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.

🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreHalloween An annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreJack-o'-lantern A carved pumpkin lantern lit with a candle to brighten and protect Halloween nightsFolklore

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMumming A medieval European custom of masked house-to-house visits, performances and seasonal revelry.Festival

🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 moreTrick-or-treating A custom where children visit homes in costume to ask for treats or face a playful prank.Festival · Sweets given and shared

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreLion dance舞獅 A dynamic ritual dance featuring costumed lions, drums and martial acrobaticsPerformance

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFriday the 13th A Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.Folklore

🇵🇰 Karachi, Pakistan and 2 moreSouth Asian truck art The craft of painting and adorning cargo trucks and buses across India and Pakistan.Craft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreApril Fools' Day An annual day of lighthearted pranks, hoaxes and teasing kept on the first of AprilFestival

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

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

🇻🇳 Hoa Lư, VietnamChèo嘲 Satirical folk musical theatre performed by village troupes across northern VietnamPerformance

🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival

🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبه‌سوری An Iranian festival of fire and renewal celebrated on the eve of the final Wednesday before spring.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 3 moreMay Day A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇳 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 🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor A spring custom of wearing intertwined red and white strings to welcome the new season.Festival

🇩🇰 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

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

🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDaeboreum대보름 A Korean festival of the first lunar full moon, marked by fires, wishes and feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

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

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

🇪🇸 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

🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreTió de Nadal A Catalan Christmas tradition where a decorated log is fed and beaten to produce small gifts for children.Festival 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaZiemassvētki Latvia's midwinter festival of solstice customs, mumming and tree decorationSeasonal

🇨🇳 ChinaChinese funeral rituals Traditional rites of mourning, vigils, offerings, and ancestor veneration across ChinaRite of passage 🇰🇷 South KoreaKorean traditional funeral A multi-day ritual blending Confucian rites and shamanic practices to guide the deceased to the afterlife.Rite of passage

🇦🇷 ArgentinaDía de la Tradición An annual Argentine day celebrating gaucho customs on poet José Hernández's birthdayCeremony

🇧🇪 Aalst, BelgiumAalst CarnivalAalst Carnaval A three-day street carnival of satire, costumed parades and folk rituals in AalstFestival

🇦🇱 Albania and 1 moreKanunKanû Albanian customary law kept by word of mouth, centred on honour and the given wordEtiquette

🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumMeyboomMaâbuum An annual Brussels parade and ceremonial tree planting held every AugustFestival

🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage

🇷🇺 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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreWren DayLá an Dreoilín A Saint Stephen's Day custom where groups parade a stuffed wren on a decorated pole through their community.Festival

🇨🇳 Yining, China and 1 moreMeshrepمەشرەپ A Uyghur gathering of music, poetry, dance and moral counsel at harvest and weddingsPerformance

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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore

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

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreFukubukuro福袋 Surprise discount grab bags sold by Japanese retailers for the New YearSeasonal

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreBundling A traditional courtship practice where a couple shares a bed under supervision to ensure compatibility and accountabilitRite of passage

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief Night An informal autumn evening of neighbourhood tricks, practical jokes and street pranksFestival 🇯🇵 JapanMoai模合 (Mo-ai) A Japanese social support group that provides mutual aid and companionship to its members.Etiquette 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreReynard the FoxRoman de Renart A medieval European beast fable cycle starring a cunning trickster foxFolklore

🇮🇸 IcelandChristmas in IcelandJól A winter festival of mountain folklore, family feasts and thirteen mischievous visitorsFestival · Dinner

🇧🇫 Dédougou, Burkina Faso and 5 moreFESTIMAFestival International des Masques et des Arts A biennial West African festival in Burkina Faso celebrating traditional mask dancesFestival

🇵🇭 PhilippinesBinirayan Festival An annual December cultural festival in Antique celebrating Panay's Malay settlementFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreScottish folk music Traditional ballads, fiddle tunes and bagpipe melodies from Scotland and its diasporaPerformance

Photo credits on this page

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

Jack-o'-lantern: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Trick-or-treating: Toyah Anette B, Public domain, source
Processional giants: Jesús Serna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Double Ninth Festival: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fastelavn: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Sizdah Bedar: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Daeboreum: hojusaram, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Jāņi: Heinrihsons, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Cologne Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Sechseläuten: anonymous, Public domain, source
Chinese funeral rituals: Salzmann, E.v., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
Día de la Tradición: GCBA, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Aalst Carnival: Wikisid, CC BY 3.0, source
Kanun: Lekë Dukagjini & Shtjefën Gjeçovi, Public domain, source
Meyboom: Henxter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tió de Nadal: Slastic, Public domain, source
Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Immortal Regiment: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, source
Wren Day: Manx James, CC0, source
South Asian truck art: Alexandros.Papadopoulos, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
April Fools' Day: Lars Andersen, Public domain, source
Arnis: Carmen Novoa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shell money: Niccolò Gualtieri, Public domain, source
Chèo: Thomas Schoch, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lion dance: Alfresco24, CC BY 3.0, source
Mumming: Flemish illuminator Jehan de Grise and his workshop, 1338-1344, Public domain, source
Meshrep: https://www.flickr.com/photos/travelingmipo/, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas in Iceland: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
FESTIMA: Nomwindé, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Binirayan Festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Towel Day: Bischy174, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shoe throwing: Zarateman, CC0, source
Line-crossing ceremony: Jules de Caudin, Public domain, source
Fukubukuro: Jnn, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Scottish folk music: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source