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
🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceDionysiaΔιονύσια
Ancient Athenian festivals of theatre, processions and sacrifices in honour of the god Dionysus.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna
A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual
🇧🇦 Kupres, Bosnia and HerzegovinaMowing on KupresStrljanica
A July scythe-mowing contest on the Strljanica meadow at Kupres, kept since 1687Game
🇬🇷 Nicopolis, Greece and 1 moreActiaἌκτια
A festival of music, sport, and naval displays kept in ancient times to honor a Roman emperor's victory.Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMarco Polo
A swimming pool tag game where one blindfolded player uses sound to find othersGame
🇧🇦 Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 moreMedjugorje International Youth Festival
A six-day August gathering of Catholic youth in Medjugorje, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFestival
🇦🇴 Angola and 2 moreLusona
Sand drawings from Angola and Zambia that carry proverbs, fables and animalsCraft
🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreAberri Eguna
An annual Basque nationalist gathering held on Easter Sunday to celebrate national identity and culture.Festival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreSkyclad ritual
A practice of performing Wiccan and Pagan rites without clothing to express truth and spiritual freedom.Spiritual
🇦🇹 Austria and 2 morePerchten
Masked midwinter walks in the Alps, with carved wooden masks and sheepskinFolklore
🇩🇪 Wittenberg, Germany and 1 moreVersus populum
A liturgical stance where the priest celebrates Mass facing the congregation from the opposite side of the altar.Spiritual
🇰🇪 KenyaHarambee
Kenya's tradition of community self-help, where people gather to raise funds togetherCeremony
🇲🇦 MoroccoMoroccan kaftan
A floor-length tunic worn by Moroccan women for weddings and celebrations, featuring heavy embroidery and rich textiles.Dress
🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala, GuatemalaHoly Week in GuatemalaSemana Santa
Street processions of floats, purple-robed penitents and sawdust carpets in GuatemalaSpiritual
🇹🇭 Dan Sai, ThailandPhi Ta Khonผีตาโขน
A three-day festival in Dan Sai, north-east Thailand, of ghost masks and merit-makingFestival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFirst haircut
A rite of passage marking a child's first shave or trim across many cultures and faiths.Rite of passage
🇮🇳 IndiaRitu Kala SamskaramRitushuddhi
A South Indian Hindu coming-of-age ceremony for girls after their first period.Rite of passage
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSecular coming-of-age ceremony
A non-religious rite of passage for adolescents in Europe and North America, marking the transition to adulthood throughRite of passage
🇷🇴 RomaniaCapra
A New Year's ritual in Romania where a masked dancer visits homes to bring luck and predict the weather.Festival
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 morePolaznik
The first visitor to cross the threshold at Christmas, read as a sign of the year to comeFolklore
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreJeti ataЖеті ата
A Kazakh custom requiring knowledge of seven direct ancestors to ensure healthy marriages and tribal identity.Folklore
🇪🇬 Luxor, Egypt and 1 moreFoundation deposit
A ritual burial of objects under building foundations to ensure structural stability and divine protection.Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBreeching
A rite of passage when a young boy first wore trousers instead of a dress.Rite of passage
🇮🇷 IranKhāne-takānīخانهتکانی
A spring cleaning ritual in Iran that prepares homes for the Norouz new year.Festival
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka
A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreCamel Heda'aحداء الإبل
Camel herders' calls that speak to the herd, kept across the Arabian PeninsulaFolklore
🇵🇪 Peru and 5 moreMinka
Shared unpaid work for community projects and for families who need many handsCeremony
🇮🇳 IndiaPushpanjaliपुष्पाञ्जलि
A Hindu ritual of offering flowers with cupped hands, used in worship and as an opening dance.Spiritual
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreBundling
A traditional courtship practice where a couple shares a bed under supervision to ensure compatibility and accountabilitRite of passage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTelling the bees
A Western European custom of informing honeybees about major household events like deaths and weddings.Folklore
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreRäucherkerze
A scented incense cone burned in German and Czech homes during the Christmas season to fill rooms with fragrance.Festival
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDajiao打醮
An annual Taoist ritual and festival seeking peace and safety for the communitySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreFairy-locks
