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
🇨🇳 ChinaQizhuang旗裝 (qízhuāng)
The traditional attire of the Manchu people, characterized by riding coats, trousers, and horse-hoof cuffs.Dress
🇳🇵 NepalJatjatin Dance
A Mithila folk dance performed by couples to seek rain and express the sorrow of parting.Performance
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreAbhiṣekaabhiṣeka (Sanskrit); wang (Tibetan)
A Vajrayana Buddhist ritual of consecration where a guru transmits spiritual authority to a student.Spiritual
🇲🇽 Tlayacapan, MexicoChinelos
Masked dancers from Morelos who spoof colonial manners at CarnivalPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreStatue rubbing
A global custom of touching public statues to seek luck, love, or a return to the city.Festival
🇳🇦 Outapi, NamibiaOlufuko
A seven-day Aawambo initiation rite and festival held annually in Outapi, NamibiaRite of passage
🇦🇹 Bludenz, AustriaBludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik
An international festival of contemporary classical music held annually in BludenzPerformance
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 morePurim costume
The Jewish custom of wearing masks and disguises during the festival of PurimDress
🇵🇭 PhilippinesInabel weavingAbél-Ilóco
A handwoven cotton textile tradition of the Ilocano people in Northern Luzon, Philippines.Craft
🇮🇳 IndiaKathaकथा (Hindi/Sanskrit), கதை (Tamil)
A traditional Indian practice of religious storytelling and scriptural commentary, kept across Hindu and Sikh communitieSpiritual
🇵🇸 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
🇮🇳 IndiaAngarkha
A long-sleeved men's outer robe of the Indian subcontinent, named for guarding the bodyDress
🇨🇳 ChinaEighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute胡笳十八拍
A Chinese song and poetry cycle telling the story and sorrow of Cai WenjiPerformance
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreCrepidaκρηπίς
An open, strapped leather shoe of ancient Greece, worn by peasants, soldiers and actorsDress
🇮🇸 Húsafell, Iceland and 4 moreLifting stonesteintökin
Lifting heavy natural stones to prove strength, a test kept in Iceland and ScotlandGame
🇿🇼 Harare, ZimbabweHarare International Festival of the Arts
An annual week-long celebration of music, dance, theatre and art in Harare, ZimbabwePerformance
🇻🇪 Caracas, VenezuelaCaracas Pride
An annual pride march in Venezuela calling for equal rights for LGBTQ communitiesCeremony
🇹🇭 Phrae, ThailandMo homหม้อห้อม
A northern Thai shirt and cloth, dyed deep blue-black with the hom plantDress
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, IsraelLethal Lesbianלסבית קטלנית
An annual film festival in Tel Aviv dedicated to cinema by and about lesbian women.Festival
🇬🇧 Selkirkshire, United KingdomHabetrot
A border fairy of the spinning wheel who works a girl's yarn and then frees her from itFolklore
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesBark Mitzvah
A lighthearted coming of age celebration held by dog owners for their petsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanGenpuku元服
The Japanese rite of passage that marked a child's entry into adult lifeRite of passage
🇲🇦 MoroccoTaskiwinⵜⴰⵙⴽⵉⵡⵉⵏ / تاسكيوين
A martial dance of Morocco's western High Atlas, danced with a decorated hornPerformance
🇬🇧 United KingdomRacial Justice Sunday
A day of prayer and action for racial justice observed by British Christian churches in February.Spiritual
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreDragon robe袞龍袍 (gǔn lóngpáo)
Robes embroidered with dragons, worn by Chinese emperors and copied by nearby courtsDress
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreTaiyin Xingjun太陰星君
The Chinese moon goddess, honoured at Mid-Autumn with incense, mooncakes and prayersSpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇭🇺 Miskolc, HungaryKocsonya FestivalKocsonyafesztivál
An annual winter food and culture festival held in Miskolc, HungaryFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 Hengyang, China and 1 moreShan'ge山歌
A family of Chinese folk ballads from the countryside, in many regional formsPerformance
🇨🇱 Tarapacá, ChileFestival of San Lorenzo
An annual festival of religious dance and pilgrimage honoring Saint Lawrence in TarapacáSpiritual
🇬🇧 Leith, United KingdomShellycoat
A shell-covered water spirit of Scotland's east coast, a trickster more than a threatFolklore
🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George
An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 morePigache
A medieval European shoe with a sharp, upturned toe, banned by church councilsDress
🇭🇷 Šibenik, CroatiaŠibenik capšibenska kapa
A red or dark orange embroidered cap from Šibenik, a sign of the cityDress
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreTakamتکم
A carved goat puppet that dances on a plank to herald the arrival of springFolklore
🇴🇲 OmanKumaكمة
A round white Omani cap for men, embroidered and pierced to keep the head coolDress
🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreMeat raffle
A pub raffle of meat trays that raises funds for local teamsGame
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 2 moreMorehموريه
A late-night Ramadan supper of light snacks shared after the tarawih prayersTable custom · Supper
🇨🇭 Basel, Switzerland and 4 moreScheibenschlagen
A Central European custom where glowing wooden disks are flung from hillsides into valleys at dusk.Festival
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreZapisзапис
A consecrated village tree marked with a cross, venerated in Serbian folk traditionSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп
A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual
🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 morePodruga
A Balkan custom in which a childless wife agreed to a second wife joining the householdRite of passage
🇮🇳 IndiaOran lands
Sacred groves and community-conserved pastures in Rajasthan dedicated to local deities.Spiritual
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 2 moreOyez
A traditional ceremonial call chanted to open court sessions and civic assembliesCeremony
🇳🇬 Ilaro, NigeriaOronna Festival
A week-long November festival in Ilaro, Nigeria, honouring the warrior OronnaFestival
🇬🇧 Atherstone, United KingdomAtherstone Ball Game
An annual medieval football match played in Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday to honour a 12th-century victory.Game
🇮🇳 IndiaGaria Puja
A seven-day festival in Tripura honouring Baba Garia with worship and sacrificeFestival
🇬🇧 Palace of Westminster, United KingdomParliamentary snuff box
A wooden box of free snuff kept at the door of the House of CommonsCeremony
🇮🇷 IranKyrbasia*kurpāsa (Old Persian)
The headgear of Achaemenid satraps, later worn by dynasties that followed themDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pigache: Lambert- Liber Floridus (1120), Public domain, source
- Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lifting stone: Zaldibiako Udala, CC0, source
- Angarkha: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kuma: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Genpuku: moguphotos, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mo hom: Hanumann, CC BY 2.0, source
- Katha: Tirlochan Singh, Public domain, source
- Taskiwin: EL-MASOUDYMOHAMED, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chinelos: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Abhiṣeka: Wonderlane, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jatjatin Dance: Ramesh Lalwani, CC BY 2.0, source
- Qizhuang: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Inabel weaving: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Taiyin Xingjun: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Festival of San Lorenzo: Freddy Alexander Bugueño Tolmo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feast of Saint George: Onceinawhile, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Meat raffle: ef80, CC0, source
- Scheibenschlagen: Josef Saurwein, Zams, Public domain, source
- Zapis: Zblagojevic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oyez: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Atherstone Ball Game: Adrian Roebuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yunjin brocade: Dr. Meierhofer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Olufuko: Pemba.mpimaji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: Copy painting in Ming era, Public domain, source
- Racial Justice Sunday: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Purim costume: Flavio~, CC BY 2.0, source
- Crepida: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, source
- Šibenik cap: Roberta F., CC BY-SA 3.0, source