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.

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 5 moreBloomsdayLá Bloom A celebration of James Joyce and his novel Ulysses, observed on 16 June in Dublin and worldwide.Festival · Breakfast

🇬🇧 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 3 moreMay Day A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇷 Turkey and 6 moreHıdırellez A spring festival marking the meeting of two prophets, celebrated across Turkey and the Balkans.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇯🇵 JapanChildren's Dayこどもの日 A Japanese holiday on May fifth celebrating the happiness and growth of childrenFestival

🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanSetsubun節分 A Japanese ritual of throwing roasted soybeans to banish evil spirits and welcome spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomNotting Hill Carnival An annual London street carnival celebrating British Caribbean culture and musicFestival

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomTrooping the Colour The annual British military parade marking the official birthday of the monarch.Ceremony

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

🇵🇰 Islamabad, PakistanPakistan Independence Dayیومِ آزادی A nationwide summer holiday commemorating the birth of Pakistan on 14 August 1947Ceremony

🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBihuবিহু (Assamese) Three annual festivals in Assam marking the new year, crop cycles and harvest with dance, music and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Sun태양절 North Korea's principal holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Kim Il SungCeremony

🇳🇿 Waitangi, New Zealand and 2 moreWaitangi DayTe Rā o Waitangi New Zealand's national day remembering the 1840 founding agreement.Ceremony · Breakfast

🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesPresidents' DayWashington's Birthday An annual American holiday honouring George Washington and the nation's past leadersCeremony

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaArirang Mass Games아리랑 축제 A massive civic spectacle of gymnastics, dance, and card stunts in PyongyangCeremony

🇿🇦 South AfricaHeritage DayErfenisdag A nationwide South African public holiday honouring the country's diverse culturesCeremony 🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor A spring custom of wearing intertwined red and white strings to welcome the new season.Festival

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreDouble Ninth Festival重陽節 An autumn festival of mountain walks, chrysanthemum wine and ancestor remembranceSeasonal · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesThanksgiving An annual American holiday of gratitude, family gatherings and an autumn harvest feastFestival · Dinner

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBurns supperBurns Nicht A Scottish celebratory meal of haggis, poetry and toasts in honour of Robert BurnsFestival · Dinner

🇨🇦 Calgary, CanadaCalgary StampedeStampede de Calgary A ten-day July festival of rodeo, racing, and community breakfasts in Alberta.Festival · Breakfast

🇯🇵 JapanComing of Age Day成人の日 A Japanese public holiday welcoming new adults with municipal rites and celebrationsRite of passage

🇬🇪 GeorgiaRtveliრთველი A Georgian harvest festival marking the grape picking season with feasts and folk songs.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇴 Barranquilla, ColombiaBarranquilla CarnivalCarnaval de Barranquilla A four-day street festival of music, masquerade and dance in coastal ColombiaFestival

🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 5 moreChristmas cracker A decorative paper tube pulled apart with a bang during Christmas dinnerFestival · Dinner

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

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 5 moreFastelavn A pre-Lenten carnival in Northern Europe where children dress up, sing for treats, and break candy-filled barrels.Festival · Sweets given and shared

🇨🇦 CanadaSaint-Jean-Baptiste DayFête nationale du Québec An annual civic and cultural celebration observed across Quebec every June 24Ceremony

🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreSizdah Bedarسیزده‌بدر An open-air picnic holiday concluding the Iranian New Year celebrationsFestival

🇸🇷 Paramaribo, Suriname and 1 moreKetikotiKeti Koti An annual Emancipation Day marking the end of slavery in Suriname and the NetherlandsFestival

🇹🇼 Taipei, TaiwanDouble Ten Day國慶日 The national holiday of Taiwan marking the start of the 1911 revolution.Ceremony

🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony

🇷🇺 RussiaScarlet SailsАлые паруса A summer graduation celebration on the Neva River in Saint PetersburgFestival

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Shining Star광명성절 A two-day national holiday in North Korea honouring the birth of Kim Jong Il.Ceremony

🇨🇴 Pasto, ColombiaBlacks and Whites' CarnivalCarnaval de Negros y Blancos A week of street games, parades and music held every January in Pasto, ColombiaFestival

🇮🇷 Yazd, Iran and 1 moreSadehسده An ancient midwinter festival of fire, light, and the approach of springFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayRussefeiring A spring graduation rite of passage for Norwegian secondary school studentsRite of passage

🇹🇿 Zanzibar City, TanzaniaZanzibar International Film Festival An annual ten-day arts, music and cinema gathering held across Zanzibar.Performance

🇳🇷 NauruAngam Day A national holiday in Nauru celebrating the survival and recovery of its peopleCeremony

🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeNational DayHari Kebangsaan Singapura Singapore's annual civic holiday celebrating its national sovereignty on 9 AugustCeremony

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

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 5 moreCongolese rumba An African dance music and guitar tradition born along the Congo RiverPerformance

🇦🇿 AzerbaijanNovruzNovruz Bayramı The Azerbaijani spring equinox festival of bonfires, sweets and sprouted wheatSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇸🇮 Slovenia and 1 morePrešeren DayPrešernov dan A national celebration of arts and literature observed across Slovenia on 8 FebruaryCeremony

🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Independence DayDía de la Independencia de México An annual Mexican national holiday marking the 1810 uprising against Spanish ruleCeremony

🇪🇸 Pamplona, Spain and 5 moreProcessional giants Towering costumed figures carried through town streets during communal festivalsFestival

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

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

Photo credits on this page

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

Processional giants: Jesús Serna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Pakistan Independence Day: Khaum, CC BY 3.0, source
Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Bloomsday: No machine-readable author provided. Flapdragon assumed (based on copy, Public domain, source
Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
Waitangi Day: Ryan762 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Notting Hill Carnival: Diliff, CC BY 2.5, source
Festa della Repubblica: Anthony Majanlahti, CC BY 2.0, source
Double Ninth Festival: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of the Sun: Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Barranquilla Carnival: el heraldo, Public domain, source
Rtveli: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, source
Trooping the Colour: Carfax2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Arirang Mass Games: Michael Day, CC BY 2.0, source
Congolese rumba: Jeanne Vu Van, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fastelavn: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Ketikoti: StarNieuws, CC BY 3.0, source
Sizdah Bedar: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day: Montrealais, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Blacks and Whites' Carnival: camiloAndres, CC BY 2.0, source
Children's Day: Comissão de Jovens, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Presidents' Day: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
Risalamande: Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of the Shining Star: Nicor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Scarlet Sails: Kora27, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Zanzibar International Film Festival: Peter Bennett / ZIFF, CC BY 2.0, source
Victoria Day: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, source
Russefeiring: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
Sadeh: Farzad j, Public domain, source
Jāņi: Heinrihsons, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Burns supper: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Thanksgiving: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Public domain, source
National Day: Brian Jeffery Beggerly, CC BY 2.0, source
Angam Day: Taken in 1896 by Augustin Krämer and uploaded by Rémih, Public domain, source
Prešeren Day: Franz von Kurz zum Thurn und Goldenstein, Public domain, source
Mexican Independence Day: PetrohsW, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Novruz: Abutalub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas cracker: en:User:Cgros841, Public domain, source
Cologne Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Sechseläuten: anonymous, Public domain, source
Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Coming of Age Day: moguphotos, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Heritage Day: CoralBrowne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Double Ten Day: 總統府, CC BY 2.0, source