World Festival Calendar
237 festivals and holy days across every tradition. Many follow lunar calendars, so confirm exact dates for the year you travel.
January
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavagem do Bonfim | Candomblé | Second Thursday of January | Baianas wash the steps of the Church of Senhor do Bonfim with perfumed water, honoring Oxalá and Jesus together. |
| Lunar New Year | Chinese folk religion | January or February | The most important festival, with family reunions, temple visits and offerings to gods and ancestors. |
| Christmas | Christianity | 25 December, or 7 January in many Orthodox churches | Celebrates the birth of Jesus with midnight services, carols and nativity scenes. Many European towns hold famous Christmas markets. |
| Epiphany | Christianity | 6 January | Marks the visit of the Magi or the baptism of Jesus, depending on tradition. Orthodox communities often bless rivers and seas. |
| Commemoration of Jesus' baptism | Gnosticism (ancient) | Early January | Clement of Alexandria reports that followers of Basilides marked Jesus' baptism with an all-night vigil, an early form of Epiphany. |
| Yule | Old Norse Religion (ancient) | Midwinter, around December to January | A great feast of the dark season with sacrifice, drinking and celebration of returning light. Many of its customs passed into Christmas traditions. |
| Tapati Rapa Nui (modern) | Rapa Nui Religion (ancient) | Late January to February | A modern cultural festival with traditional sports, music, dance and body painting that celebrates Rapa Nui heritage. |
| Ethiopian Christmas | Rastafari | 7 January | Celebrated by many Rastas with Nyabinghi drumming and gatherings. |
| Hatsumode | Shinto | First days of January | The first shrine visit of the year, when millions pray for good fortune. Meiji Jingu in Tokyo draws huge crowds. |
| Shagaa | Siberian shamanism | Lunar New Year, January or February | The Tuvan New Year, with dawn rituals of purification and offerings led by shamans. |
| Chinese New Year | Taoism | January or February | Temples fill with worshippers burning incense for good fortune in the new year. |
| Spring Grand Service | Tenrikyo | 26 January | Commemorates Nakayama Miki withdrawing from physical life in 1887, drawing many followers to Tenri. |
| Vodun Day (Fête du Vodoun) | West African Vodun | 10 January, national holiday in Benin | Celebrated nationwide, with the largest festivities on the beach at Ouidah, featuring dancers, priests and pilgrims from the diaspora. |
| Ouidah Vodun Days | West African Vodun | Around 8 to 10 January | A newer multi day festival in Ouidah with music, ceremonies and cultural events surrounding Vodun Day. |
| Sadeh | Zoroastrianism | Late January | A midwinter fire festival, celebrated in Iran with large bonfires to honor the discovery of fire. |
February
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imbolc | Ancient Celtic Religion (ancient) | Around February 1 | A festival of early spring linked to lambing and later to Saint Brigid. |
| Lupercalia | Ancient Roman Religion (ancient) | February 15 | Priests called Luperci ran through the city striking onlookers with strips of goatskin in a rite of purification and fertility. |
| Parentalia | Ancient Roman Religion (ancient) | February 13 to 21 | Families honored their deceased ancestors with offerings at tombs. |
| Fiesta de la Candelaria | Andean religion | Early February in Puno | A huge festival of dance and music honoring the Virgin of Candelaria, interwoven with Andean traditions. |
| Losar | Bon | February or March | The Tibetan New Year, observed in Bon monasteries with prayers, offerings and celebrations. |
| Losar | Buddhism | February or March | The Tibetan New Year, marked with monastery dances, prayers and family feasts in Tibetan and Himalayan communities. |
| Festa de Iemanjá | Candomblé | 2 February in Salvador | Devotees in white carry flowers and gifts to the sea for Iemanjá in the Rio Vermelho neighborhood. |
| Makahiki | Hawaiian religion | Roughly November to February | A season honoring Lono, traditionally a time of peace, harvest, games and tribute, now revived with ceremonies and sports. |
| Anthesteria | Hellenism | February or March | A spring festival of Dionysus with the opening of new wine and remembrance of the dead. |
| Holi | Hinduism | Full moon of Phalguna, February or March | A spring festival famous for joyful throwing of colored powder and water, recalling stories of Krishna and Prahlada. |
| Maha Shivaratri | Hinduism | February or March | The great night of Shiva, observed with fasting, all night vigils and pilgrimages to Shiva temples. |
| Waitangi Day | Māori religion | 6 February | Commemorates the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, with ceremonies at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. |
| Te Matatini | Māori religion | Every two years, usually February or March | A national kapa haka festival showcasing Māori performing arts, including haka and waiata. |
| Disablot | Old Norse Religion (ancient) | Late winter (February) | Honored the disir; in Uppsala it coincided with a great assembly and market. |
