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.

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United States and 1 moreIndependence Day The United States' national day of parades, barbecues and fireworks, kept each July 4Ceremony

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCuju蹴鞠 An ancient Chinese kicking game played without hands using a stuffed or air-filled ballGame

🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesKrewe Carnival clubs that stage parades, balls, and pageantry along the Gulf CoastFestival

🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 1 moreOlympic torch relay The ceremonial journey of the flame from Olympia to each host city of the Olympic GamesCeremony

🇬🇧 Pilton, United KingdomGlastonbury Festival A five-day summer performing arts festival held on Somerset farmlandFestival

🇮🇳 IndiaIndian national calendar India's official civil solar calendar, designed to bring unity to timekeepingSeasonal

🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreJirgaجرګه A traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensusCeremony

🇺🇸 New York, United StatesFlag Day An annual American observance marking the 1777 adoption of the national flagCeremony

🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandMāori Language WeekTe Wiki o te Reo Māori An annual nationwide week promoting the learning and use of te reo across New ZealandCeremony

🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 4 moreMajlis A traditional sitting room and community assembly for hospitality and civic counselEtiquette

🇵🇭 Cebu, PhilippinesArnis The national martial art of the Philippines using sticks, bladed weapons and open handsGame

🇦🇺 Sydney, Australia and 5 moreSurf lifesaving A volunteer beach rescue and ocean sports tradition originating on Australian coasts.Game 🇹🇭 ThailandThai solar calendarปฏิทินสุริยคติไทย The official solar calendar of Thailand, numbered in the Buddhist EraSeasonal

🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeNational Day Parade Singapore's annual independence day celebration of parades, music and fireworksCeremony

🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreCaffè sospeso An anonymous gift of a paid cup of coffee for a stranger in needTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival

🇵🇷 Ponce, Puerto Rico and 1 morePlena Puerto Rican folk songs and dance sharing community news with rhythmic frame drumsPerformance

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

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesSuper Bowl The annual championship game of American professional football, held every February.Game

🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCharro traditionCharro The equestrian skills, formal attire and rodeo arts of the Mexican horseman.Game

🇺🇸 New York, United StatesVillage Halloween Parade An annual costumed puppetry march through Greenwich Village on Halloween nightFestival

🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft

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

🇮🇳 Kolkata, IndiaJana Gana Mana India's national anthem, from a Bengali hymn of 1911, sung at civic occasionsCeremony

🇳🇪 In-Gall, NigerCure Salée A yearly gathering of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In-Gall to mark the end of the rainy season.Festival

🇺🇸 New York, United StatesRockefeller Center Christmas Tree A towering spruce lit annually in New York City to mark the start of the holiday season.Festival

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea and 5 moreShell money Traditional currency made from cowries, ground clam beads, and carved sea shellsCraft

🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 5 moreInternational Mother Language Day An annual observance on 21 February to protect linguistic diversity and honour the Bengali language movement.Festival

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKing's DayKoningsdag A Dutch national holiday celebrating the monarch's birthday with street markets and orange attire.Festival

🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 morePohela Boishakhপহেলা বৈশাখ The Bengali New Year festival marking the spring harvest and the start of the agricultural year.Festival

🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony

🇦🇲 Yerevan, Armenia and 6 moreArmenian Genocide Remembrance DayՄեծ Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր An annual day of mourning and remembrance for the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.Spiritual

🇺🇸 United StatesVeterans Day A U.S. federal holiday honoring all who have served in the armed forces.Ceremony

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

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

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

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

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

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

🇿🇦 South AfricaHeritage DayErfenisdag A nationwide South African public holiday honouring the country's diverse culturesCeremony

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

🇮🇱 IsraelYom HaZikaronיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן Israel's national day of mourning for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.Ceremony

🇨🇦 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

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

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

🇸🇦 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaSaudi National Dayاليوم الوطني السعودي An annual public holiday in Saudi Arabia marking the 1932 unification of the kingdom.Ceremony

Photo credits on this page

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

Cure Salée: NigerTZai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pakistan Independence Day: Khaum, CC BY 3.0, source
King's Day: Carmelrmd, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day: This photo was made by Hayordi . Այս լուսանկարի հեղինակը Հայորդին է :, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Jana Gana Mana: Rabindranath Tagore, Public domain, source
Waitangi Day: Ryan762 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Festa della Repubblica: Anthony Majanlahti, CC BY 2.0, source
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
Day of the Sun: Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Yom HaZikaron: אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
Trooping the Colour: Carfax2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Arirang Mass Games: Michael Day, CC BY 2.0, source
Veterans Day: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Saudi National Day: Faisal Arif, CC BY 4.0, source
Ketikoti: StarNieuws, CC BY 3.0, source
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day: Montrealais, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Presidents' Day: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
Olympic torch relay: DieselCat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Coming of Age Day: moguphotos, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Plena: Raylaur15, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Glastonbury Festival: Czampal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Calabar Carnival: Raji kunle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Krewe: Tim Ross, Public domain, source
Surf lifesaving: User:Celcom, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Cuju: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Charro tradition: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Arnis: Carmen Novoa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shell money: Niccolò Gualtieri, Public domain, source
Super Bowl: John Tornow, CC BY 2.0, source
Village Halloween Parade: InSapphoWeTrust, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Indian national calendar: Clemensmarabu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Māori Language Week: Government House (New Zealand) https://gg.govt.nz/copyright-and-licens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
National Day Parade: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Majlis: Abū Zayd ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Zayd, CC0, source
Flag Day: Freekee /Kevin Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jirga: Alpha4354747, Public domain, source
Caffè sospeso: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0, source
Chelsea Flower Show: Nzfauna, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Heritage Day: CoralBrowne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Arbor Day: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Independence Day: John Trumbull, Public domain, source
International Mother Language Day: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: Praneeth Thalla, CC BY-SA 4.0, source