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
🇲🇰 Skopje, North MacedoniaMacedonian embroidery
A hand-stitched village craft of vests, shirts and head covers in North MacedoniaCraft
🇨🇳 Xiamen, China and 2 moreBo Bing博餅 (Bóbǐng)
A dice game played at Mid-Autumn, where mooncakes of many sizes are the prizesGame
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelChallah cover
A cloth used to cover braided bread loaves on the Shabbat table in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition.Spiritual · Dinner
🇺🇸 Oklahoma City, United StatesRed Earth Festival
A June gathering in Oklahoma for Native American art, dance and marketsFestival
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGèlè
A voluminous sculpted headwrap worn by Yoruba women for gatherings and daily lifeDress
🇱🇺 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and 3 moreOktavMuttergottesoktav
A two-week annual Marian pilgrimage and festival in Luxembourg CitySpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇲🇳 Ölgii, MongoliaGaridгарьд
A top wrestling title in Mongolia, named for Genghis Khan's eagle and the mythical bird Garuda.Game
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreShagoranaসাগরানা
A ceremonial wedding feast platter presented to the groom in BangladeshTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreShielingÀirigh
Seasonal summer pasture living and traditional dairying in the Scottish hillsSeasonal
🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreEmber daysQuatuor Tempora
A quarterly Western Christian rhythm of fasting, prayer and seasonal thanksgivingSeasonal · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇬🇧 United KingdomGuernsey
A traditional seamless wool sweater crafted for seafarers across the British IslesDress
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoDokuFest
An annual summer gathering in Prizren dedicated to non-fiction cinema and short filmsFestival
🇨🇳 Nanjing, ChinaYunjin brocade雲錦
A traditional Chinese silk brocade woven with coloured silk, gold and silverCraft
🇬🇧 United KingdomHarvest Festival
An autumn thanksgiving for the crops, kept in churches and schools across the UKSeasonal · Supper
🇳🇬 Uyo, NigeriaAkwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival
A large annual gathering of carol singers in Nigeria that holds a Guinness World Record for the largest assembly.Festival
🇨🇦 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
🇮🇳 Lucknow, IndiaBada Mangal
A Tuesday festival in Lucknow dedicated to Hanuman, known for communal feasts and interfaith participation.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇷 Sparta, GreeceChitonχιτών
A draped tunic of wool or linen worn across ancient Greece and RomeDress
🇭🇷 CroatiaBadnjakBadnji dan
A Christmas Eve oak log burned in the hearth across Croatia to welcome the holiday.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇪🇹 EthiopiaFichee-Chambalaalla
A moveable new year festival of the Sidama people in Ethiopia.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFive Grains五穀
A sacred grouping of staple crops honoured as the bedrock of East Asian civilizationFolklore
🇮🇳 IndiaBommalattam
A shadow puppetry tradition from Tamil Nadu using carved dolls and oil lamps to tell stories.Performance
🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreYashmakyaşmak
A traditional face and head veil worn in Turkey, Egypt and TurkmenistanDress
🇬🇧 Ashbourne, United Kingdom and 1 moreRoyal Shrovetide Football
A medieval mob football game played in Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.Game
🇨🇳 ChinaSanfutie三伏贴
A seasonal Chinese medicine practice applying herbal patches during peak summer heatSeasonal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAravahערבה
The ritual waving and beating of willow branches during the festival of SukkotSpiritual
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreMalam Tujuh Likurمالم توجوه ليكور
The Malay custom of lighting oil lamps during the closing nights of Ramadan.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇳🇬 NigeriaKwagh-Hir
A Tiv puppet theatre and masquerade performance from central Nigeria that uses masks and marionettes to tell moral storiPerformance
🇷🇺 RussiaBlack wedding
A traditional Jewish crisis wedding held in a cemetery to ward off diseaseSpiritual
🇵🇭 PhilippinesHarana
A Filipino serenade where a suitor sings beneath his beloved's window at nightPerformance
🇬🇧 Worldham, United Kingdom and 5 moreJalsa Salanaجلسہ سالانہ
A three-day annual assembly for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, featuring lectures, prayers and communal meals.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇳🇦 Outapi, NamibiaOlufuko
A seven-day Aawambo initiation rite and festival held annually in Outapi, NamibiaRite of passage
🇨🇳 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
🇬🇧 United KingdomRacial Justice Sunday
A day of prayer and action for racial justice observed by British Christian churches in February.Spiritual