| Užgavėnės | Romuva | Before Lent, February or March | A carnival chasing away winter with masks, pancakes and burning an effigy called Morė. |
| Sámi National Day | Sámi religion | 6 February | Celebrates the first Sámi congress of 1917 with flags, joik, gatherings and cultural events across Sápmi. |
| Jokkmokk Winter Market | Sámi religion | Early February | A market held for over four hundred years in Swedish Lapland, with Sámi crafts, reindeer races and cultural programs. |
| Setsubun | Shinto | Around 3 February | Marks the start of spring with bean throwing rituals to drive away evil spirits. |
March
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Dionysia | Ancient Greek Religion (ancient) | Month of Elaphebolion (March to April) | Athens honored Dionysus with processions and dramatic competitions that produced classic tragedies and comedies. |
| Akitu | Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (ancient) | Month of Nisannu (spring, around March to April) | The great New Year festival in Babylon lasted about twelve days. The king was ritually humbled and reconfirmed, and the creation epic was recited before Marduk. |
| Tlacaxipehualiztli | Aztec Religion (ancient) | Second veintena, around March | A spring festival for Xipe Totec linked to agricultural renewal. |
| Naw-Rúz | Bahá'í Faith | Around 20 or 21 March | The Bahá'í New Year, celebrated at the spring equinox after the month of fasting. |
| Easter | Christianity | A Sunday in March or April, set by the lunar calendar | The most important Christian feast, marking the resurrection of Jesus. It follows Holy Week, when many towns stage solemn processions. |
| Alban Eilir | Druidry | Spring equinox, around 21 March | Honors balance and new growth as spring begins. |
| Prince Kūhiō Day and Kamehameha Day | Hawaiian religion | 26 March and 11 June | State holidays honoring Hawaiian leaders with parades, lei draping and cultural events. |
| Mahavir Jayanti | Jainism | March or April | Celebrates the birth of Mahavira with processions, temple worship and charity. |
| Hola Mohalla | Sikhism | March, day after Holi | A festival of martial skill and poetry held at Anandpur Sahib, with displays of horsemanship and mock battles. |
| Anniversary of Kardec's Death | Spiritism | 31 March | Devotees gather at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris to remember Kardec at his dolmen shaped tomb. |
| Nowruz | Zoroastrianism | Spring equinox, around 21 March | The Persian New Year, with deep Zoroastrian roots, celebrated with family visits and a table of symbolic items. |
| Khordad Sal | Zoroastrianism | Varies by calendar, often August or March | Celebrates the birth of Zarathushtra with prayers and gatherings. |
April
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toxcatl | Aztec Religion (ancient) | Fifth veintena, around April to May | A major festival for Tezcatlipoca, in which a young man who had lived as the god's image for a year was sacrificed. |
| Ridván | Bahá'í Faith | 21 April to 2 May | Commemorates Bahá'u'lláh's declaration of his mission in a Baghdad garden. Local and national councils are elected during this period. |
| Vesak | Buddhism | Full moon of Vesakha, April or May | Celebrates the birth, awakening and passing of the Buddha with lanterns, temple visits and acts of generosity. |
| Cheonildaejeol | Cheondoism | 5 April | Commemorates the day in 1860 when Choe Je-u received his revelation, the founding day of the faith. |
| Qingming | Confucianism | Early April | The tomb sweeping festival, when families clean ancestral graves and make offerings, reflecting Confucian filial piety. |
| Ziyarat Nabi Shu'ayb | Druze | Around 25 April | An annual pilgrimage to the Tomb of Jethro near Tiberias, where Druze gather to celebrate and honor the prophet. |
| Gathering of Nations Powwow | Native American religions | April in Albuquerque | One of the largest powwows in North America, featuring dance, drumming, regalia and a market of Native arts. |
| Sigrblot | Old Norse Religion (ancient) | Start of summer (April) | A sacrifice for victory and success in the coming season of travel and raiding. |
| Groundation Day | Rastafari | 21 April | Commemorates Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica in 1966, a defining moment for the movement. |
| Vaisakhi | Sikhism | 13 or 14 April | Celebrates the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 and the Punjabi harvest, with processions and initiations. |
| Spiritism Day in Brazil | Spiritism | 18 April | Marks the publication of The Spirits' Book, with lectures and events across Brazil. |
| Foundress's Birthday | Tenrikyo | 18 April | Honors the birth of Nakayama Miki with festive celebrations and services. |
| Festa de São Jorge and Ogum | Umbanda | 23 April | Celebrates Saint George, linked to Ogum, with fireworks, masses and ceremonies, especially in Rio de Janeiro. |
| Yazidi New Year (Çarşema Sor) | Yazidism | First Wednesday of April by the Julian calendar | Red Wednesday celebrates creation with colored eggs, flowers and lamps lit at Lalish. |
May
