All traditions
2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,311 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
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A multi-day Zoroastrian ceremony uniting two people through prayers, rituals and a shared meal.Rite of passage · Dinner
🇮🇳 Krishnanagar, IndiaJagaddhatri Puja
A Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumnSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLangarਲੰਗਰ
The free kitchen at a gurdwara, where all sit and eat together as equalsTable custom
🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaKumbh MelaKumbha Mēlā
A major Hindu riverside pilgrimage held across four rotating holy cities in IndiaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaDahi Handi
A Hindu festival sport where teams build human towers to break suspended curd potsFestival
🇱🇰 Mihintale, Sri LankaPoson
A Sri Lankan Buddhist festival marking the ancient arrival of Buddhism on the islandSpiritual
🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalBiska Jatra𑐧𑐶𑐳𑑂𑐎𑐵𑑅 𑐖𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐵
An annual solar new year festival in Nepal with chariot pulls and tall wooden poles.Festival
🇵🇰 PakistanShandur Polo Festivalشندور چوگان میلہ
A three-day mountain polo competition played with freestyle rules in northern PakistanGame
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreFuneral
The ceremony a community holds when someone dies, from burial to cremationRite of passage
🇵🇰 PakistanChilam Joshi
A spring festival of music, dance, and prayers celebrated by the Kalash peopleFestival
🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز
The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Pune, India and 5 moreTurbanدولبند (dolband)
Cloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identityDress
🇮🇳 IndiaSheetala Ashtami
A day for the goddess Shitala, kept eight days after Holi with food cooked in advanceSpiritual
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoya
A monthly full moon Buddhist holiday of observance and fasting in Sri LankaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল
A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ
A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChapchar KutChapchâr Kût
A spring festival of dance and food kept by the Mizo people in Mizoram, India.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThimithiதீமிதி
A South Indian firewalking festival honouring Draupadi Amman before DeepavaliSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi
Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaKoodiyattamകൂടിയാട്ടം
An ancient Sanskrit temple drama and dance tradition from Kerala, IndiaPerformance
🇮🇳 Barsana, IndiaLathmar Holi
A playful spring festival in two Uttar Pradesh towns where women strike men with sticks to reenact a divine legend.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaGanga Dussehra
A ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earthSpiritual
🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaVallam Kalivaḷḷaṃ kaḷi
A traditional canoe racing festival held across the waters of Kerala during OnamGame
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram
A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaNabakalebaraନବ କଳେବର (Navakalevara)
A rare ritual in Puri where the wooden idols of four Hindu deities are replaced with new carvings every twelve to nineteSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSarhul
A spring new year festival honoring nature and Sal blossoms across JharkhandSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaWeddings in India
Weddings across India, each shaped by faith, region and familyRite of passage
🇮🇳 IndiaVision quest
A coming-of-age fast and vigil, kept by some Native American peoplesRite of passage
🇮🇳 Ahobilam, IndiaNarasimha Jayantiनरसिंहजयंती
A one-day Hindu festival marking Vishnu's man-lion avatar and the rescue of PrahladaSpiritual
🇵🇰 Multan, Pakistan and 3 moreShalwar kameez
Loose trousers and a long tunic, worn as one outfit across South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 IndiaAhoi Ashtami
A day of fasting by Hindu mothers before Diwali, for their children's wellbeingFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 1 moreDhoti
A long unstitched cloth men wrap like trousers, for worship and formal daysDress
🇱🇰 Sri LankaKiribathකිරිබත්
Rice cooked in coconut milk, the dish of Sinhalese New Year and family beginningsTable custom · Breakfast
🇱🇰 Sri LankaSanni Yakuma
A Sinhalese rite where masked dancers summon eighteen illness demons and banish themSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreSariसाड़ी
An unstitched length of cloth that women drape around the body, worn across South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, IndiaGirivalam
A barefoot walk of about 14 km around Arunachala hill, most of all on full moon nightsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Baripada, IndiaChhau dance
A masked dance of eastern India, blending martial steps with epic storiesPerformance
🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد
The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 5 moreSuhurسحور
The pre-dawn meal Muslims eat before a day of fasting in RamadanTable custom · Breakfast
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات
The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival
🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں
A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal
Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival
🇱🇰 Anuradhapura, Sri LankaSinhala New Yearඅලුත් අවුරුද්ද
The April solar New Year and harvest festival celebrated across Sri LankaSeasonal
🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan and 1 moreBasant
A Punjabi spring festival marked by rooftop kite flying, yellow clothing and fairsFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela
An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival
🇧🇩 Dhaka, BangladeshPohela Falgunপহেলা ফাল্গুন
A Bangladeshi festival welcoming the first day of spring with music and flowersSeasonal
🇮🇳 IndiaPushkaram
A river worship festival rotating across twelve sacred Indian rivers over twelve yearsSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaVat PurnimaVaṭapūrṇimā
An annual Hindu festival where married women fast and pray around a banyan treeSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Krishnanagar, IndiaJagaddhatri Puja
A Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumnSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLangarਲੰਗਰ
The free kitchen at a gurdwara, where all sit and eat together as equalsTable custom
🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaKumbh MelaKumbha Mēlā
A major Hindu riverside pilgrimage held across four rotating holy cities in IndiaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaDahi Handi
A Hindu festival sport where teams build human towers to break suspended curd potsFestival
🇱🇰 Mihintale, Sri LankaPoson
A Sri Lankan Buddhist festival marking the ancient arrival of Buddhism on the islandSpiritual
🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalBiska Jatra𑐧𑐶𑐳𑑂𑐎𑐵𑑅 𑐖𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐵
An annual solar new year festival in Nepal with chariot pulls and tall wooden poles.Festival
🇵🇰 PakistanShandur Polo Festivalشندور چوگان میلہ
A three-day mountain polo competition played with freestyle rules in northern PakistanGame
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreFuneral
The ceremony a community holds when someone dies, from burial to cremationRite of passage
🇵🇰 PakistanChilam Joshi
A spring festival of music, dance, and prayers celebrated by the Kalash peopleFestival
🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز
The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Pune, India and 5 moreTurbanدولبند (dolband)
Cloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identityDress
🇮🇳 IndiaSheetala Ashtami
A day for the goddess Shitala, kept eight days after Holi with food cooked in advanceSpiritual
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoya
A monthly full moon Buddhist holiday of observance and fasting in Sri LankaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল
A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ
A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChapchar KutChapchâr Kût
A spring festival of dance and food kept by the Mizo people in Mizoram, India.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThimithiதீமிதி
A South Indian firewalking festival honouring Draupadi Amman before DeepavaliSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi
Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaKoodiyattamകൂടിയാട്ടം
An ancient Sanskrit temple drama and dance tradition from Kerala, IndiaPerformance
🇮🇳 Barsana, IndiaLathmar Holi
A playful spring festival in two Uttar Pradesh towns where women strike men with sticks to reenact a divine legend.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaGanga Dussehra
A ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earthSpiritual
🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaVallam Kalivaḷḷaṃ kaḷi
A traditional canoe racing festival held across the waters of Kerala during OnamGame
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram
A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaNabakalebaraନବ କଳେବର (Navakalevara)
A rare ritual in Puri where the wooden idols of four Hindu deities are replaced with new carvings every twelve to nineteSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSarhul
A spring new year festival honoring nature and Sal blossoms across JharkhandSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaWeddings in India
Weddings across India, each shaped by faith, region and familyRite of passage
🇮🇳 IndiaVision quest
A coming-of-age fast and vigil, kept by some Native American peoplesRite of passage
🇮🇳 Ahobilam, IndiaNarasimha Jayantiनरसिंहजयंती
A one-day Hindu festival marking Vishnu's man-lion avatar and the rescue of PrahladaSpiritual
🇵🇰 Multan, Pakistan and 3 moreShalwar kameez
Loose trousers and a long tunic, worn as one outfit across South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 IndiaAhoi Ashtami
A day of fasting by Hindu mothers before Diwali, for their children's wellbeingFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 1 moreDhoti
A long unstitched cloth men wrap like trousers, for worship and formal daysDress
🇱🇰 Sri LankaKiribathකිරිබත්
Rice cooked in coconut milk, the dish of Sinhalese New Year and family beginningsTable custom · Breakfast
🇱🇰 Sri LankaSanni Yakuma
A Sinhalese rite where masked dancers summon eighteen illness demons and banish themSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreSariसाड़ी
An unstitched length of cloth that women drape around the body, worn across South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, IndiaGirivalam
A barefoot walk of about 14 km around Arunachala hill, most of all on full moon nightsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Baripada, IndiaChhau dance
A masked dance of eastern India, blending martial steps with epic storiesPerformance
🇧🇩 BangladeshEid prayersصلاة العيد
The yearly festival prayer of the two Eids, offered in the morning by MuslimsSpiritual
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 5 moreSuhurسحور
The pre-dawn meal Muslims eat before a day of fasting in RamadanTable custom · Breakfast
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات
The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival
🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں
A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal
Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival
🇱🇰 Anuradhapura, Sri LankaSinhala New Yearඅලුත් අවුරුද්ද
The April solar New Year and harvest festival celebrated across Sri LankaSeasonal
🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan and 1 moreBasant
A Punjabi spring festival marked by rooftop kite flying, yellow clothing and fairsFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela
An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival
🇧🇩 Dhaka, BangladeshPohela Falgunপহেলা ফাল্গুন
A Bangladeshi festival welcoming the first day of spring with music and flowersSeasonal
🇮🇳 IndiaPushkaram
A river worship festival rotating across twelve sacred Indian rivers over twelve yearsSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaVat PurnimaVaṭapūrṇimā
An annual Hindu festival where married women fast and pray around a banyan treeSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Antyesti: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jagaddhatri Puja: শরদিন্দু ভট্টাচার্য্য, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Langar: Harisingh at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kumbh Mela: Yosarian, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dahi Handi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Poson: Hafiz Issadeen (YIM Hafiz), Dharga Town, Sri Lanka ( https://www.flick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Biska Jatra: Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shandur Polo Festival: Addden321, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chilam Joshi: Jugni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Turban: pxhere, CC0, source
- Baul tradition: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chapchar Kut: Ramesh Lalwani, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sanjhi: Veer jindal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Koodiyattam: Sreekanthv at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lathmar Holi: Original: Sachinghai09 Derivative work: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ganga Dussehra: Barry Silver, CC BY 2.0, source
- Vallam Kali: Arun Sinha, CC BY 2.0, source
- Panguni Uthiram: Krithika.R.S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nabakalebara: Jitpattnaikpuri, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sarhul: Gurpreet Singh Ranchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in India: Psoni2402, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Narasimha Jayanti: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Shalwar kameez: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ahoi Ashtami: आशीष भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dhoti: Redaloes at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Kiribath: AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sanni Yakuma: Michael Gunther, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sari: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Girivalam: Sakthiprasanna, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chhau dance: Skasish, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eid prayers: Azimronnie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Suhur: Hussein Alazaat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chaand Raat: Phadke09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
- Sinhala New Year: Anna Anichkova, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Basant: Haseeb Ahmad Farooqi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pushkar Fair: sheetal saini, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pohela Falgun: Ashraf Siddiqui, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pushkaram: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vat Purnima: Kiran Gopi, CC BY-SA 2.5 in, source