🇷🇺 Vladimir, RussiaRozhokрожок
A traditional Russian wooden trumpet played solo and in pastoral horn ensemblesPerformance
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreBuddhist initiation受戒
A public ceremony where a lay follower takes refuge in the Triple Gem and accepts moral precepts.Spiritual
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomQueen Charlotte's Ball
A historic coming-of-age gala where young women curtsey to an ornate birthday cakeRite of passage
🇧🇿 BelizeSeptember Celebrations
Belize's two national holidays, eleven days apart, marked by parades and CarnivalCeremony
🇨🇲 Bafoussam, CameroonNyang Nyang FestivalNyan-Nyang
A four-month Bamileke harvest festival and initiation rite in western CameroonFestival
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreEidiyahعيدية
The holiday custom of presenting cash and gifts to children and relativesFestival
🇦🇲 ArmeniaAgra HadigԱգրա Հադիգ
An Armenian ceremony for a baby's first tooth, featuring symbolic items and wheat.Rite of passage
🇪🇸 SpainGragerגראַגער (grager)
A noisemaker used by Jewish communities to drown out the name of Haman during Purim readings.Festival
🇮🇱 IsraelEve of Passover on Shabbatערב פסח
Special Jewish calendar customs when the eve of Passover coincides with the SabbathSeasonal · Dinner
🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic weddings
A blend of church rites and long feasts, where guests sit by family lines and gifts are saved for the morning.Rite of passage · Dinner
🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaSacred groves of India
Communal forest sanctuaries across India where religious belief protects biodiversity and local resources.Spiritual
🇧🇼 Molepolole, BotswanaDithubaruba Cultural Festival
An annual gathering in Botswana that celebrates the customs, music, and history of the Bakwena people.Festival
🇪🇸 SpainThe Water of LifeL'aigua de vida
A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking birdPerformance
🇮🇶 IraqShabbat mealsסעודות שבת
Three ritual meals eaten across the Jewish Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday nightTable custom · Dinner
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Challah: Yoninah, Public domain, source
- Bo Bing: Xmhaoyu, CC BY 3.0, source
- Macedonian embroidery: Antonio Brsjacki, Public domain, source
- Red Earth Festival: Red Earth Festival, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oktav: Daderot, CC0, source
- Garid: hu:Burumbátor, Public domain, source
- Shagorana: Caped CrusaderK, CC0, source
- Shieling: Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ember days: Richard Symonds, CC BY 3.0, source
- Guernsey: LeGroweur, Public domain, source
- DokuFest: Fallbackintoreality, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yunjin brocade: Dr. Meierhofer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Harvest Festival: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival: MediaMOF, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calling of an Engineer: Joebobfrank, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bada Mangal: Prabhat1729, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chiton: Berlin Painter, CC BY 2.5, source
- Badnjak: Vidonjac, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fichee-Chambalaalla: User:Kebede asefa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Five Grains: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bommalattam: Sailko, CC BY 3.0, source
- Yashmak: Jean-Léon Gérôme, Public domain, source
- Royal Shrovetide Football: Adrian Roebuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aravah: DRosenbach ( Talk | Contribs ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Malam Tujuh Likur: Qatrunan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kwagh-Hir: Wilses, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Black wedding: American Colony Photo Department, Public domain, source
- Harana: Markytour777, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jalsa Salana: Ceddyfresse, Public domain, 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
- Rozhok: Obakeneko, CC BY 3.0, source
- Buddhist initiation: ScooterSponson, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Queen Charlotte's Ball: The Illustrated London News, Public domain, source
- Nyang Nyang Festival: Zacharie Ngnogue, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eidiyah: Rahbar Emamdadi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Agra Hadig: Աբգարյան Անի, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Grager: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Eve of Passover on Shabbat: בעלת הזכויות - טלי אמתי, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sacred groves of India: James Forbes, Public domain, source
- Dithubaruba Cultural Festival: SanDanceVR, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- The Water of Life: Internet Archive Book Images, CC0, source