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beltane | Ancient Celtic Religion (ancient) | Around May 1 | Celebrated the start of summer with bonfires; cattle were driven between fires for protection. |
| Qoyllur Rit'i | Andean religion | May or June, before Corpus Christi | A high altitude pilgrimage near Ausangate, blending Catholic devotion with veneration of the mountain spirits. |
| Aymuray | Inca Religion (ancient) | May | A harvest festival celebrating the maize crop. |
| Beltane | Wicca | 1 May | A fertility festival celebrating the height of spring, often with maypoles and bonfires. |
June
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestalia | Ancient Roman Religion (ancient) | June 7 to 15 | The temple of Vesta was opened to women who brought offerings, and the sanctuary was ritually cleaned. |
| Inti Raymi | Andean religion | 24 June in Cusco | A spectacular reenactment of the Inca festival of the sun at Sacsayhuamán, marking the winter solstice. |
| Rasos or Jani (Midsummer) | Baltic Religion (ancient) | June 23 to 24 | The most important Baltic festival, with bonfires, wreaths, songs and staying awake through the shortest night. It remains a national holiday in Latvia and Lithuania. |
| Alban Hefin | Druidry | Summer solstice, around 21 June | Druids gather at dawn, famously at Stonehenge, to greet the rising sun at its peak. |
| Juhannus or Ukon kokko | Finnic Paganism (ancient) | Midsummer (June) | Midsummer bonfires, still celebrated widely in Finland, preserve older solstice customs. |
| Midsummer | Heathenry | Around 21 June | A celebration of the sun's height, linked to Nordic midsummer traditions. |
| Inti Raymi | Inca Religion (ancient) | June solstice | The Festival of the Sun honored Inti at the start of the Andean new year. It is reenacted every June 24 at Sacsayhuaman in Cusco. |
| Gangneung Danoje | Korean shamanism | Fifth lunar month, around June | A large festival with shamanic rituals honoring the mountain god, inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. |
| Matariki | Māori religion | June or July, a public holiday in New Zealand | The Māori New Year, marked by the rising of the Pleiades, with remembrance of the dead, feasting and planning for the year ahead. |
| Summer solstice observances | Prehistoric Religion (ancient) | June solstice | Some monuments frame the midsummer sunrise, suggesting seasonal rituals. Modern crowds gather at Stonehenge for this event. |
| Kupala Night | Rodnovery | Around the summer solstice, 21 to 24 June | A midsummer festival with bonfire jumping, flower wreaths floated on rivers and searches for the fern flower. |
| Rasos (Joninės) | Romuva | Around 23 to 24 June | The midsummer festival with bonfires, wreaths floated on water and searching for the fern flower, celebrated nationwide. |
| Ysyakh | Siberian shamanism | Late June | The great summer festival of the Sakha people, honoring the sun and sky deities with fermented mare's milk and circle dances. |
| Kupala Night | Slavic Paganism (ancient) | Summer solstice (June 21 to 24) | A midsummer night of bonfires, jumping over flames, flower wreaths floated on water and searching for the fern flower. |
| Ovoo Worship Ceremonies | Tengrism | Summer, often June to August | Communities gather at sacred cairns to make offerings, followed by wrestling, horse racing and archery. |
| Ysyakh | Tengrism | Summer solstice, late June | The Yakut summer festival in Sakha, with offerings of fermented mare's milk to the sky deity and dawn greetings to the sun. |
| Litha | Wicca | Summer solstice, around 21 June | Marks the peak of the sun's power, often celebrated at stone circles. |
July
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAIDOC Week | Aboriginal Australian spirituality | First full week of July | A national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements. |
| Laura Quinkan Dance Festival | Aboriginal Australian spirituality | Every two years in July, Cape York | A gathering of communities from Cape York to share traditional dance and song. |
| Wepet Renpet | Ancient Egyptian Religion (ancient) | Start of the Nile flood (July) | The opening of the year, linked to the heliacal rising of the star Sirius and the coming inundation. |
| Panathenaia | Ancient Greek Religion (ancient) | Month of Hekatombaion (July to August) | Athens celebrated Athena's birthday with a procession carrying a new robe to her statue. The Great Panathenaia every four years added contests and games. |
| Obon | Buddhism | Mid July or mid August in Japan | A Japanese festival honoring ancestral spirits with lanterns, grave visits and Bon Odori dances. |
| Asalha Puja | Buddhism | Full moon of the eighth lunar month, usually July | Commemorates the Buddha's first sermon and marks the start of the monastic rains retreat in Theravada countries. |
| Saut d'Eau Pilgrimage | Haitian Vodou | Mid July | Thousands bathe in the sacred waterfall of Saut d'Eau, honoring Erzulie and the Virgin of Miracles. |
| Wep Ronpet | Kemetism | Around July or August, with the rising of Sirius | The Egyptian New Year, linked to the heliacal rising of Sirius and the flooding of the Nile. |
| Perun's Day | Rodnovery | Around 20 July | Honors the thunder god Perun with rituals and martial displays. |
