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.
🇬🇧 Lewes, United KingdomLewes Bonfire
A Sussex town marks 5 November with torchlit processions, burning crosses and bonfiresFestival
🇻🇳 Huế, VietnamNhã nhạcNhã nhạc (雅樂)
Vietnam's royal court music, played for palace rites from the Trần dynasty onwardPerformance
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 5 moreBaju Melayuباجو ملايو
The long-sleeved Malay man's shirt and trousers, formal national dress in Malaysia and BruneiDress
🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch)
Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRoyal Maundy
A Church of England service where the monarch gives silver Maundy coins to older peopleSpiritual
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreNewrozنەورۆز
A Kurdish spring festival and new year celebration marked by bonfires, dance, and the lighting of fires.Festival
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 5 moreLabour Day
A day honouring workers, kept on 1 May in most countries and on other dates elsewhereFestival
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 1 moreIndependence Day
A public holiday on 15 August marking the end of British rule in India in 1947Ceremony
🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyGerman Unity DayTag der Deutschen Einheit
Germany's national day, marking reunification on 3 October 1990Ceremony
🇫🇷 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
🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaCosmonautics DayДень космонавтики
Russia's yearly day for Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight, kept on 12 April with memorial walksCeremony
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaGandhi Jayanti
India's annual holiday on 2 October, for Mahatma Gandhi's birth and nonviolenceCeremony
🇺🇦 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
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 2 moreHangul Day한글날
South Korea's public day for Hangul, the Korean alphabet, kept on 9 OctoberFestival
🇬🇧 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
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreBuy Nothing Day
An annual 24-hour pause on shopping to protest consumerism and overconsumptionCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreWikipedia Day
An annual gathering and birthday party for the Wikipedia community every JanuaryFestival
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaNational Day国庆节 (guóqìng jié)
China's national day on 1 October, marking the republic's founding in 1949Ceremony
🇵🇱 Warsaw, PolandNational Independence DayNarodowe Święto Niepodległości
Poland's national day on 11 November, marking the 1918 return of a sovereign Polish stateCeremony
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreNational Liberation Day of Korea광복절 (Gwangbokjeol)
A public holiday on 15 August marking Korea's liberation from Japanese rule in 1945Ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil
A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night
An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanCulture Day文化の日 (Bunka no Hi)
Japan's 3 November holiday for the arts, learning and the Order of CultureFestival
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreWorkers' Memorial Day
An annual day remembering people killed, injured, or made ill by their workCeremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreLand Dayيَوْم اَلْأَرْض (Yawm al-Ard)
A yearly day of remembrance for Palestinians marking the 1976 protests against land seizures.Ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭
A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette
🇮🇳 IndiaSvayamvaraस्वयंवर
An ancient Indian noble assembly where a bride chose her husband among suitorsRite of passage
🇰🇷 South Korea and 4 moreParents' Day어버이날 (Eobeoinal)
Days set aside in several countries to thank mothers and fathersFestival
🇸🇮 SloveniaStatehood DayDan državnosti
Slovenia's one-day public holiday on 25 June, marking the 1991 move to independenceCeremony
🇺🇸 Sitka, United StatesAlaska Day
Alaska's 18 October holiday marking the 1867 transfer from Russia to the United StatesCeremony
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndependence DayHari Merdeka
Malaysia's national day, marking the end of British rule on 31 August 1957Ceremony
🇯🇵 JapanMarine Day海の日
A Japanese summer holiday to thank the ocean and mark the country's ties to the seaCeremony
🇵🇭 Kawit, PhilippinesIndependence DayAraw ng Kasarinlán
The Philippines' national day, marked each 12 June with flags and paradesCeremony
🇵🇰 Islamabad, Pakistan and 1 morePakistan Dayیومِ پاکستان
Pakistan's national day on 23 March: the 1940 Lahore Resolution and the 1956 constitutionCeremony
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreVictory Dayবিজয় দিবস
Bangladesh's national day on 16 December, marking the 1971 surrender that made the stateCeremony
🇦🇫 Kabul, AfghanistanAfghan Independence Dayد افغانستان د خپلواکۍ ورځ (Pashto); روز استقلال افغانستان (Dari)
Afghanistan's national day, kept on 19 August for the treaty of 1919Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRogation days
Springtime Christian days of prayer, fasting, and parish boundary walks.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇹🇷 Van, Turkey and 5 moreChildren's Day
An international observance supporting youth welfare, education and children's rightsCeremony
🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë
Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony
🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag
A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony
🇦🇿 Shusha, AzerbaijanVictory DayZəfər Günü
Azerbaijan's day off on 8 November, marking the 2020 taking of ShushaCeremony
🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaIndependence Dayდამოუკიდებლობის დღე
Georgia's national holiday marking the 1918 declaration of sovereignty from the Russian Empire.Ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day
A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month
An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal
🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaHindi Dayहिन्दी दिवस
An annual Indian observance on 14 September marking the adoption of Hindi as an official language.Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreKing's Official Birthday
A day when Commonwealth realms mark the monarch's birthday, seldom the real dateCeremony
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamReunification DayNgày Thống nhất
A public holiday in Vietnam on 30 April, marking the war's end in 1975Ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Lewes Bonfire: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nhã nhạc: Lưu Ly ( thảo luận ), Public domain, source
- Baju Melayu: CuLeX-, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ommegang: Zorro2212, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Royal Maundy: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: Vidur Malhotra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Newroz: Salar Arkan - سالار ارکان, 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
- Hangul Day: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han), CC BY-SA 2.0, 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 Day: me ( w:User:pfctdayelise ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- National Independence Day: Patryk Matyjaszczyk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- National Liberation Day of Korea: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Culture Day: Shubert Ciencia, CC BY 2.0, source
- Land Day: Lata66, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Parents' Day: 草花写真館, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cosmonautics Day: The original uploader was Errabee at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Gandhi Jayanti: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: amrufm, CC BY 2.0, source
- Independence Day: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pakistan Day: Imniazi001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Marine Day: Manish Prabhune, CC BY 2.0, source
- Afghan Independence Day: Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor (U.S. armed forces), CC BY 2.0, source
- Alaska Day: Sgt. David Bedard, Public domain, source
- Victory Day: Jubair1985, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Victory Day: Toghrul Rahimli, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Independence Day: Kober, Public domain, source
- King's Official Birthday: City of Toronto, Public domain, source
- Reunification Day: HappyMidnight, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Labour Day: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Buy Nothing Day: Brave New Films, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vigil: unknown master, Public domain, source
- Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
- Workers' Memorial Day: Jungpionier, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Svayamvara: Nandalal Bose, Public domain, source
- Kowtow: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Youth Day: Andrey Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Children's Day: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rogation days: Ray Trevena, CC BY-SA 2.0, source