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EveryParampara

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.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCuju蹴鞠 An ancient Chinese kicking game played without hands using a stuffed or air-filled ballGame 🇨🇳 Tianjin, ChinaManchu-Han Imperial Feast滿漢全席 A grand multi-day banquet uniting Manchu and Han culinary traditions in ChinaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals 🇰🇷 Jeju, South KoreaHaenyeo해녀 Female free-divers of Jeju Island who harvest seafood from the ocean.Table custom 🇯🇵 JapanGolden Weekゴールデンウィーク (Gōruden Wīku) A major Japanese holiday period from late April to early May featuring four public holidays and widespread travel.Festival 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Sun태양절 North Korea's principal holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Kim Il SungCeremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaArirang Mass Games아리랑 축제 A massive civic spectacle of gymnastics, dance, and card stunts in PyongyangCeremony 🇯🇵 JapanComing of Age Day成人の日 A Japanese public holiday welcoming new adults with municipal rites and celebrationsRite of passage 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJidai Matsuri時代祭 An autumn costume procession celebrating Kyoto's imperial heritage and historyFestival 🇹🇼 Taipei, TaiwanDouble Ten Day國慶日 The national holiday of Taiwan marking the start of the 1911 revolution.Ceremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Shining Star광명성절 A two-day national holiday in North Korea honouring the birth of Kim Jong Il.Ceremony 🇨🇳 ChinaGolden Week黄金周 Seven- or eight-day national holiday periods in China for travel and family visitsSeasonal 🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaTangzhuang唐裝 (traditional), 唐装 (simplified) A Chinese jacket with a Mandarin collar, worn for formal occasions and holidaysDress 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North Korea and 4 moreMass games Disciplined, large-scale gymnastic spectacles celebrating unity and national prideCeremony 🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanAoi Matsuri葵祭 A classical Kyoto festival with an imperial procession and ancient shrine ritualsFestival 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaHanfu漢服 The dress of the Han Chinese, named for the Han dynasty and worn again todayDress 🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanDaijō-sai大嘗祭 The emperor's once-in-a-reign Shinto rite of thanks for the rice harvestSpiritual 🇰🇷 Seoul, South KoreaJongmyo jerye종묘 제례 Ancestral rite for Korea's Joseon kings, with court music and a line dance, held in SeoulSpiritual 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 2 moreHangul Day한글날 South Korea's public day for Hangul, the Korean alphabet, kept on 9 OctoberFestival 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaNational Day国庆节 (guóqìng jié) China's national day on 1 October, marking the republic's founding in 1949Ceremony 🇰🇷 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 🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanCulture Day文化の日 (Bunka no Hi) Japan's 3 November holiday for the arts, learning and the Order of CultureFestival 🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭 A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette 🇰🇷 South Korea and 4 moreParents' Day어버이날 (Eobeoinal) Days set aside in several countries to thank mothers and fathersFestival 🇯🇵 JapanMarine Day海の日 A Japanese summer holiday to thank the ocean and mark the country's ties to the seaCeremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaFatherland Liberation War Day조국해방전쟁 승리 기념일 North Korea's July 27 holiday marking the 1953 armistice that stopped the Korean WarCeremony 🇹🇼 Taipei, Taiwan and 1 moreRetrocession Day臺灣光復節 / 台湾光复节 (Táiwān guāngfùjié) A public holiday on 25 October marking the end of Japanese rule in Taiwan in 1945Ceremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Foundation of the Republic9.9절 (Inmin Jeonggwon Changgeonil) A national holiday in North Korea marking the founding of the state on September 9.Ceremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaParty Foundation Day조선로동당 창건일 A national holiday in North Korea that marks the founding of its ruling party in 1945.Ceremony 🇨🇳 Zhongshan, ChinaChinese clothing Robes, gowns, and suits shaped across dynasties, ranks, and daily life in ChinaDress

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.