| Gion Matsuri | Shinto | Throughout July in Kyoto | One of Japan's most famous festivals, held by Yasaka Shrine, with grand floats paraded through the city. |
August
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garma Festival | Aboriginal Australian spirituality | August, northeast Arnhem Land | A major Yolngu gathering celebrating culture with bunggul dances, music and forums. |
| Lughnasa | Ancient Celtic Religion (ancient) | Around August 1 | A harvest festival associated with the god Lug, with gatherings, games and fairs. |
| Opet Festival | Ancient Egyptian Religion (ancient) | Second month of the flood season (roughly August to September) | The images of Amun, Mut and Khonsu traveled from Karnak to Luxor Temple in a grand river and land procession. It renewed the bond between the god and the king. |
| Pachamama Month | Andean religion | August | August is considered the month when the earth is hungry, and families make offerings to Pachamama. |
| Águas de Oxalá | Candomblé | Usually August to September, varying by terreiro | A cycle of ceremonies honoring Oxalá with water offerings and white clothing. |
| Jiildaejeol | Cheondoism | 14 August | Marks the transmission of leadership to the second leader, Choe Si-hyeong. |
| Souvenance and Soukri | Haitian Vodou | Easter and August | Major ceremonies held at sacred lakous near Gonaïves, preserving ancient Rada and Kongo traditions. |
| Paryushana and Das Lakshana | Jainism | August or September | Eight to ten days of fasting, scripture study and reflection, ending with a day of asking forgiveness from all beings. |
| Marcus Garvey's Birthday | Rastafari | 17 August | Honors the Pan African leader whose ideas inspired Rastafari. |
| Osun-Osogbo Festival | Yoruba religion | August, over about two weeks | Devotees process to the Osun river in the sacred grove at Osogbo, led by a votary maiden carrying offerings. |
September
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashiri Cheppu Nomi | Ainu religion | Autumn, often September | A ritual welcoming the first salmon of the season, held in Sapporo and elsewhere with prayers and dance. |
| Odwira | Akan religion | September or October | A purification and harvest festival in Akuapem and other areas, marking renewal and honoring ancestors. |
| Fetu Afahye | Akan religion | First Saturday of September in Cape Coast | A Fante festival with processions of chiefs, rites to the gods and colorful celebrations. |
| Eleusinian Mysteries | Ancient Greek Religion (ancient) | Month of Boedromion (September to October) | Initiates walked from Athens to Eleusis to take part in secret rites of Demeter and Persephone. |
| Autumn new year and rain rites | Canaanite Religion (ancient) | Autumn, around September to October | Ritual texts from Ugarit suggest ceremonies around the start of the rainy season. They celebrated Baal's power to bring rain. |
| Confucius' Birthday | Confucianism | 28 September in Taiwan; varies by lunar calendar elsewhere | Celebrated as Teachers' Day in Taiwan, with dawn rites featuring ancient music, dance and offerings at Confucian temples. |
| Navaratri and Durga Puja | Hinduism | September or October | Nine nights honoring the Goddess with dance, fasting and elaborate displays, especially vivid in Kolkata and Gujarat. |
| Situa | Inca Religion (ancient) | September | A purification festival to drive illness and misfortune out of Cusco at the start of the rainy season. |
| Tangata manu competition | Rapa Nui Religion (ancient) | Southern spring, around September to October | Contestants swam to Motu Nui to retrieve the first sooty tern egg. The winner's patron became the birdman. |
| Feast of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre | Santería | 8 September | Honors Cuba's patron saint, associated with Ochún, with processions and offerings of sunflowers and honey. |
| Feast of Our Lady of Regla | Santería | 7 September | Honors the Virgin of Regla, linked with Yemayá, with a procession through the harbor town of Regla near Havana. |
| Epe Ekpe | West African Vodun | September in Glidji, Togo | The Guin New Year, featuring the reading of a sacred stone that predicts the fortune of the year. |
| Olojo Festival | Yoruba religion | Usually September or October in Ile-Ife | Honors Ògún and the creation of the first day, with the Ooni of Ife appearing in a sacred crown. |
October
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marimo Festival | Ainu religion | Early October at Lake Akan | An Ainu led celebration honoring the rare marimo algae balls of Lake Akan with ceremonies and dancing. |
| Twin Holy Birthdays | Bahá'í Faith | October or November, set by the lunar calendar | Consecutive days celebrating the births of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh with gatherings and devotions. |
| Velines | Baltic Religion (ancient) | Autumn, around late October to November | A time to honor ancestors, whose souls were believed to visit their homes. |
| Samhain | Druidry | 31 October to 1 November | A time to honor ancestors at the turning of the year into winter. |
