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.
🇧🇪 Bruges, BelgiumProcession of the Holy BloodHeilig Bloedprocessie
An annual sacred parade and historical pageant through the streets of Bruges, Belgium.Spiritual
🇫🇷 Lyon, FranceFestival of LightsFête des lumières
A four-day festival in Lyon marking December 8 with illuminated windows and light artFestival
🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North Korea and 4 moreMass games
Disciplined, large-scale gymnastic spectacles celebrating unity and national prideCeremony
🇪🇬 Thebes, EgyptSed festivalḥb-sd
An ancient Egyptian royal jubilee marking thirty years of a pharaoh's ruleCeremony
🇦🇷 ArgentinaDía de la Tradición
An annual Argentine day celebrating gaucho customs on poet José Hernández's birthdayCeremony
🇨🇭 Basel, Switzerland and 4 moreSwiss National DaySchweizer Bundesfeiertag
Switzerland's annual national holiday, celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and lanternsCeremony
🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreLatvian Song and Dance FestivalVispārējie latviešu Dziesmu un Deju svētki
A grand gathering of choirs, dancers and folk artists held every five years in LatviaPerformance
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanAoi Matsuri葵祭
A classical Kyoto festival with an imperial procession and ancient shrine ritualsFestival
🇫🇷 Bayonne, FranceFêtes de BayonneBaionako Jaiak
A five-day summer feria in Bayonne featuring parades, dances and white-and-red dressFestival
🇬🇾 Georgetown, GuyanaMashramani
Guyana's national republic celebration filled with street pageantry, music and dance.Festival
🇪🇹 Mekelle, EthiopiaAshendaአሸንዳ
An Ethiopian festival celebrating women and girls with song, dance and tall grass attireFestival
🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumMeyboomMaâbuum
An annual Brussels parade and ceremonial tree planting held every AugustFestival
🇰🇪 Nairobi, KenyaMadaraka Day
Kenya's annual public holiday marking the start of self-governance on 1 June 1963Ceremony
🇨🇱 Santiago, ChileFiestas Patrias
Chile's homeland festivities celebrating national identity with music, dance, and foodCeremony
🇱🇹 Vilnius, LithuaniaLithuanian Song FestivalLietuvių dainų ir šokių šventė
A periodic national festival of choral singing, dance and folklore in LithuaniaFestival
🇬🇭 GhanaPanafest
A biennial Ghanaian festival uniting Africans and the diaspora through arts and healingFestival
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandLajkonikLajkoniki
An annual hobby-horse pageant through the streets of Kraków each JuneFestival
🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiIndependence Day
A national celebration of liberation, freedom, and unity observed every New Year's Day.Ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day
An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony
🇧🇿 Dangriga, BelizeGarifuna Settlement Day
An annual Belizean holiday marking the arrival and heritage of the Garifuna peopleFestival
🇩🇴 Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicDominican Carnival
A February street festival of masks, music and parades across the Dominican Republic.Festival
🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday
An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival
🇲🇦 MoroccoThrone Dayعيد العرش
Morocco's annual national holiday marking the enthronement of the reigning kingCeremony
🇫🇯 FijiFiji Week
A week of national celebration in Fiji marking independence and colonial history with cultural performances.Festival
🇷🇺 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
🇵🇭 Bacolod, PhilippinesMassKara FestivalPista sang MassKara
A street festival of smiling masks, parades and music in Bacolod, PhilippinesFestival
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana
A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony
🇧🇪 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
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreMaundy ThursdayDies Cenae Domini
A Christian feast marking the start of Easter observances with foot washing and communion services.Spiritual
🇲🇽 Puebla, Mexico and 1 moreCinco de Mayo
May 5 observance honoring the 1862 Mexican victory over French troops near Puebla.Ceremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesUnited States presidential inauguration
The formal swearing-in ceremony and celebrations for a new United States presidentCeremony
🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United StatesMummers Parade
An annual New Year's Day street parade in Philadelphia featuring music and costumed clubsFestival
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRemembrance Sunday
A day of solemn remembrance for military and civilian service members in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.Ceremony
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaHanfu漢服
The dress of the Han Chinese, named for the Han dynasty and worn again todayDress
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreNational day of mourning
A day a government sets aside for national grief, often marked by flags at half-mastCeremony
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanDaijō-sai大嘗祭
The emperor's once-in-a-reign Shinto rite of thanks for the rice harvestSpiritual
🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 5 moreOlympic flame
A flame kindled in Greece, carried by torch to light the cauldron of each GamesCeremony
🇹🇴 TongaLakalaka
A formal group dance of Tonga where singers stand in rows and move their arms to express songs.Performance
🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKırkpınar
A three-day Turkish oil wrestling contest near Edirne, held each June since 1360Game
🇳🇴 NorwayBunad
Norway's festive dress, tied to a home district and worn from weddings to 17 MayDress
🇨🇷 San Antonio de Escazú, Costa RicaCosta Rican oxcartscarretas
Oxen-drawn carts, hand-painted in bright patterns, kept as a national symbol of Costa RicaCraft
🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaTangzhuang唐裝 (traditional), 唐装 (simplified)
A Chinese jacket with a Mandarin collar, worn for formal occasions and holidaysDress
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreInuksuk
Stone markers raised by Inuit across the Arctic to guide, hunt and rememberCraft
🇮🇹 Foligno, ItalyGiostra della Quintana
A June and September joust in Foligno, where ten knights spear ringsFestival
🇰🇷 Seoul, South KoreaJongmyo jerye종묘 제례
Ancestral rite for Korea's Joseon kings, with court music and a line dance, held in SeoulSpiritual
🇮🇳 Srinagar, India and 3 morePashmina
Ultra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rankDress
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
- Procession of the Holy Blood: Cbl62, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Festival of Lights: Corentin Eustacchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mass games: photo: unknown file: James Steakley, Public domain, source
- Sed festival: EbonyLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg : CaptMondo, CC BY 2.5, source
- Día de la Tradición: GCBA, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Swiss National Day: Vincent de Groot, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Latvian Song and Dance Festival: Laima Gūtmane (simka), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aoi Matsuri: Japanexperterna, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fêtes de Bayonne: Belarra64, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mashramani: King sheik at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Ashenda: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Meyboom: Henxter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fiestas Patrias: Osmar Valdebenito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lithuanian Song Festival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Lajkonik: Igor123121, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Columbus Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Dominican Carnival: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, source
- Immortal Regiment: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
- MassKara Festival: Ceslou, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mexican Revolution Day: Ute Hagen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ducasse de Mons: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maundy Thursday: Benedetto Caliari, Public domain, source
- Cinco de Mayo: anonymous, Public domain, source
- United States presidential inauguration: The White House, Public domain, source
- Mummers Parade: Tyler McHenry at English Wikipedia ( Original text: Tyler McHenry (Thi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hanfu: Anonymous Song Chinese artist after the original by Gu Hongzhong, Public domain, source
- National day of mourning: Dudzislaw, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Daijō-sai: Abasaa, Public domain, source
- Olympic flame: RuinDig/Yuki Uchida, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kırkpınar: anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809, Public domain, source
- Bunad: Wolfmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Costa Rican oxcarts: Victor Quirós A, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tangzhuang: Gobierno de Chile, CC BY 2.0, source
- Inuksuk: Christina Chan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Giostra della Quintana: Alb.Maur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jongmyo jerye: David McNally, USAG-Yongsan, Public domain, source
- Pashmina: Aaditya Kitroo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source