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EveryParampara

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.

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.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇦 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaSaudi National Dayاليوم الوطني السعودي An annual public holiday in Saudi Arabia marking the 1932 unification of the kingdom.Ceremony 🇨🇳 ChinaGolden Week黄金周 Seven- or eight-day national holiday periods in China for travel and family visitsSeasonal 🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Shining Star광명성절 A two-day national holiday in North Korea honouring the birth of Kim Jong Il.Ceremony 🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainWater Tribunal of the plain of ValenciaTribunal de les Aigües de la Vega de València A weekly outdoor gathering of Valencian farmers settling irrigation disputes by word of mouthCeremony 🇸🇬 Singapore, SingaporeNational DayHari Kebangsaan Singapura Singapore's annual civic holiday celebrating its national sovereignty on 9 AugustCeremony 🇳🇷 NauruAngam Day A national holiday in Nauru celebrating the survival and recovery of its peopleCeremony 🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Independence DayDía de la Independencia de México An annual Mexican national holiday marking the 1810 uprising against Spanish ruleCeremony 🇸🇮 Slovenia and 1 morePrešeren DayPrešernov dan A national celebration of arts and literature observed across Slovenia on 8 FebruaryCeremony 🇬🇷 Athens, Greece and 1 moreCelebration of the Greek RevolutionΕορτασμός της Ελληνικής Επανάστασης του 1821 An annual civic holiday of parades and church services marking Greek independenceCeremony 🇪🇸 Barcelona, SpainLa Mercè Barcelona’s main annual city festival, honoring the Virgin of Mercy each September.Festival 🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanMelon Day A nationwide summer holiday in Turkmenistan honoring the country's prized melonsTable custom 🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreTartan DayLà an Tartain An annual celebration of Scottish culture, clan tartans, and diaspora heritageFestival 🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaTbilisobaთბილისობა An annual October festival celebrating the culture, harvest, and history of TbilisiFestival 🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesNational Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation An annual White House ceremony in which the American president spares a holiday turkey.Ceremony 🇵🇭 Baguio, PhilippinesPanagbenga Festival A month-long flower festival and parade in the mountain city of BaguioFestival 🇬🇧 United KingdomSwan Upping An annual five-day royal census and health check of swans along the River ThamesCeremony 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony 🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreChingay Parade妝藝 A lively street procession of floats, giant flags, and performing arts in Southeast AsiaFestival 🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyCalcio storico fiorentino A fierce Renaissance ball game played on sand between four Florentine districtsGame 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBank holiday Official days of rest and financial closure across the British IslesCeremony 🇱🇮 Vaduz, LiechtensteinLiechtenstein National DayStaatsfeiertag Liechtenstein Liechtenstein's national holiday celebrated with castle speeches, bonfires and fireworksCeremony 🇷🇼 Kigali, RwandaUmuganda A monthly morning of mandatory communal work and civic gathering across RwandaCeremony 🇫🇮 Helsinki, FinlandKalevala DayKalevalan päivä A Finnish national flag day celebrating the country's epic poetry and living artsCeremony 🇫🇯 Suva, FijiRatu Sir Lala Sukuna Day An annual Fijian civic observance commemorating statesman Ratu Sir Lala SukunaCeremony 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaFestival of the FlowersFeria de las Flores An annual week-long celebration of floral craft and regional culture in MedellínFestival 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North Korea and 4 moreMass games Disciplined, large-scale gymnastic spectacles celebrating unity and national prideCeremony 🇦🇷 ArgentinaDía de la Tradición An annual Argentine day celebrating gaucho customs on poet José Hernández's birthdayCeremony 🇨🇭 Basel, Switzerland and 4 moreSwiss National DaySchweizer Bundesfeiertag Switzerland's annual national holiday, celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and lanternsCeremony 🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreLatvian Song and Dance FestivalVispārējie latviešu Dziesmu un Deju svētki A grand gathering of choirs, dancers and folk artists held every five years in LatviaPerformance 🇫🇷 Bayonne, FranceFêtes de BayonneBaionako Jaiak A five-day summer feria in Bayonne featuring parades, dances and white-and-red dressFestival 🇬🇾 Georgetown, GuyanaMashramani Guyana's national republic celebration filled with street pageantry, music and dance.Festival 🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumMeyboomMaâbuum An annual Brussels parade and ceremonial tree planting held every AugustFestival 🇰🇪 Nairobi, KenyaMadaraka Day Kenya's annual public holiday marking the start of self-governance on 1 June 1963Ceremony 🇨🇱 Santiago, ChileFiestas Patrias Chile's homeland festivities celebrating national identity with music, dance, and foodCeremony 🇱🇹 Vilnius, LithuaniaLithuanian Song FestivalLietuvių dainų ir šokių šventė A periodic national festival of choral singing, dance and folklore in LithuaniaFestival 🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiIndependence Day A national celebration of liberation, freedom, and unity observed every New Year's Day.Ceremony 🇧🇿 Dangriga, BelizeGarifuna Settlement Day An annual Belizean holiday marking the arrival and heritage of the Garifuna peopleFestival 🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival 🇲🇦 MoroccoThrone Dayعيد العرش Morocco's annual national holiday marking the enthronement of the reigning kingCeremony 🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 moreImmortal RegimentБессмертный полк (Bessmertnyy polk) A civic procession where people carry portraits of relatives who served in the Second World War.Festival 🇵🇭 Bacolod, PhilippinesMassKara FestivalPista sang MassKara A street festival of smiling masks, parades and music in Bacolod, PhilippinesFestival 🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival 🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony 🇧🇪 Mons, BelgiumDucasse de Mons An eight-day festival in Mons featuring a golden carriage and a dragon combatFestival 🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesUnited States presidential inauguration The formal swearing-in ceremony and celebrations for a new United States presidentCeremony 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United StatesMummers Parade An annual New Year's Day street parade in Philadelphia featuring music and costumed clubsFestival 🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 5 moreOlympic flame A flame kindled in Greece, carried by torch to light the cauldron of each GamesCeremony
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Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.