All traditions
2,288 traditions so far, best known first. 12,325 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
🇲🇽 Tlayacapan, MexicoChinelos
Masked dancers from Morelos who spoof colonial manners at CarnivalPerformance
🇲🇽 MexicoMesoamerican bloodletting
A ritual practice of self-cutting used by ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican elites to communicate with the divine.Spiritual
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreStatue rubbing
A global custom of touching public statues to seek luck, love, or a return to the city.Festival
🇺🇸 United StatesUnity candle
A modern wedding ritual where two flames join to ignite a single central candleRite of passage
🇨🇦 Turtle Lake, CanadaTurtle Lake Monster
A Saskatchewan lake legend of a huge creature, claimed sightings and a sturgeon theoryFolklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNude wedding
A marriage ceremony where the couple and guests gather without clothingRite of passage
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMemphre
A creature of Quebec and Vermont folklore, reported at Lake Memphremagog since 1816Folklore
🇨🇦 CanadaDalbec
A boastful Quebec hunter hero whose tall tales were written down in the 1890sFolklore
🇨🇦 Edmonton, CanadaGrand North American Old Time Fiddle Championship
An annual summer fiddle tournament and community gathering in Alberta, CanadaPerformance
🇲🇽 MexicoPirekua
A gentle Purépecha song form from Michoacán, sung solo or in duetsPerformance
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaRamadan in Canada
A month of fasting, prayer and shared evening meals, kept by Muslims across CanadaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇺🇸 United StatesWamus
A jacket worn in the United States, in fringed hide, cloth or Amish Sunday bestDress
🇨🇦 Kelowna, CanadaOgopogoNx̌ax̌aitkʷ
A lake serpent of British Columbia, known from Syilx stories and reported sightingsFolklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYom HaHatzalahיום ההצלה
A Sat Hasidic holiday marking the rescue of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum from the Holocaust on the 21st of Kislev.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesBark Mitzvah
A lighthearted coming of age celebration held by dog owners for their petsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreStag and doe
A Canadian fundraising party for an engaged couple, featuring games, food, and raffles to help pay for the wedding.Festival · Dinner
🇺🇸 Buffalo, United States and 1 moreTurkey trot
A holiday footrace, often run in turkey costume and usually for charityFestival
🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving
An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSaber arch
A wedding custom where sabers form an arch for the couple to walk through.Rite of passage
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaCalling of an Engineerl'Engagement de l'ingénieur
A private Canadian rite where engineers pledge ethical duty and receive an iron ringRite of passage
🇨🇦 Wallaceburg, CanadaBaldoon Mystery
A ghost story from Wallaceburg, Ontario, about a cursed farm and a silver bulletFolklore
🇺🇸 United StatesOld time fiddle
An American string band style played for dancing, kept alive through local contests and family teaching.Performance
🇺🇸 United StatesPre-Cana
Meetings and courses Catholic couples take before a wedding, often called Pre-CanaRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide
An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual
🇺🇸 United StatesFlower girl
A young child walking before the bride, scattering blossoms along the wedding aisleRite of passage
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ogopogo: Hamedog at English Wikipedia ; cropped by Beyond My Ken ( talk ) 18:39, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Assumption of Mary: Jebulon, CC0, source
- Memphre: Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0, source
- Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
- Chinelos: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Flower girl: lil'bear, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source
- Mesoamerican bloodletting: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Calling of an Engineer: Joebobfrank, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Old time fiddle: Edward Washbourne (1831-1860), Public domain, source
- Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saber arch: Rabe100, Public domain, source
- Turkey trot: "A. A. Brack, S. A. Texas" ("S. A." = San Antonio?)., Public domain, source