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
🇰🇳 Basseterre, Saint Kitts and NevisLa festival de Capisterre
A September community festival uniting four villages in the Capisterre region of Saint Kitts and Nevis.Festival
🇮🇳 Bagh, IndiaBagh print
Hand block printed cloth from a village in Madhya Pradesh, dyed red and black on whiteCraft
🇧🇫 Dédougou, Burkina Faso and 5 moreFESTIMAFestival International des Masques et des Arts
A biennial West African festival in Burkina Faso celebrating traditional mask dancesFestival
🇬🇧 Penzance, United KingdomGuldizeGool dheys
A Cornish harvest supper after the last sheaf is cut, with pork, pie, singing and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJiuta地歌
A shamisen song style born in Kamigata and long kept by blind musician guildsPerformance
🇳🇴 NorwayMárkomeannu
A Sámi music and cultural festival held in northern NorwayFestival
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPatadyong
A traditional Philippine wrap skirt and versatile woven cloth from the VisayasDress
🇯🇵 JapanRokudan no Shirabe六段の調
A six-part Japanese koto piece, one of the best known works of the sōkyoku repertoirePerformance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBinirayan Festival
An annual December cultural festival in Antique celebrating Panay's Malay settlementFestival
🇵🇰 Karachi, PakistanPakistani clothing
Shalwar kameez and its many regional forms, worn across Pakistan's provincesDress
🇲🇪 Herceg Novi, MontenegroSunčane Skale
A three-day summer pop music festival and song competition in MontenegroPerformance
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇺🇬 UgandaEkisaakaate
A Buganda youth retreat teaching traditional manners, crafts and life skillsEtiquette
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreFilsetaፍልሰታ
A fifteen-day fast and feast honouring the Dormition and Assumption of MarySpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 IndiaKalampattu
A Kerala temple offering where a five-colour floor picture is sung over and danced aroundSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaAbhiṣekaabhiṣeka (Sanskrit); wang (Tibetan)
A Vajrayāna rite in which a guru empowers a pupil for secret tantric practiceSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreUrs-e-Razaviعرس اعلی حضرت
A three-day annual Sufi gathering honouring the legacy of Imam Ahmad Raza KhanSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith
A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual
🇬🇷 GreeceLipothymiarikosΛιποθυμιάρικος (Χορός της νύφης)
A men-only Greek wedding dance where one dancer pretends to faint and springs upPerformance
🇸🇷 Suriname and 1 moreSuriPop
A biennial songwriting festival and gala performance held in SurinamePerformance
🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon
A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
🇮🇸 Reykjavík, IcelandReykjavík PrideHinsegin dagar í Reykjavík
An annual festival and parade celebrating LGBT+ rights and visibility in IcelandFestival
🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaL-Għanja tal-Poplu
An annual Maltese music festival celebrating original songs in MaltesePerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaPolitical marriages in India
Royal marriages arranged to seal treaties, peace and power in Indian historyRite of passage
🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival
A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 moreManifesta
A roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsPerformance
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut Prideفخر بيروت
An annual LGBTQIA+ march and festival in Lebanon advocating for decriminalization and visibility.Festival
🇩🇪 Weingarten, Germany and 1 moreBlutritt
An equestrian pilgrimage across southern Germany honoring a relic of the Holy BloodSpiritual
🇺🇬 Mengo, UgandaEkisaakaate
A royal Buganda cultural retreat teaching heritage, crafts, and manners to the youngRite of passage
🇪🇪 Kuressaare, EstoniaSaaremaa Opera FestivalSaaremaa ooperipäevad
An annual opera festival in Kuressaare, Estonia, featuring international performances.Performance
🇩🇿 Tlemcen, AlgeriaAshura in Algeriaيوم عاشوراء
A day of fasting, almsgiving, evening feasting and regional folk masquerades.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDirac
A long Somali dress for weddings and celebrations, worn with an underskirt and shawlDress
🇸🇰 SlovakiaName days in SlovakiaMeniny
The Slovak tradition of celebrating personal name days alongside birthdaysSeasonal
🇺🇸 United StatesFlower girl
A young child walking before the bride, scattering blossoms along the wedding aisleRite of passage
🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie
An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale
A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut International Women Film Festival
An annual cinema festival in Beirut celebrating films made by and about womenPerformance
🇦🇲 ArmeniaIşlic