| Kekri | Finnic Paganism (ancient) | Autumn, end of harvest (around late October to early November) | Marked the end of the agricultural year with feasting and honoring the dead. |
| Winter Nights | Heathenry | Mid October | Marks the start of winter with offerings to ancestors and female spirits called dísir. |
| Diwali | Hinduism | October or November, new moon of Kartika | The festival of lights celebrates the victory of light over darkness with lamps, fireworks, sweets and worship of Lakshmi. |
| Diwali | Jainism | October or November | For Jains, Diwali commemorates the final liberation of Mahavira and is observed with lamps and prayer. |
| Vetrnaetr (Winter Nights) | Old Norse Religion (ancient) | Mid October | Marked the start of winter with offerings to the elves and female guardian spirits called disir. |
| Vėlinės | Romuva | Late October to early November | A time to honor the dead with candles on graves, rooted in older Baltic traditions. |
| Bandi Chhor Divas | Sikhism | October or November, alongside Diwali | Commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment. The Golden Temple is lit with lamps and fireworks. |
| Birthday of Allan Kardec | Spiritism | 3 October | Spiritists honor the codifier of the doctrine with lectures and gatherings. |
| Autumn Grand Service | Tenrikyo | 26 October | Celebrates the founding of Tenrikyo in 1838 with the Kagura Service at the Jiba. |
| Samhain | Wicca | 31 October to 1 November | A festival honoring the dead and marking the end of the harvest, seen by many as the Wiccan new year. |
| Feast of the Assembly (Cejna Cemaiya) | Yazidism | October, over seven days | The most important pilgrimage festival at Lalish, with processions, ritual washing and communal meals. |
| Mehregan | Zoroastrianism | Early October | An autumn festival honoring Mithra and the values of friendship and covenant. |
November
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samhain | Ancient Celtic Religion (ancient) | Around November 1 | Marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter, when the boundary with the otherworld was thought to be thin. It influenced modern Halloween. |
| Panquetzaliztli | Aztec Religion (ancient) | Fifteenth veintena, around November to December | Honored Huitzilopochtli with processions, banners and offerings at the Templo Mayor. |
| Fèt Gede | Haitian Vodou | 1 and 2 November | Honors the Gede spirits and the dead, with ceremonies in cemeteries and lively, often humorous celebrations. |
| Coronation Day | Rastafari | 2 November | Marks the 1930 coronation of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia. |
| Shichi-Go-San | Shinto | Around 15 November | Families bring children aged three, five and seven to shrines to pray for healthy growth. |
| Guru Nanak Gurpurab | Sikhism | Full moon of Kartik, usually November | Marks the birth of Guru Nanak with continuous readings of scripture, processions and illuminated gurdwaras. |
| Umbanda Day | Umbanda | 15 November | Commemorates the traditional founding of Umbanda in 1908, celebrated with ceremonies and gatherings. |
December
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturnalia | Ancient Roman Religion (ancient) | December 17 and following days | A festive time of gift-giving, banquets and role reversal honoring Saturn. Many social rules were relaxed. |
| Indeungjeol | Cheondoism | 24 December | Commemorates the succession of Son Byong-hi as third leader. |
| Alban Arthan | Druidry | Winter solstice, around 21 December | Celebrates the return of the light, with ceremonies at stone circles and in groves. |
| Capac Raymi | Inca Religion (ancient) | December solstice | The royal feast included initiation rites for young noble men. |
| Hanukkah | Judaism | Eight nights in December | The Festival of Lights commemorates the rededication of the Temple, with candles lit on a menorah each night. |
| Winter solstice gatherings | Prehistoric Religion (ancient) | December solstice | Monuments like Newgrange and Stonehenge align with the midwinter sun. Evidence of feasting at nearby Durrington Walls suggests midwinter gatherings. |
| Kūčios and Kalėdos | Romuva | Winter solstice and late December | Winter festivities honoring the returning sun, with ancient elements preserved in Lithuanian Christmas Eve customs. |
| Feast of Saint Lazarus | Santería | 17 December | Thousands of pilgrims walk to El Rincón to honor Saint Lazarus, associated with the orisha Babalú Ayé. |
| New Year's Eve Offerings to Iemanjá | Umbanda | 31 December | Devotees in white send flowers and candles into the sea for Iemanjá on beaches such as Copacabana. |
| Yule | Wicca | Winter solstice, around 21 December | Celebrates the rebirth of the sun as days begin to lengthen. |
| Feast of Ezid | Yazidism | December, after three days of fasting | A winter feast following the fast, marked with prayers and celebrations. |
Varies through the year
| Festival | Religion | When | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icharpa | Ainu religion | Varies, often summer | Ceremonies honoring ancestors with offerings and prayers. |
| Akwasidae | Akan religion | Every six weeks on a Sunday | An Asante festival honoring ancestors, when the Asantehene receives chiefs and the public at Manhyia Palace. |
