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.

🇨🇷 San Antonio de Escazú, Costa RicaCosta Rican oxcartscarretas Oxen-drawn carts, hand-painted in bright patterns, kept as a national symbol of Costa RicaCraft

🇺🇸 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

🇩🇪 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 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreProgrammer's Day A professional day for programmers, fixed to the 256th day of the yearCeremony

🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreBuy Nothing Day An annual 24-hour pause on shopping to protest consumerism and overconsumptionCeremony

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

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

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

🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreWorkers' Memorial Day An annual day remembering people killed, injured, or made ill by their workCeremony

🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭 A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette

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

🇺🇸 Sitka, United StatesAlaska Day Alaska's 18 October holiday marking the 1867 transfer from Russia to the United StatesCeremony

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

🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaIndependence Dayდამოუკიდებლობის დღე Georgia's national holiday marking the 1918 declaration of sovereignty from the Russian Empire.Ceremony

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

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal 🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony

🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony 🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaHindi Dayहिन्दी दिवस An annual Indian observance on 14 September marking the adoption of Hindi as an official language.Ceremony

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

🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 5 moreNo Bra Day An annual October observance promoting breast cancer awareness and bodily autonomySeasonal

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

🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSoviet Occupation Dayსაბჭოთა ოკუპაციის დღე Georgia's annual day of remembrance, held on 25 February for victims of Soviet ruleCeremony 🇮🇳 IndiaNational Unity Dayराष्ट्रीय एकता दिवस An annual Indian observance honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31 OctoberCeremony 🇸🇪 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 moreArmed Forces Day A civic holiday honouring national military services, their history and active personnelCeremony

🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanIndependence DayOʻzbekiston Respublikasi Mustaqilligi kuni A state holiday on 1 September marking Uzbekistan's break from the Soviet UnionCeremony 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreLGBTQ History Month An annual month of education and remembrance celebrating queer lives and civil rightsCeremony 🇬🇧 United KingdomWorld Osteoporosis Day A global observance on 20 October promoting bone health and fracture preventionCeremony 🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaNational Flag of Canada DayJour du drapeau national du Canada Canada's annual day for the maple leaf flag, kept on 15 February since 1996Ceremony

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

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyRepublic DayTag der Republik The former national holiday marking the founding of East Germany each OctoberCeremony

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

🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIndependence Day of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDan nezavisnosti A public holiday on 1 March marking the 1992 vote for independenceCeremony 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaChildren's Day An annual Indian celebration of children and their welfare held on 14 NovemberCeremony

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCashiering A ceremonial military dismissal that publicly strips an officer of rank and insigniaCeremony

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

🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaDay of Republika SrpskaДан Републике Српске An annual civic holiday observed across Republika Srpska on 9 JanuaryCeremony

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

🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonLebanese Independence Dayعيد الاستقلال اللبناني Lebanon's national day, marking the end of French mandate rule in 1943Ceremony 🇦🇷 Rosario, ArgentinaFlag DayDía de la Bandera Nacional Argentina's national day for its flag, kept on 20 June in memory of Manuel BelgranoCeremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreDelphic Games of the modern era Global competitions and exhibitions across the arts, modelled on ancient Greek gamesPerformance 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival 🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia and 2 moreMerlinka Festival An annual queer film festival held across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and MontenegroFestival 🇯🇲 Kingston, JamaicaJamaica Independence Festival An August festival of music, pageantry and parades marking Jamaican freedomCeremony

Photo credits on this page

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

Costa Rican oxcarts: Victor Quirós A, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Banned Books Week: carmichaellibrary, CC BY 2.0, source
Times Square Ball: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, 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
Independence Day: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Alaska Day: Sgt. David Bedard, Public domain, source
Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Independence Day: Kober, Public domain, source
Indonesian Independence Day: Betari Ratih, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Soviet Occupation Day: Jeremy Teigen, CC BY 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
No Bra Day: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL, source
Buy Nothing Day: Brave New Films, CC BY 2.0, source
Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Vigil: unknown master, Public domain, source
Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
Workers' Memorial Day: Jungpionier, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kowtow: Gary Todd, CC0, source
Youth Day: Andrey Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Children's Day: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kargil Vijay Diwas: Ashoosaini2002, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Armed Forces Day: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
Children's Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Cashiering: Henri Meyer, Public domain, source
Sindhi Cultural Day: Jogi don, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of Republika Srpska: Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Republic Day: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Party Foundation Day: David Stanley, CC BY 2.0, source