A tall felt cap worn by Danubian boyars to show their rank and public officeDress
🇱🇧 Byblos, LebanonByblos International Festival
An annual summer music and arts festival held in the historic port town of Byblos, Lebanon.Festival
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreDelia
A fur-trimmed outer coat worn by nobility in the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthDress
🇿🇲 Lundazi, ZambiaZengani
An annual October gathering of Tumbuka and Ngoni communities in eastern Zambia to celebrate unity through traditional daFestival
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS
An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance
🇵🇬 Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaRepentance Day
An annual public holiday of prayer and national reflection across Papua New GuineaSpiritual
🇨🇳 ChinaManchu platform shoes
Wooden-soled shoes worn by Manchu women from the early Qing dynastyDress
🇩🇪 Hamburg, GermanyPrince Henry capPrinz-Heinrich-Mütze
A peaked cap with a tall band and a small firm crown, linked to German naval dressDress
🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival
An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 Dunhuang, China and 2 moreYingluo璎珞
A ring-shaped Buddhist neck ornament that became a Chinese necklace, worn again todayDress
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBali-og
Layered necklaces and fringed collars from the Visayas and MindanaoDress
🇮🇳 Bagh, IndiaBagh print
Hand block printed cloth from a village in Madhya Pradesh, dyed red and black on whiteCraft
🇧🇫 Dédougou, Burkina Faso and 5 moreFESTIMAFestival International des Masques et des Arts
A biennial West African festival in Burkina Faso celebrating traditional mask dancesFestival
🇬🇧 Penzance, United KingdomGuldizeGool dheys
A Cornish harvest supper after the last sheaf is cut, with pork, pie, singing and gamesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJiuta地歌
A shamisen song style born in Kamigata and long kept by blind musician guildsPerformance
🇳🇴 NorwayMárkomeannu
A Sámi music and cultural festival held in northern NorwayFestival
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPatadyong
A traditional Philippine wrap skirt and versatile woven cloth from the VisayasDress
🇯🇵 JapanRokudan no Shirabe六段の調
A six-part Japanese koto piece, one of the best known works of the sōkyoku repertoirePerformance
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBinirayan Festival
An annual December cultural festival in Antique celebrating Panay's Malay settlementFestival
🇵🇰 Karachi, PakistanPakistani clothing
Shalwar kameez and its many regional forms, worn across Pakistan's provincesDress
🇲🇪 Herceg Novi, MontenegroSunčane Skale
A three-day summer pop music festival and song competition in MontenegroPerformance
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇺🇬 UgandaEkisaakaate
A Buganda youth retreat teaching traditional manners, crafts and life skillsEtiquette
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreFilsetaፍልሰታ
A fifteen-day fast and feast honouring the Dormition and Assumption of MarySpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 IndiaKalampattu
A Kerala temple offering where a five-colour floor picture is sung over and danced aroundSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaAbhiṣekaabhiṣeka (Sanskrit); wang (Tibetan)
A Vajrayāna rite in which a guru empowers a pupil for secret tantric practiceSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreUrs-e-Razaviعرس اعلی حضرت
A three-day annual Sufi gathering honouring the legacy of Imam Ahmad Raza KhanSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith
A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual
🇬🇷 GreeceLipothymiarikosΛιποθυμιάρικος (Χορός της νύφης)
A men-only Greek wedding dance where one dancer pretends to faint and springs upPerformance
🇸🇷 Suriname and 1 moreSuriPop
A biennial songwriting festival and gala performance held in SurinamePerformance
🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon
A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival
🇮🇸 Reykjavík, IcelandReykjavík PrideHinsegin dagar í Reykjavík
An annual festival and parade celebrating LGBT+ rights and visibility in IcelandFestival
🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaL-Għanja tal-Poplu
An annual Maltese music festival celebrating original songs in MaltesePerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaPolitical marriages in India
Royal marriages arranged to seal treaties, peace and power in Indian historyRite of passage
🇧🇼 D'Kar, BotswanaKuru Dance and Music Festival
A gathering of San communities in Botswana to share songs, stories and sacred dancesPerformance
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 moreManifesta
A roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsPerformance
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut Prideفخر بيروت
An annual LGBTQIA+ march and festival in Lebanon advocating for decriminalization and visibility.Festival