| Beautiful Festival of the Valley | Ancient Egyptian Religion (ancient) | Second month of the harvest season (spring) | Amun crossed the Nile to visit the mortuary temples of the west bank. Families picnicked at tombs to honor their dead. |
| Mysteries of Osiris | Ancient Egyptian Religion (ancient) | Khoiak month (late autumn) | Rituals at Abydos and elsewhere reenacted the death and revival of Osiris, often with grain-filled figures that sprouted. |
| Olympic Games | Ancient Greek Religion (ancient) | Midsummer, every four years | Held at Olympia in honor of Zeus, the games drew athletes and visitors from the whole Greek world under a sacred truce. |
| Autumn Akitu | Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (ancient) | Month of Tashritu (autumn) | Some cities, including Ur, held a second Akitu festival at the start of the agricultural half of the year. |
| Monthly lunar feasts | Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (ancient) | New moon, first quarter and full moon each month | Offerings marked the phases of the moon, especially in cities devoted to the moon god Nanna or Sin. |
| Royal coronation journey | Ancient Nubian Religion (ancient) | At the accession of a new king | New kings traveled between major temples, including Napata and Kawa, to be confirmed by Amun. |
| Isis festivals at Philae | Ancient Nubian Religion (ancient) | Varied, recorded through the year | Meroitic envoys and pilgrims traveled north to Philae for festivals of Isis, leaving inscriptions. |
| New Fire Ceremony | Aztec Religion (ancient) | Every 52 years at the end of a calendar cycle | All fires were extinguished and a new fire was kindled on the Hill of the Star to ensure the world would continue. The last was held in 1507. |
| Uzgavenes | Baltic Religion (ancient) | Late winter before Lent | A carnival chasing away winter with masks and burning an effigy, now tied to the Christian calendar. |
| Birthday of Tonpa Shenrab | Bon | 15th day of the first Tibetan month | Honors the founder of Bon with prayers and ceremonies. |
| Cham Dance Festivals | Bon | Varies by monastery | Monks perform masked ritual dances that dramatize the triumph of wisdom over obstacles. |
| Egersis of Melqart | Canaanite Religion (ancient) | Late winter to early spring | In Tyre and its colonies, the awakening of Melqart was celebrated, possibly involving a ritual burning and revival of the god. |
| Adonia | Canaanite Religion (ancient) | Midsummer | Mourning rites for the dying youth Adonis, rooted in Phoenician cults at Byblos, were later adopted by Greeks. |
| Festival of the Supreme Being | Caodaism | 9th day of the first lunar month | A major celebration honoring God with elaborate ceremonies at Tay Ninh. |
| Festival of the Mother Goddess | Caodaism | 15th day of the eighth lunar month | Honors the Divine Mother with processions, offerings and colorful festivities. |
| Founding Anniversary | Caodaism | 15th day of the tenth lunar month | Celebrates the official founding of Caodaism in 1926. |
| Consolamentum ceremonies | Catharism (ancient) | Varied, often at deathbeds or ordinations | The central Cathar rite, performed for new perfects or dying believers. |
| Monthly apparellamentum | Catharism (ancient) | Monthly | A collective confession of faults by perfects before a senior member. |
| Mazu's Birthday | Chinese folk religion | 23rd day of the third lunar month | Celebrated with huge pilgrimages, especially the Dajia Mazu procession in Taiwan, which lasts nine days. |
| Ghost Festival | Chinese folk religion | Seventh lunar month | A month when spirits are believed to roam, with offerings, opera performances and burning of paper goods. |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Chinese folk religion | 15th day of the eighth lunar month | A moon festival with mooncakes, lanterns and family gatherings, linked to the moon goddess Chang'e. |
| Pentecost | Christianity | Fifty days after Easter | Commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and is often called the birthday of the Church. |
| Seokjeon Daeje | Confucianism | Spring and autumn | A grand ritual at Seoul's Munmyo shrine, honoring Confucius and Korean sages with court music and dance. |
| Eid al-Adha | Druze | 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah | The main Druze holiday, observed with visits to family, prayers and shared meals. |
| Federal festival at Fanum Voltumnae | Etruscan Religion (ancient) | Spring, yearly | Leaders of the Etruscan cities gathered at the sanctuary of Voltumna near Volsinii for religious rites, games and assemblies. |
| Funeral games | Etruscan Religion (ancient) | At the time of burial | Tomb paintings show athletic contests, music and dance held to honor the deceased. |
| Ukon juhla | Finnic Paganism (ancient) | Early summer | A feast for Ukko with drinking and offerings to ensure rain and good harvest. Church officials condemned it in the 16th century. |
| Baptism and anointing rites | Gnosticism (ancient) | Varied | Some Gnostic groups practiced special baptisms and chrism anointing as stages of spiritual awakening. |
