Secular and civic traditions

Secular and civic traditions are those kept without a religious frame: national days, parades, remembrance days, birthdays, graduations, school and university rituals, sporting customs, workplace habits and the rites of clubs and communities. They give people shared moments and symbols outside any faith, and many have grown over a century or two. EveryParampara includes them alongside older traditions, because a Fourth of July barbecue or a Burns Night supper is as much a tradition as any ancient rite, and is kept with equal feeling.

Nations and communities

National days, flags, anthems, parades and minutes of silence create a sense of belonging. Remembrance of war dead, in poppies, wreaths and the Last Post, is observed by millions. Local clubs, guilds and societies keep their own rituals, from the mayor's procession to the Rotary meeting. Each reflects the history and the values of the group, and many invite the public to attend.

Milestones without a church

Birthdays, graduations, retirements, housewarmings and baby showers are secular milestones, kept with cakes, speeches and gifts. Many couples hold civil weddings and non-religious naming ceremonies and funerals led by celebrants. These customs show how people create meaning and mark time together, and how traditions are made as well as inherited. Some of them are only a few decades old, and already feel like old friends. A tradition begins the first time a group of people decides to do something again next year.

About this page

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

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreArbor Day An annual secular observance dedicated to planting and caring for trees around the worldCeremony

🇨🇭 Aproz, Switzerland and 2 moreCombat de Reines An annual Swiss pushing contest where Hérens cows compete for herd dominanceGame

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreApril Fools' Day An annual day of lighthearted pranks, hoaxes and teasing kept on the first of AprilFestival

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreSiesta A short afternoon rest or sleep taken after the midday mealHome · Lunch 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreMaifest A traditional German celebration marking the arrival of spring with decorated maypolesFestival

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomChelsea Flower Show A five-day May horticultural festival held in London by the Royal Horticultural SocietyFestival

🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomHogmanay The Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve and the first days of the new year.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 4 moreMay Day A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyFesta della Repubblica Italy's national day marking the 1946 public vote to establish a democratic republicCeremony

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 4 moreRisalamande A chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauceTable custom · Sweets given and shared

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreJāņi An annual Latvian summer solstice celebration of bonfires, singing and woven wreathsFestival

🇩🇪 Cologne, GermanyCologne CarnivalKölner Karneval A street festival in Cologne with parades, masquerades and a ruling trioFestival

🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSechseläutenSächsilüüte Zurich's spring festival marked by guild parades and the burning of a snowman effigySeasonal

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play A comic folk drama of staged combat, death, and revival by an eccentric doctorPerformance

🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain and 2 moreDiada de Sant Jordi A Catalan feast day of literature and love, marked by giving books and red rosesFestival

🇸🇪 SwedenJul A midwinter holiday of feast tables, doorstep gift givers, and candlelit morningsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreRéveillon A luxurious late-night feast that stretches until dawn across the winter holidaysTable custom · Dinner

🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainCremà The ceremonial burning of large artistic street monuments across the Valencian communityFestival

🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaVienna New Year's ConcertNeujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker A morning of waltzes and polkas on 1 January, played by the Vienna PhilharmonicPerformance 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBank holiday Official days of rest and financial closure across the British IslesCeremony 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaZiemassvētki Latvia's midwinter festival of solstice customs, mumming and tree decorationSeasonal 🇮🇸 IcelandÞorrablót An Icelandic midwinter feast of dinner, speeches and poetryFestival · Dinner

🇪🇸 Jijona, Spain and 5 moreTurrón A festive Mediterranean nut-and-honey confection shared at Christmas and local feastsTable custom · Sweets given and shared

🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 6 moreBoishakhi Melaবৈশাখী মেলা A Bengali New Year fair in London each May, with a parade, music and food stallsFestival

🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain and 5 moreTwelve GrapesLas doce uvas de la suerte A grape for every chime at midnight on 31 December, welcoming the new yearFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇮🇪 Galway, IrelandGalway International Oyster Festival An annual autumn gathering in Galway honouring native oysters with shucking contestsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇬 Kazanlak, BulgariaRose FestivalФестивал на розата An annual harvest celebration of damask roses across the Rose Valley of BulgariaFestival

🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreGlögg A spiced, warm winter wine served across Nordic countries around ChristmasTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇳🇴 Norway and 2 moreJulebord A Scandinavian Christmas banquet of traditional dishes, festive drinks and celebrationTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇱 NetherlandsBloemencorso Bollenstreek An annual mid-April parade of flower-covered floats across the Dutch bulb regionFestival

🇱🇺 Luxembourg City, LuxembourgSchueberfouer An annual late-summer funfair and historic fair held in Luxembourg CityFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMothering Sunday A mid-Lent Christian observance and family celebration of mothers and mother churchesSeasonal · Breakfast

🇪🇸 Alicante, SpainBonfires of Saint John in AlicanteFogueres de Sant Joan A midsummer festival of towering satirical monuments, music and fire in AlicanteFestival

🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 moreNovy GodНовый Год A secular winter celebration of decorated trees, family feasts and midnight giftsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreBonfire Night Yearly nights of bonfires and fireworks, kept in Britain, Ireland and beyondFestival

🇳🇱 Landgraaf, NetherlandsPinkpop A three-day pop and rock festival in the Netherlands, held on the Pentecost weekendFestival 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreProgrammer's Day A professional day for programmers, fixed to the 256th day of the yearCeremony

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇧 United KingdomWorld Osteoporosis Day A global observance on 20 October promoting bone health and fracture preventionCeremony

🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaDay of Republika SrpskaДан Републике Српске An annual civic holiday observed across Republika Srpska on 9 JanuaryCeremony

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

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief Night An informal autumn evening of neighbourhood tricks, practical jokes and street pranksFestival 🇨🇿 CzechiaName days in the Czech RepublicSvátek A daily custom where people celebrate on the calendar date assigned to their given name.Seasonal

🇱🇹 Vilnius, LithuaniaLithuania Independence Restoration Day A Lithuanian national holiday on 11 March celebrating the 1990 return of sovereign ruleCeremony

🇭🇺 Miskolc, HungaryKocsonya FestivalKocsonyafesztivál An annual winter food and culture festival held in Miskolc, HungaryFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇧 United KingdomLincolnshire Day An annual county day on 1 October honouring the history and culture of LincolnshireCeremony

🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

Photo credits on this page

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

Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Combat de Reines: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Festa della Repubblica: Anthony Majanlahti, CC BY 2.0, source
Jul: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Risalamande: Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sechseläuten: anonymous, Public domain, source
Diada de Sant Jordi: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cremà: Paula Ramírez Morant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Turrón: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
April Fools' Day: Lars Andersen, Public domain, source
Siesta: Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, source
Chelsea Flower Show: Nzfauna, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Boishakhi Mela: Ripon Miah, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Arbor Day: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Twelve Grapes: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL 1.2, source
Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pinkpop: Gianni Taranto, CC BY 3.0, source
Pezinok Grape Harvest Festival: Bratislavská župa, CC BY 2.0, source
Kulig: various, 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
Cologne Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Jāņi: Heinrihsons, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source
Galway International Oyster Festival: Thoslee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lithuania Independence Restoration Day: Lithuania Post Office / Scanned and processed by Vizu, Public domain, source
Rose Festival: Animsaj, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Glögg: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Julebord: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bloemencorso Bollenstreek: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Schueberfouer: Denise Hastert, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mothering Sunday: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bonfires of Saint John in Alicante: Fernando Pastor, CC BY 2.0, source
Novy God: Евгений Самарин, CC BY 4.0, source
Bonfire Night: Jpdfive, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Vienna New Year's Concert: Michal Osmenda, CC BY 2.0, source