All entries
2,660 entries so far, best known first. 2,250 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
🇦🇷 Argentina and 2 moreSan La Muerte
A skeletal folk saint venerated in South America for protection and favorsTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇲🇽 MexicoCalavera
A sugar or clay skull used in Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.Charm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living
🇭🇹 HaitiFèy
A Haitian Vodou folk song used as a political anthem during military ruleTradition · Power and authority Living
🇦🇷 Argentina and 1 moreSan Baltasar
A folk saint of African origin, honoured in Argentina with drums and dance on 6 JanuaryFigure · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rada lwa: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Colombian folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Santo Daime: Tonelada, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Calavera: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maximón: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Mercado de Sonora: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source