All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 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
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau d氓k
A North American custom using a burrowing rodent to forecast the end of winterTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreOjibwe religion
The traditional spiritual practices of the Ojibwe people of North AmericaTradition 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 4 moreFortune-telling
A practice of predicting future events or personal details through various methods and tools.Rite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 1 moreAinu religion
The animist spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of the Ainu people of Japan and RussiaTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoAztec religion
The polytheistic and monistic belief system of the Aztec Empire in central MexicoTradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition marking a specific calendar date as unlucky.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 2 moreTheatrical superstitions
Beliefs and rituals among actors to avoid bad luck and ward off spiritsBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBaseball superstition
Rituals and beliefs held by players and fans to influence game outcomesBelief 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesLaw of attraction
A New Thought belief that focused thoughts draw matching experiences into lifeBelief 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesMarmot Day
An Alaskan holiday celebrating local marmots and frontier culture, replacing Groundhog Day.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 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.
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Baseball superstition: Johnmaxmena2, CC BY 4.0, source
- Marmot Day: Colin Canterbury/USFWS, Public domain, source
- Ojibwe religion: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Ainu religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Aztec religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source