Exploring Cultural Diversity: Top 10 Traditions Around the World

Our world has rich and diverse cultures, each with their unique traditions that will give you a glimpse into their country’s values and beliefs. Let’s go through a journey where we explore and appreciate the traditions that reflect the vibrant cultural diversity of our beautiful planet.

What are you waiting for? Let’s dive right in!


Holi, India

Dancing woman covered in colorful powder during Holi festival. PHOTO: GETTY

Holi, also known as the ‘Festival of Colors’, is a vibrant celebration that marks the arrival of spring in India. This festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm, with participants throwing water and colored powders at each other. The colors symbolize spring and the victory of good over evil. 

The festival includes dancing, singing of traditional songs, and indulging in food delicacies like Thandai and Gujiya. Their recipes are found in the Global Cuisine Cookbook. This is a testament to how food forms an integral part of cultural identity. 

Celebrating Diversity Across the Globe

Hanami, Japan

The flower-viewing tradition in Japan is widely cherished by the Japanese people. During spring, when sakura or cherry blossoms are in full bloom, people gather in parks for picnics under the picturesque pink canopy. 

The tradition is known to be a celebration of renewal, beauty, and transience of life, as reflected in the fleeting flowering season of the sakura.

Day of the Dead, Mexico

Dia de los Muertos in Mexico is a multi-day holiday that gives honor to the dead loved ones. Families create altars or ofrendas which are usually adorned with sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods of the departed.

This tradition celebrates life, demonstrating respect and the strong sense of love of Mexicans for their ancestors.

Songkran, Thailand

Songkran, or the Thai New Year is celebrated with a nationwide water fight. This symbolizes purification and the washing away of sins and bad luck, that’s why people participate in water fights and rituals of pouring water over Buddha statues and elders’ hands. 

The festival also includes the creation of merit at temples and the releasing of fish and birds back into nature.

Midsummer, Sweden

People celebrating Midsummer festival in Evertsberg, Dalarna region, Sweden, 2013. Utterström Photography/Alamy

Midsummer in Sweden is a happy celebration of the summer solstice. People dance around maypoles, feast on fresh strawberries and pickled herring, and sing traditional songs.

The longest day of the year in this country is filled with love, magic, and a deep appreciation for mother nature. It’s a time when the sun will never set, and the night is as bright as the day.

Maslenitsa, Russia

Maslenitsa is a folk holiday in Russia that signifies the end of winter and the start of spring. This is a week of festivities which includes pancake feasts, symbolizing the sun, snowball fights, sledding, and the burning of the Maslenitsa effigy, which represents the farewell to winter.

Inti Raymi, Peru

PHOTO: Heinz Plenge Pardo / PROMPERU

Inti Raymi is an ancient Inca tradition that pays homage to the Sun God. The grand ceremony, which is held during the winter solstice, is filled with music, dance, and processions. The participants get dressed in traditional Inca costumes, and the streets of Cusco come alive with much color and festivities.

In the Inti Raymi festival, cultural artifacts like traditional Inca costumes and musical instruments play a crucial role in the celebrations. They provide tangible links to a community’s history, beliefs, and societal evolution.

Whirling Dervishes, Turkey

This mesmerizing Sufi ritual involves spinning in repetitive circles to symbolize the spiritual journey toward truth and love. The dervishes, dressed in white gowns and tall felt hats, whirl in a precise rhythm to create a mesmerizing spectacle.

Lantern Festival, China

In China, the Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. Thousands of lanterns are released into the sky to symbolize letting go of past selves and embracing new identities. 

The festival also includes solving lantern riddles and eating tangyuan or sweet glutinous rice balls.

Maasai Jumping Dance, Kenya/Tanzania

The ‘Adamu’ is a rite of passage for the Maasai warriors. This competitive jumping dance, known as ‘adumu’, is a test of strength and agility. The warriors, dressed in vibrant red shukas and beaded jewelry, take turns to jump as high as they can, while the others form a circle around them, singing and cheering.


In the end, every tradition tells a story. And as we listen and be spectators to these stories, we learn that the world is not just a planet, but a home – a home teeming with diversity, beauty, and human experiences. So, let’s keep exploring, keep learning, and keep celebrating the wonderful diversity that makes us uniquely human.