Royal, civic and national ceremony

Coronations, courts, parades, oaths and national days.

Royal, civic and national ceremony covers the public rituals of a country: coronations, inaugurations, parades, national days, oaths, flag raisings and the opening of parliament. They give a nation a shared moment and a set of symbols, and many reach back centuries. A coronation in Westminster Abbey, the Changing of the Guard, a Fourth of July parade and the Independence Day march in India each tell a different story of who a people think they are. EveryParampara describes them factually, with the history behind them.

Crowns, thrones and oaths

Ceremonies of rule use regalia, oaths, anointing, processions and acclamation to show authority conferred. They may be kept by an ancient monarchy, a traditional chief or a modern republic with its own rites of inauguration. The words and objects are often very old, and the ceremony stays much the same from reign to reign. Together they set out a link between rulers and the people they serve.

National days and parades

National days commemorate independence, revolution or the founding of a state, usually with parades, speeches, flags, fireworks and public meals. Many also include remembrance of those who died in war, with minutes of silence, poppies or wreaths. These days draw citizens together, though they can also be contested. EveryParampara lists them on the calendar and explains the customs that go with them.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Royal, civic and national ceremony (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 moreImmortal RegimentБессмертный полк (Bessmertnyy polk) A civic procession where people carry portraits of relatives who served in the Second World War.Festival

🇧🇪 Mons, BelgiumDucasse de Mons An eight-day festival in Mons featuring a golden carriage and a dragon combatFestival 🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyScoppio del Carro An Easter Sunday fireworks display ignited by a flying dove in FlorenceFestival

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRemembrance Sunday A day of solemn remembrance for military and civilian service members in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.Ceremony

🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch) Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony

🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 5 moreOlympic flame A flame kindled in Greece, carried by torch to light the cauldron of each GamesCeremony

🇬🇧 Lewes, United KingdomLewes Bonfire A Sussex town marks 5 November with torchlit processions, burning crosses and bonfiresFestival

🇮🇹 Foligno, ItalyGiostra della Quintana A June and September joust in Foligno, where ten knights spear ringsFestival

🇫🇷 France and 5 moreVictory in Europe Day8 mai 1945 The day Nazi Germany's surrender was accepted, marking the end of the war in EuropeCeremony

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyGerman Unity DayTag der Deutschen Einheit Germany's national day, marking reunification on 3 October 1990Ceremony

🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaCosmonautics DayДень космонавтики Russia's yearly day for Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight, kept on 12 April with memorial walksCeremony 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreProgrammer's Day A professional day for programmers, fixed to the 256th day of the yearCeremony

🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineIndependence Day of UkraineДень Незалежності України Ukraine's national day, kept every 24 August with parades and flagsCeremony

🇬🇧 St Andrews, United Kingdom and 7 moreSaint Andrew's DayLà Naomh Anndrais The feast of Andrew the Apostle, kept on 30 November and Scotland's national daySpiritual

🇵🇱 Warsaw, PolandNational Independence DayNarodowe Święto Niepodległości Poland's national day on 11 November, marking the 1918 return of a sovereign Polish stateCeremony

🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival 🇸🇮 SloveniaStatehood DayDan državnosti Slovenia's one-day public holiday on 25 June, marking the 1991 move to independenceCeremony

🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRogation days Springtime Christian days of prayer, fasting, and parish boundary walks.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreKing's Official Birthday A day when Commonwealth realms mark the monarch's birthday, seldom the real dateCeremony 🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic National DayÞjóðhátíðardagurinn Iceland's national day, 17 June, marking the founding of the republic in 1944Ceremony 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyMegalesiaMegalenses Ludi An ancient Roman spring festival of theatrical plays, races and feasts for CybeleFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇲🇨 MonacoInternational Circus Festival of Monte-CarloFestival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo A January circus competition in Monaco, with Clown statuettes for the finest actsFestival 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSweden Finns' Dayruotsinsuomalaisten päivä (Finnish); sverigefinnarnas dag (Swedish) An annual day in Sweden for the Sweden Finns, their language and their historyFestival 🇬🇧 United KingdomWorld Osteoporosis Day A global observance on 20 October promoting bone health and fracture preventionCeremony

