Any construction will occur in a country with a unique culture and traditions. So, there are certain cultural things will take place on construction sites. The contractor may even practice their cultural stuff on the site if the contractor is a foreign company.
This article discusses the various events conducted in construction projects in various countries.
Topping out ceremony
A topping-out ceremony is a construction tradition that has been occurring to celebrate project milestones. Traditionally, this ceremony occurs when the final concrete/ final structural beam is raised into place/ when the highest beam is placed/the last roofing piece. This typically includes a party with the participation of the project team and other stakeholders like the Client, media personalities, prospective buyers, etc. This is a good event in terms of marketing for the buyers to communicate that their product is nearing completion. Another historical belief is that Native Americans believed no structure could be taller than the trees, so they placed a tree in the final and highest beam.
During ceremonies, they place an evergreen on top of the building, which usually stays on top until the building is finished.
David1, states in one of his articles that this has some ancient root. According to him, during the pre-Dark Age(5th century-11th century), in the Scandinavian cultures (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), a tree was placed on top of a new building. The purpose was to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors that had been displaced. Further, he states that during the 14th century in England, it was customary to put a yew tree branch at the highest point of the building to keep evil spirits at bay.
Source: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/evergreen
Source: http://www.scientiaproject.monte.nsw.edu.au/post/topping-out-ceremony
Source: https://miron-construction.com/blog_entries/what-is-a-topping-out-ceremony/
1 – The article written by David also provides more insight into this ceremony – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141106224320-128875744-what-do-you-know-about-the-tradition-of-topping-out/
See the video below of a topping out ceremony held in Sri Lanka.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=3537842272921945
Ground-breaking ceremony & Foundation stone laying ceremony
A common ceremony in construction projects is ground-breaking (cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony). This ceremony aims to celebrate the commencement of the construction project. The ground-breaking ceremony is usually attended by the Client, contractor’s management and even politicians and businesspeople to generate interest in the project. During the ceremony, key personnel will break the ground to mark the commencement of construction. According to Wikipedia, The first documented ground-breaking ceremony occurred in ancient China in 113 BC.
During the ground-breaking ceremony of a larger-scale construction project or even in small-scale residential construction projects before they start the masonry works, certain countries have a tradition of laying the 1st stone ceremonially. In residential projects, the foundation stone is not a cement block or engineering brick we use for the construction but a special block/unit that contains various herbal and other ingredients. However, in larger-scale projects, it may be cement blocks. The ceremony usually consists of religious work, too.
1.
2. 
3. 
1. Place a special block/unit and cover it with mortar (Location: Sri Lanka)
2. & 3. Traditional religious and cultural activities. (Location: Sri Lanka)
Placing a special block/unit and having it covered with mortar by a group of guests. (Location: Sri Lanka)
Source: https://www.zamzam.lk/foundation-stone-laying-event-for-green-community-experience-centre/
Traditional religious and cultural activities (Location: Sri Lanka)
Source: https://cmb.ac.lk/foundation-stone-laying-ilc
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony may include a ribbon-cutting function by a special guest to mark the official opening of a building. The construction team, together with the consultant and client team, will take part in the ceremony. Many distinguished guests, including media personnel, may also be invited to get public attention, especially for marketing purpose.
A cake cutting during the opening ceremony of the Bio solid gasification plant at Loganholme WWTP. (Location: Australia)
During the opening ceremony of Club House in havelock City Development (Location: Sri Lanka)
Apart from those widely spread worldwide, each country has its ceremonies. Below are such ceremonies. These are essential milestones in a construction project.
1St Steel Cut Ceremony
For the first time, I heard about this ceremony some time ago through a LinkedIn post by another professional. Although I am not fully aware of all the ceremony details, it appears that they organize it to celebrate the first ceremonial cut of steel, as the name suggests.
Source: LinkedIn post from Najmuddin Afham (Location: Middle East)
Keeping the First Door Frame and Jump over the Door frame.
This marks another ceremony frequently observed in residential construction projects across some regions of the world. In this ritual, a carpenter, attired in white clothing, jumps through the door frame into the house after placing a few of his tools inside the house through the door frame. This event usually unfolds at an auspicious moment determined by local traditions and is further enriched by customary practices.
See the video below to understand the tradition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQd-Km–5r4 (Location: Sri Lanka)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emQg_IfqOWY (Location: Sri Lanka)
Keeping the First Roof Tile
This ceremony is often observed in residential construction projects within certain cultural contexts. During this occasion, the homeowner typically prepares milk rice and other traditional dishes as a celebratory gesture to mark this milestone of the construction project.
If you are aware of any similar cultural practices or events in your region, please send me an email containing additional details(contact@aact.com.au), including photographs and videos, so that I may enhance and update this article.
