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.
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.
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.
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMother's Day
A worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careHome
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFriday the 13th
A Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.Folklore
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesFlag Day
An annual American observance marking the 1777 adoption of the national flagCeremony
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 4 moreKwanzaa
A seven-day African American celebration of heritage, family and community valuesFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk
A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day
An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony
🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day
A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesPresidents' DayWashington's Birthday
An annual American holiday honouring George Washington and the nation's past leadersCeremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesThanksgiving
An annual American holiday of gratitude, family gatherings and an autumn harvest feastFestival · Dinner
🇨🇦 CanadaSaint-Jean-Baptiste DayFête nationale du Québec
An annual civic and cultural celebration observed across Quebec every June 24Ceremony
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine
A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony
🇨🇦 CanadaThanksgivingAction de grâce
An annual Canadian autumn holiday celebrating the harvest with family feastsFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesNational Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation
An annual White House ceremony in which the American president spares a holiday turkey.Ceremony
🇲🇽 Mazatlán, MexicoCarnival of MazatlánCarnaval de Mazatlán
An annual five-day festival of parades, fireworks, poetry and dance in coastal MexicoFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day
An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana
A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreEaster parade
A festive Easter Sunday stroll featuring stylish clothes and elaborate bonnetsFestival
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesWest Indian Day Parade
A lively Caribbean street procession held every September in Brooklyn, New YorkFestival
🇨🇦 Quebec City, CanadaQuebec Winter CarnivalCarnaval de Québec
A midwinter celebration of snow, outdoor sports and caribou in Quebec City.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoNight of the RadishesNoche de Rábanos
An annual festival of intricate sculptures carved from oversized radishes in OaxacaCraft
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCyber Monday
An annual online shopping observance held on the Monday following American Thanksgiving.Seasonal
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 1 moreStar Wars Day
An annual worldwide celebration of the Star Wars universe on May 4Festival
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreBuy Nothing Day
An annual 24-hour pause on shopping to protest consumerism and overconsumptionCeremony
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreWorkers' Memorial Day
An annual day remembering people killed, injured, or made ill by their workCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month
An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 5 moreNo Bra Day
An annual October observance promoting breast cancer awareness and bodily autonomySeasonal
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreLGBTQ History Month
An annual month of education and remembrance celebrating queer lives and civil rightsCeremony
🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving
An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation: Trump White House Archived, Public domain, source
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day: Montrealais, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Victoria Day: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, source
- Thanksgiving: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Public domain, source
- Thanksgiving: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Columbus Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mexican Revolution Day: Ute Hagen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Flag Day: Freekee /Kevin Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- No Bra Day: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL, source
- Buy Nothing Day: Brave New Films, CC BY 2.0, source
- Presidents' Day: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
- Workers' Memorial Day: Jungpionier, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Easter parade: Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo, Public domain, source
- West Indian Day Parade: Fordmadoxfraud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Quebec Winter Carnival: Shapiros10, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carnival of Mazatlán: The New Foxy, CC0, source