🇩🇪 Weingarten, Germany and 1 moreBlutritt
An equestrian pilgrimage across southern Germany honoring a relic of the Holy BloodSpiritual
🇺🇬 Mengo, UgandaEkisaakaate
A royal Buganda cultural retreat teaching heritage, crafts, and manners to the youngRite of passage
🇪🇪 Kuressaare, EstoniaSaaremaa Opera FestivalSaaremaa ooperipäevad
An annual opera festival in Kuressaare, Estonia, featuring international performances.Performance
🇩🇿 Tlemcen, AlgeriaAshura in Algeriaيوم عاشوراء
A day of fasting, almsgiving, evening feasting and regional folk masquerades.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDirac
A long Somali dress for weddings and celebrations, worn with an underskirt and shawlDress
🇸🇰 SlovakiaName days in SlovakiaMeniny
The Slovak tradition of celebrating personal name days alongside birthdaysSeasonal
🇺🇸 United StatesFlower girl
A young child walking before the bride, scattering blossoms along the wedding aisleRite of passage
🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie
An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale
A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance
🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut International Women Film Festival
An annual cinema festival in Beirut celebrating films made by and about womenPerformance
🇦🇲 ArmeniaIşlic
A tall felt cap worn by Danubian boyars to show their rank and public officeDress
🇱🇧 Byblos, LebanonByblos International Festival
An annual summer music and arts festival held in the historic port town of Byblos, Lebanon.Festival
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreDelia
A fur-trimmed outer coat worn by nobility in the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthDress
🇿🇲 Lundazi, ZambiaZengani
An annual October gathering of Tumbuka and Ngoni communities in eastern Zambia to celebrate unity through traditional daFestival
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS
An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance
🇵🇬 Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaRepentance Day
An annual public holiday of prayer and national reflection across Papua New GuineaSpiritual
🇨🇳 ChinaManchu platform shoes
Wooden-soled shoes worn by Manchu women from the early Qing dynastyDress
🇩🇪 Hamburg, GermanyPrince Henry capPrinz-Heinrich-Mütze
A peaked cap with a tall band and a small firm crown, linked to German naval dressDress
🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival
An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 Dunhuang, China and 2 moreYingluo璎珞
A ring-shaped Buddhist neck ornament that became a Chinese necklace, worn again todayDress
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBali-og
Layered necklaces and fringed collars from the Visayas and MindanaoDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kalampattu: Ranjith A v, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yingluo: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Prince Henry cap: KarleHorn, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bagh print: Mrqd9, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- FESTIMA: Nomwindé, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jiuta: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Márkomeannu: Chmee2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Binirayan Festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Abhiṣeka: Wonderlane, CC BY 2.0, source
- Reykjavík Pride: Helgi Halldórsson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kola San Jon: Dvfernandes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Political marriages in India: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kuru Dance and Music Festival: SanDanceVR, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manifesta: Manifesta8 manifesta 8, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Beirut Pride: Beirut Pride, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dirac: Farah Omar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ashura in Algeria: Jan Janssonius, Public domain, source
- Autostrada Biennale: Lajmmoore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pezinok Grape Harvest Festival: Bratislavská župa, CC BY 2.0, source
- Işlic: Louis Dupré, Public domain, source
- Manchu platform shoes: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Gonapamhanya festival: Tumbuka Arch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bali-og: Patrick Poculan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Flower girl: lil'bear, CC BY 2.0, source
- Saaremaa Opera Festival: Ave Maria Mõistlik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blutritt: Joseph Bayer, Public domain, source
- Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
- Dhaka topi: Sophie Graubert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pakistani clothing: Mary, (1867-1953), Queen Consort of George V, Public domain, source
- Patadyong: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source