kargil Vijay Diwas: Ashoosaini2002, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sa'ee: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tauroctony: Jastrow, Public domain, source
- La soule: Unknown author Unknown author illustrator (based on a sketch by M.J.L., Public domain, source
- Fatimiyya: Mohsen Ataei, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kiddush Levanah: Wacław Koniuszko, Public domain, source
- Fukubukuro: Jnn, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feast of the Transfiguration: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- House: Alborzagros, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Armed Forces Day: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
- Elevation: Vojtěch Slovák, CC BY 3.0, source
- Amburbium: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Idrija lace: Lace: Pavla Podobnik Photograph: Ines Zgonc, Public domain, source
- Mos Teutonicus: Cryx thypex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zeved habat: I.am.a.qwerty, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Monlam Prayer Festival: Evan-Lovely, CC BY 2.0, source
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab: Giridhar Appaji Nag Y, CC BY 2.0, source
- Patronal festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dongzhi Festival: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Feast of the Sacred Heart: José de Páez, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: Вачи, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bujlood: Hassan ahachi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source