All entries
2,679 entries so far, best known first. 2,212 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
🇸🇳 Senegal and 5 moreAncestor veneration
Rituals of respect and offerings for the dead across many culturesTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAncestor worship
Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 moreWinter solstice
The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked by rites of solar returnTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Living
🇮🇳 IndiaBhuta KolaBhūta Kōla
A Tulu folk dance and ritual where spirits are channelled into human performersTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance
Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇳 IndiaTarpanaतर्पण
A Vedic offering of water and seeds to gods, sages, and ancestorsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAstragalomancy
Divination by casting marked bones, carved rods, or numbered diceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePitru Pakshaपितृ पक्ष
A sixteen-day Hindu period for honoring ancestors through food offerings and death ritesTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSky lantern天燈
A paper hot air balloon lifted by flame to carry wishes and blessingsRite · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreBonfire
A large outdoor fire used in seasonal festivals and religious feasts across many culturesRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKalachakraདུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ།
A Tibetan Buddhist tantric deity and system of yogic time cyclesTradition · Change and initiation · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ
A Balinese Hindu holiday of total silence, fasting, and darkness marking the new year.Tradition · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 IndiaTheyyam
A ritual dance from Kerala where performers embody deities through elaborate costume and songTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHomaहोम
A fire ritual found across Asian religions where offerings are burned as a votive exchange with the divine.Rite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreYantraयन्त्र
A geometric diagram from Indian traditions used for worship and meditationCharm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandMagic circle
A ritual boundary drawn or visualised to create sacred space and protectionTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreŚrāddhaश्राद्ध
A Hindu rite of ancestor worship involving food offerings and fire ritualsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Cleansing and purification Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUpanayanaउपनयन
A Hindu rite of passage marking a student's initiation into formal education and spiritual discipline.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreTai folk religionສາສະໜາຜີ
Spirits, ancestor rites, and soul-calling ceremonies of the Tai peoplesTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇳 IndiaVelichappaduവെളിച്ചപ്പാട്
A Hindu temple oracle in Kerala who channels deities through trance and danceBeing · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanHoshi Matsuri星まつり
A Buddhist ritual to honor stars and pray for protection from disasterRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇳🇵 NepalChhechu
An eleven-day Tamang ceremony in Nepal featuring ritual plays and exorcismsRite · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Living
🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi
A festival and art form honoring a mother goddess through clay images and colored designsTradition · Love and attraction · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaKadangot Makkam
A North Malabar goddess who became a deity after being killed by her brothers.Being · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇮🇳 IndiaShamanism in Ayyavazhi
A divination practice within the Hindu denomination of Ayyavazhi in South India.Rite · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 IndiaBappiriyan Theyyam
A North Malabar ritual performance blending Hindu and Muslim mythic figuresRite · Wonder and entertainment Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Homa: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Winter solstice: Image by Przemyslaw " Blueshade " Idzkiewicz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bhuta Kola: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tarpana: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kadangot Makkam: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bappiriyan Theyyam: Sumalkv, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yantra: Photo by Daniel Conrad (Chromacon), artwork by Daniel Conrad under dir, Public domain, source
- Magic circle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Śrāddha: Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tai folk religion: ( เทวประภาส มากคล้าย ), Tevaprapas, Public domain, source
- Upanayana: vinodbahal, CC BY 2.0, source
- Astragalomancy: Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pitru Paksha: Firoz Shakir, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sky lantern: Richy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bonfire: S Marshall, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kalachakra: Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sanjhi: Veer jindal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Hoshi Matsuri: Anonymous ( Japan ) Unknown author, CC0, source
- Theyyam: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shamanism in Ayyavazhi: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ancestor veneration: Thang Nguyen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source