A folk belief that fairies and spirits tangle the hair of sleeping children and animals.Folklore
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief Night
An informal autumn evening of neighbourhood tricks, practical jokes and street pranksFestival
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 4 moreSampingسمڤيڠ
A traditional Malay waist cloth worn over festive attire in Southeast AsiaDress
🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 2 moreCaloian
A Romanian rainmaking and fertility ritual centered on the creation, funeral, and rebirth of a clay effigy.Festival
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreRowzeh-khani
A Shia Muslim ritual of reciting mourning narratives about the Battle of Karbala.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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMayian
A pre-wedding cleansing ritual in Punjabi traditions, using turmeric paste to prepare the couple for marriage.Rite of passage
🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaAntam Sanskarਅੰਤਮ ਸੰਸਕਾਰ (Antam Sanskar)
The final rites of passage in Sikhism, involving prayer, cremation, and the dispersal of ashes.Rite of passage
🇵🇭 Bulacan, PhilippinesLuksong baka
A traditional Filipino jumping game where players leap over a kneeling partner without touching them.Game
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreDough offeringHafrashat challah
A Jewish ritual where a portion of bread dough is set aside for a priest.Spiritual
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreFlyting
A ritual contest of poetic insults exchanged between two parties in verse.Performance
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTikkun HaKlaliתיקון הכללי
A set of ten Psalms recited for repentance and spiritual healing within the Breslover Hasidic tradition.Spiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaNaam Karanਨਾਮ ਕਰਨ
A Sikh naming ceremony held at a Gurdwara to bless the child and choose their name.Rite of passage
🇲🇽 MexicoMesoamerican bloodletting
A ritual practice of self-cutting used by ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican elites to communicate with the divine.Spiritual
🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreLazariceлазарице
A spring procession of girls in flower wreaths, singing door to door before Palm SundaySpiritual
🇩🇪 Worms, Germany and 2 moreHollekreisch
An Ashkenazi birth ritual where children name a newborn with a secular name.Rite of passage
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pushpanjali: Yosarian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
- Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khāne-takānī: Niloofar Rakhshan, CC BY 4.0, source
- Foundation deposit: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Polaznik: Carlton Alfred Smith, Public domain, source
- Camel Heda'a: Rawan92, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Phi Ta Khon: E.D.W., Public domain, source
- Minka: Tobias Deml, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dionysia: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Mowing on Kupres: PLATFORMA SARAJEVO, CC BY 3.0, source
- Actia: Flavius Hermogenes at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- First haircut: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Secular coming-of-age ceremony: Karsten Davideit, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Versus populum: Stebunik, CC BY 4.0, source
- Capra: Michał Elwiro Andriolli, Public domain, source
- Fairy-locks: Tsaag Valren, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Caloian: Costică Acsinte Archive, No restrictions, source
- Samping: Gryffindor, Public domain, source
- Antam Sanskar: John Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Luksong baka: Free2barredo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mystery of Crowning: Shakko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy Week in Guatemala: derivative work: Sir James ( talk ) VolcanAguaPascuas.jpg :Infrogmatio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Perchten: Anita Martinz, CC BY 2.0, source
- Räucherkerze: Richard Huber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aberri Eguna: Fondo Marín. Pascual Marín, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Skyclad ritual: Luis Ricardo Falero, Public domain, source
- Lazarice: Svetlina bov at Bulgarian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mesoamerican bloodletting: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Flyting: Lorenz Frølich, Public domain, source
- Medjugorje International Youth Festival: Piotr Frydecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Breeching: Attributed to John Badger , Boston, Masschusetts, Public domain, source
- Dajiao: 29cm, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rowzeh-khani: Amir Hesaminejad, CC BY 4.0, source
- Dough offering: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source