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.

🇨🇳 Hong Kong, China and 5 moreLunar New Year New year festivals dated by the moon, kept from East Asia to the Middle EastFestival

🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesTimes Square Ball A ball of light slides down a pole in Times Square to mark the start of the new yearFestival

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBaby shower A gift-giving party for a new or expected baby, kept in many countriesRite of passage

🇳🇱 Landgraaf, NetherlandsPinkpop A three-day pop and rock festival in the Netherlands, held on the Pentecost weekendFestival

🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival

🇻🇪 Mérida, VenezuelaFeria del Sol Mérida's February fair: bullfights, parades, concerts and the Queen of the SunFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTowel Day An annual worldwide celebration on 25 May honouring the author Douglas Adams.Festival

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyGerman Unity DayTag der Deutschen Einheit Germany's national day, marking reunification on 3 October 1990Ceremony

🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaGandhi Jayanti India's annual holiday on 2 October, for Mahatma Gandhi's birth and nonviolenceCeremony 🇺🇸 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

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreWikipedia Day An annual gathering and birthday party for the Wikipedia community every JanuaryFestival

🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival

🇰🇷 South Korea and 4 moreParents' Day어버이날 (Eobeoinal) Days set aside in several countries to thank mothers and fathersFestival

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival

🇵🇭 Kawit, PhilippinesIndependence DayAraw ng Kasarinlán The Philippines' national day, marked each 12 June with flags and paradesCeremony

🇺🇸 United StatesFestivus A secular December observance marked by bare poles, voiced grievances, and wrestlingFestival · Dinner

🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony

🇹🇷 Van, Turkey and 5 moreChildren's Day An international observance supporting youth welfare, education and children's rightsCeremony

🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLine-crossing ceremony A naval initiation rite marking a sailor's first voyage across the equatorRite of passage

🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaKargil Vijay Diwas An annual Indian observance honouring soldiers and the end of the Kargil War.Ceremony

🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaIndonesian Independence DayHari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia Indonesia's national day, marking the 1945 proclamation of independenceCeremony

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreArmed Forces Day A civic holiday honouring national military services, their history and active personnelCeremony 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSweden Finns' Dayruotsinsuomalaisten päivä (Finnish); sverigefinnarnas dag (Swedish) An annual day in Sweden for the Sweden Finns, their language and their historyFestival 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreLGBTQ History Month An annual month of education and remembrance celebrating queer lives and civil rightsCeremony

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanIndependence DayOʻzbekiston Respublikasi Mustaqilligi kuni A state holiday on 1 September marking Uzbekistan's break from the Soviet UnionCeremony

🇻🇳 Hanoi, VietnamNational DayNgày Quốc khánh Vietnam's national day, marking the 1945 independence declaration read in HanoiCeremony

🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIndependence Day of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDan nezavisnosti A public holiday on 1 March marking the 1992 vote for independenceCeremony

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaParty Foundation Day조선로동당 창건일 A national holiday in North Korea that marks the founding of its ruling party in 1945.Ceremony

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBanned Books Week An annual autumn campaign celebrating the freedom to read and access challenged booksCeremony

🇵🇰 PakistanSindhi Cultural Dayسنڌي ثقافتي ڏھاڙو An annual December celebration of Sindhi heritage, music, and traditional attireFestival

🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaChildren's Day An annual Indian celebration of children and their welfare held on 14 NovemberCeremony 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreDelphic Games of the modern era Global competitions and exhibitions across the arts, modelled on ancient Greek gamesPerformance

🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonLebanese Independence Dayعيد الاستقلال اللبناني Lebanon's national day, marking the end of French mandate rule in 1943Ceremony

🇮🇳 Santiniketan, India and 1 moreRabindra Jayanti An annual Bengali festival celebrating Rabindranath Tagore with music, drama and verseFestival

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇦🇷 Rosario, ArgentinaFlag DayDía de la Bandera Nacional Argentina's national day for its flag, kept on 20 June in memory of Manuel BelgranoCeremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief Night An informal autumn evening of neighbourhood tricks, practical jokes and street pranksFestival

🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoDokuFest An annual summer gathering in Prizren dedicated to non-fiction cinema and short filmsFestival 🇰🇳 Charlestown, Saint Kitts and NevisCulturama An annual summer carnival celebrating Nevisian heritage and returning islandersFestival 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi Science Festival An annual science festival in the United Arab Emirates with hands-on workshops and showsFestival

🇨🇾 Limassol, CyprusWine Festival of CyprusΓιορτή του Κρασιού An annual autumn celebration of winemaking, folklore and food in Limassol, CyprusFestival · 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.

Rabindra Jayanti: Generalstabens litografiska anstalt, Public domain, source
Banned Books Week: carmichaellibrary, CC BY 2.0, source
Lunar New Year: Flying Pharmacist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Times Square Ball: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, source
Baby shower: Goizarin, CC0, source
Pinkpop: Gianni Taranto, CC BY 3.0, source
Feria del Sol: Original uploader was MeridaItalia at it.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
German Unity Day: Philipp Hertzog Bearbeitet von Dr. Meierhofer (beschnitten, aufgehellt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Parents' Day: 草花写真館, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gandhi Jayanti: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, source
Grandparents' Day: Wendy Berry, CC BY 2.0, source
Independence Day: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Indonesian Independence Day: Betari Ratih, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Independence Day: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
National Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smooth O, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lebanese Independence Day: Adib Ibrahim, Public domain, source
Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
DokuFest: Fallbackintoreality, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Wine Festival of Cyprus: George M. Groutas, CC BY 2.0, source
Towel Day: Bischy174, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Europeade: Niklas Lydeen, CC BY 3.0, source
Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
Festivus: en:User:DRosenbach Original uploader was DRosenbach at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Youth Day: Andrey Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Children's Day: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Line-crossing ceremony: Jules de Caudin, Public domain, source
Kargil Vijay Diwas: Ashoosaini2002, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Armed Forces Day: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
Children's Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Sindhi Cultural Day: Jogi don, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Party Foundation Day: David Stanley, CC BY 2.0, source