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.
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.
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreBride-showсмотр невест
A court custom in which emperors and tsars chose a wife from young women brought before themCeremony
🇫🇷 Paris, FranceParis CarnivalCarnaval de Paris
An annual street celebration and costume procession across ParisFestival
🇬🇧 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
🇮🇹 Palermo, ItalyFeast of Saint RosaliaFestino di Santa Rosalia
An annual July festival in Palermo honouring the patron saint who ended the plague.Festival
🇧🇪 BelgiumMarches of Entre-Sambre-et-MeuseMarches de l'Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse
Folk processions with armed escorts in Belgian villages, kept from May to OctoberSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇬🇧 United KingdomChurch parade
A formal military procession held to attend a religious serviceCeremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomLincolnshire Day
An annual county day on 1 October honouring the history and culture of LincolnshireCeremony
🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia and 2 moreMerlinka Festival
An annual queer film festival held across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and MontenegroFestival
🇱🇹 Vilnius, LithuaniaLithuania Independence Restoration Day
A Lithuanian national holiday on 11 March celebrating the 1990 return of sovereign ruleCeremony
🇮🇸 Reykjavík, IcelandReykjavík PrideHinsegin dagar í Reykjavík
An annual festival and parade celebrating LGBT+ rights and visibility in IcelandFestival
🇱🇺 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and 3 moreOktavMuttergottesoktav
A two-week annual Marian pilgrimage and festival in Luxembourg CitySpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale
A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance
🇽🇰 Gjilan, KosovoFlaka e Janarit
A winter arts festival in Kosovo honoring national martyrs through music, drama and verseFestival
🇷🇺 RussiaPodvorotnichokподворотничок
A detachable white fabric strip sewn inside military uniform collars for hygieneDress
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKoningsmantel
The Dutch royal cloak of red velvet and ermine, brought out when a monarch is sworn inDress
🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaSpartakiad of the Peoples of the USSRСпартакиада народов СССР
A massive multi-sport festival that brought together Soviet republics every four yearsGame
🇬🇷 GreeceTablionταβλίον
An embroidered panel on the ceremonial mantle of Byzantine courtiers.Dress
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomQueen Charlotte's Ball
A historic coming-of-age gala where young women curtsey to an ornate birthday cakeRite of passage
🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 2 moreBaltic Pride
An annual Baltic festival and human rights march rotating between Riga, Tallinn, and VilniusFestival
🇫🇷 Paris, FranceNyansapo Festival
A French festival celebrating Black feminism and empowering diasporic women.Festival
🇲🇹 MaltaFestival Kanzunetta IndipendenzaKonkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza
An annual music contest in Malta celebrating native songwriting around Independence DayPerformance
🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti
An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame
🇬🇧 York, United KingdomYorkshire Day
A yearly civic observance on 1 August to honour the historic county of Yorkshire and its people.Festival
🇪🇸 Córdoba, Spain and 5 moreFiesta de las Cruces
A May festival where communities decorate crosses with flowers and crafts to celebrate faith and local heritage.Festival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Yorkshire Day: Buttons0603, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fiesta de las Cruces: Michelangelo-36, Public domain, source
- Bride-show: Publisher: Χρωμολιθογραφείον Ε. Λοβέρδου & Γ. Γρύσπου (1893-ca. 1914), Public domain, source
- Octobering: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse: Hoebele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lithuania Independence Restoration Day: Lithuania Post Office / Scanned and processed by Vizu, Public domain, source
- Reykjavík Pride: Helgi Halldórsson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Oktav: Daderot, CC0, source
- Autostrada Biennale: Lajmmoore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Flaka e Janarit: E Sadiku, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Koningsmantel: Thérèse Schwartze, Public domain, source
- Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR: Scanning Dmitry Makeev , scan date - 2020 year., Public domain, source
- Tablion: Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Queen Charlotte's Ball: The Illustrated London News, Public domain, source
- Baltic Pride: IDAHOT, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Paris Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Feast of Saint Rosalia: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Church parade: Boris Kustodiev, Public domain, source