| Merrie Monarch Festival | Hawaiian religion | Week after Easter in Hilo | The world's most prestigious hula competition, celebrating the art form's sacred and cultural roots. |
| Yule | Heathenry | Around the winter solstice | The major winter festival, often celebrated over twelve nights with feasts, toasts and honoring of ancestors. |
| Sigrblót | Heathenry | Spring | A spring offering for victory and success in the coming season. |
| Panathenaia | Hellenism | Summer, traditionally in the Athenian month of Hekatombaion | Honors Athena as protector of Athens, revived by some groups with processions and offerings. |
| Prometheia | Hellenism | Summer, at Mount Olympus | A modern gathering held by some Hellenic groups, with rituals, music and athletic contests. |
| Agnihotra | Historical Vedic Religion (ancient) | Daily at sunrise and sunset | A simple offering of milk into the sacred fire, performed by householders twice each day. |
| Darsha and Purnamasa | Historical Vedic Religion (ancient) | New moon and full moon | Regular lunar sacrifices offered by householders who kept sacred fires. |
| Chaturmasya | Historical Vedic Religion (ancient) | Start of each four-month season | Seasonal rites marking spring, the rains and autumn. |
| Soma sacrifices such as Agnishtoma | Historical Vedic Religion (ancient) | Usually in spring | Large ceremonies involving pressing and offering soma, with many priests. |
| AN.TAH.SUM festival | Hittite Religion (ancient) | Spring, lasting about 38 days | Named after a crocus plant, this royal festival took the king and queen on a circuit of holy cities to honor many gods. |
| Nuntarriyashas festival | Hittite Religion (ancient) | Autumn | A major autumn festival also involving royal travel and offerings at many cult centers. |
| Purulli festival | Hittite Religion (ancient) | Spring | A new year festival linked to the myth of the Storm God defeating the serpent Illuyanka. |
| Ramadan | Islam | Ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar | A month of daytime fasting, prayer and charity. Evenings come alive with iftar meals that break the fast. |
| Eid al-Fitr | Islam | First day of Shawwal, after Ramadan | A joyful festival ending the fast with special prayers, new clothes, sweets and family visits. |
| Eid al-Adha | Islam | 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, during the Hajj season | Commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Families share meat from sacrificed animals with relatives and the poor. |
| Mawlid al-Nabi | Islam | 12th of Rabi al-Awwal in many communities | Celebrates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad with poetry, processions and gatherings, though not all Muslims observe it. |
| Passover (Pesach) | Judaism | Spring, Hebrew month of Nisan | Recalls the Exodus from Egypt with a ritual meal called the Seder. Leavened bread is avoided for the week. |
| Rosh Hashanah | Judaism | Early autumn, 1 Tishrei | The Jewish New Year, marked by the blowing of the shofar and reflection on the year past. |
| Yom Kippur | Judaism | 10 Tishrei, ten days after Rosh Hashanah | The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, observed with fasting and prayer. |
| Wag Festival | Kemetism | Shortly after the New Year | An ancient festival honoring Osiris and the dead. |
| Beautiful Festival of the Valley | Kemetism | Varies, often in spring or summer | Revived by some Kemetists to honor ancestors, recalling the Theban festival when Amun visited the west bank. |
| Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut | Korean shamanism | Second lunar month | A UNESCO listed ritual on Jeju welcoming the wind goddess Yeongdeung, with prayers for fishermen and divers. |
| Daeboreum | Korean shamanism | First full moon of the lunar year | A folk celebration with rituals for good harvests, bonfires and wishes made to the moon. |
| Parwanaya | Mandaeism | Five intercalary days in spring | A major feast of creation when the gates of the world of light are believed to open. It is marked by baptisms and ritual meals. |
| Dehwa Rabba | Mandaeism | Mandaean New Year, which moves through the solar year | The great feast of the New Year, observed by staying indoors for a period and with prayers and visits. |
| Dehwa Daimana | Mandaeism | Varies with the Mandaean calendar | Commemorates the baptism of John the Baptist with communal baptisms in rivers. |
| Bema | Manichaeism (ancient) | Spring, at the end of a month-long fast | The chief festival commemorated Mani's death and featured an empty throne representing his presence. Believers confessed sins and celebrated his teachings. |
| Monthly fasts | Manichaeism (ancient) | Regular days tied to lunar phases | Hearers and Elect fasted on fixed days, especially Sundays and Mondays. |
| Period-ending ceremonies | Maya Religion (ancient) | End of each katun, about every 20 years | Kings erected stelae and performed rites to mark the completion of calendar cycles. |
| Wayeb | Maya Religion (ancient) | The five days at the end of the 365-day year | An unlucky time when people stayed cautious and performed protective rites before the new year. |