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyRepublic DayTag der Republik The former national holiday marking the founding of East Germany each OctoberCeremony

🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreNavigium Isidis An ancient Roman ship procession honouring Isis and the opening of sea travelSpiritual

🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaDay of Republika SrpskaДан Републике Српске An annual civic holiday observed across Republika Srpska on 9 JanuaryCeremony 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIndependence Day of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDan nezavisnosti A public holiday on 1 March marking the 1992 vote for independenceCeremony

🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria and 7 moreDay of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and CultureДен на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост Bulgaria's public holiday for its alphabet, schools and culture, kept each 24 MayFestival

🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden and 2 moreGustavus Adolphus DayGustav Adolfsdagen A Swedish flag day on 6 November, marked with a pastry topped with the king's likenessCeremony · Sweets given and shared

🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaLāčplēsis DayLāčplēša diena Latvia's remembrance day on 11 November for the soldiers who won independence in 1919Ceremony

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCashiering A ceremonial military dismissal that publicly strips an officer of rank and insigniaCeremony

🇵🇹 Portugal and 3 moreSalting the earth An ancient ritual of scattering salt over ruined ground to curse its future useFolklore 🇬🇷 Amyclae, GreeceHyacinthiaὙακίνθια A three-day ancient Spartan festival marking the death and rebirth of HyacinthusFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 5 moreRomanian Language DayZiua Limbii Române A single day, 31 August, given to the Romanian language in three countriesCeremony 🇲🇹 Birgu, MaltaFreedom DayJum il-Helsien Malta's national holiday on 31 March, marking the 1979 British military departureCeremony 🇲🇪 MontenegroStatehood DayДан државности Montenegro's national holiday on 13 July, for 1878 recognition and the 1941 revoltCeremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreDelphic Games of the modern era Global competitions and exhibitions across the arts, modelled on ancient Greek gamesPerformance 🇬🇧 United KingdomVigil of the Princes A ceremony where British royals stand guard over a relative's coffin during state funerals.Ceremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival

🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreAberri Eguna An annual Basque nationalist gathering held on Easter Sunday to celebrate national identity and culture.Festival

🇬🇷 Nicopolis, Greece and 1 moreActiaἌκτια A festival of music, sport, and naval displays kept in ancient times to honor a Roman emperor's victory.Festival 🇬🇧 United KingdomLincolnshire Day An annual county day on 1 October honouring the history and culture of LincolnshireCeremony 🇬🇧 Palace of Westminster, United KingdomParliamentary snuff box A wooden box of free snuff kept at the door of the House of CommonsCeremony

🇷🇺 RussiaOctobering A short-lived Soviet naming rite that put the Red Star in place of the baptismal crossRite of passage

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Remembrance Day: Philip Stevens, Public domain, source
Immortal Regiment: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
Ducasse de Mons: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Olympic flame: RuinDig/Yuki Uchida, CC BY 4.0, source
Giostra della Quintana: Alb.Maur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Octobering: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Lewes Bonfire: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Ommegang: Zorro2212, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Victory in Europe Day: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, source
German Unity Day: Philipp Hertzog Bearbeitet von Dr. Meierhofer (beschnitten, aufgehellt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saint Andrew's Day: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source
Independence Day of Ukraine: Official website of the President of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0, source
National Independence Day: Patryk Matyjaszczyk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cosmonautics Day: The original uploader was Errabee at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
King's Official Birthday: City of Toronto, Public domain, source
International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo: GeorgePrikkel, Public domain, source
Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smooth O, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Gustavus Adolphus Day: Jacob Truedson Demitz for Ristesson, Public domain, source
Romanian Language Day: Razvan Socol, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lāčplēsis Day: Saeima, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
Rogation days: Ray Trevena, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Cashiering: Henri Meyer, Public domain, source
Day of Republika Srpska: Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Republic Day: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Salting the earth: C.W.M., Public domain, source
Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Navigium Isidis: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Aberri Eguna: Fondo Marín. Pascual Marín, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Actia: Flavius Hermogenes at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source