| New Year ceremonies | Maya Religion (ancient) | Start of the solar year (Haab) | Described by Bishop Landa in Yucatan, these rites honored the year-bearer gods with processions and offerings. |
| Peak sanctuary bonfire rites | Minoan Religion (ancient) | Probably summer | Ash layers at peak sanctuaries suggest seasonal gatherings with large fires and offerings. The exact calendar is unknown. |
| Harvest and vegetation rites | Minoan Religion (ancient) | Likely spring and autumn | Art showing tree shaking and processions hints at seasonal ceremonies tied to growth and harvest. Details remain speculative. |
| Green Corn ceremony (descendant tradition) | Mississippian Religion (ancient) | Mid to late summer when corn ripens | Practiced by descendant southeastern nations, it involves renewal, fasting, a new fire and forgiveness. Scholars see roots in Mississippian times. |
| Mortuary and feasting events | Mississippian Religion (ancient) | Varied, often tied to elite deaths | Archaeology at Cahokia shows large feasts and burials that brought people together in ritual. |
| Ritual banquets | Mithraism (ancient) | Regularly throughout the year | Members gathered to share sacred meals recalling the feast of Mithras and Sol. |
| Initiation ceremonies | Mithraism (ancient) | Varied, possibly around the spring equinox | Candidates underwent trials and rites to enter new grades. |
| Pueblo Feast Days | Native American religions | Throughout the year, varying by pueblo | Public dances in many New Mexico pueblos honor patron saints and seasonal cycles. Visitors may attend some, following strict rules. |
| Green Corn Ceremony | Native American religions | Mid to late summer | A renewal festival among Southeastern nations such as the Muscogee and Cherokee, celebrating the first corn harvest. |
| Sacred months truce | Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion (ancient) | Four months of the year, including three consecutive ones | Fighting was forbidden during these months, allowing safe travel to shrines and markets. |
| Fair of Ukaz | Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion (ancient) | Annually, in the month before the pilgrimage season | A great market and poetry gathering near Taif, where tribes met during the truce. |
| Pilgrimage of Almaqah at Marib | Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion (ancient) | Summer, in South Arabia | Sabaean inscriptions mention a pilgrimage to the Awwam temple of Almaqah near Marib. |
| Maslenitsa | Rodnovery | Late winter, week before Lent | A festival of farewell to winter with pancakes and burning of a straw effigy, also celebrated widely as folk custom. |
| Koliada | Rodnovery | Winter solstice | Celebrates the rebirth of the sun with carols and feasts. |
| Passover | Samaritanism | Spring, by the Samaritan calendar | Families gather on Mount Gerizim to sacrifice lambs, as described in Exodus, then eat them in a nighttime feast. |
| Shavuot | Samaritanism | Seven weeks after Passover | A pilgrimage festival marked by a dawn procession to the summit of Mount Gerizim. |
| Sukkot | Samaritanism | Autumn | Samaritans build indoor booths decorated with elaborate ceilings of fresh fruit. |
| Yom Kippur | Samaritanism | Autumn | The Day of Atonement, observed with a full day fast and prayer, including by children. |
| Easter Festival in Kautokeino | Sámi religion | Easter week | A major Sámi gathering with weddings, reindeer racing, concerts and the Sámi Grand Prix joik contest. |
| Tailgan Ceremonies | Siberian shamanism | Summer | Buryat community rituals at sacred sites, with offerings to local spirits for prosperity and health. |
| Koliada | Slavic Paganism (ancient) | Winter solstice | A midwinter festival of caroling and feasting, later merged with Christmas. |
| Maslenitsa | Slavic Paganism (ancient) | Late winter, week before Lent | A celebration of the end of winter with pancakes and burning a straw effigy, now a Christian-era folk festival with older roots. |
| Dziady | Slavic Paganism (ancient) | Spring and autumn | Feasts to commemorate the dead, when ancestors were believed to visit their families. |
| Lantern Festival | Taoism | 15th day of the first lunar month | Ends the New Year season with lanterns and, in Taoism, honors the Heavenly Official who grants blessings. |
| Ghost Festival | Taoism | 15th day of the seventh lunar month | Offerings are made to wandering spirits, and Taoist priests conduct rites for the dead. |
| Birthday of Laozi | Taoism | 15th day of the second lunar month | Honors Laozi as a deified sage with temple ceremonies. |
| Tsagaan Sar and Nauryz | Tengrism | Late winter or spring equinox | New Year festivals in Mongolia and Central Asia that retain older customs of honoring sky, nature and ancestors. |
| Khawankari | Yarsanism | Midwinter, after a three day fast | A feast following the fast, celebrated with communal meals and devotional music. |
| Fast of Marnow | Yarsanism | Midwinter | Three days of fasting commemorating Sultan Sahak and his companions, observed by many Yarsani. |
| Egúngún Festival | Yoruba religion | Varies, often dry season | Masquerades representing ancestors parade through towns with drumming and dance. |