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.

🇩🇿 Algeria and 3 moreBerber calendarⵜⴰⵙⵡⴰⵙⵜ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ (taswast tamaziɣt) An agricultural timekeeping system used by the Amazigh people of North Africa to mark seasons and farming cycles.Seasonal · Dinner

🇮🇹 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

🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyCicchettiCicheti A Venetian custom of small counter snacks enjoyed with a glass of local white wineTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇫🇷 France and 4 morePicnic A meal taken outdoors in a park or scenic spot, often shared with friends and family.Festival · Lunch

🇰🇷 South KoreaJesa제사 (Jesa) A Korean ancestral memorial ceremony held on death anniversaries and major holidays.Spiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Nuremberg, Germany and 5 moreChristmas marketWeihnachtsmarkt A seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

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

🇾🇪 Mokha, Yemen and 7 moreArabic coffeeqahwa (Arabic: قهوة) A bitter, spiced brew served as a gesture of hospitality across the Arab world.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇹🇷 Turkey and 6 moreHıdırellez A spring festival marking the meeting of two prophets, celebrated across Turkey and the Balkans.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanSetsubun節分 A Japanese ritual of throwing roasted soybeans to banish evil spirits and welcome spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇳 Xi'an, ChinaChinese tea culture中国茶文化 (Zhōngguó chá wénhuà) A centuries-old practice of cultivating, brewing, and sharing tea as a social and spiritual ritual in China.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBihuবিহু (Assamese) Three annual festivals in Assam marking the new year, crop cycles and harvest with dance, music and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBurns supperBurns Nicht A Scottish celebratory meal of haggis, poetry and toasts in honour of Robert BurnsFestival · Dinner

🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesThanksgiving An annual American holiday of gratitude, family gatherings and an autumn harvest feastFestival · Dinner

🇬🇪 GeorgiaRtveliრთველი A Georgian harvest festival marking the grape picking season with feasts and folk songs.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 5 moreChristmas cracker A decorative paper tube pulled apart with a bang during Christmas dinnerFestival · Dinner

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 4 moreRisalamande A chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauceTable custom · Sweets given and shared

🇩🇰 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

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

🇦🇿 AzerbaijanNovruzNovruz Bayramı The Azerbaijani spring equinox festival of bonfires, sweets and sprouted wheatSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanMelon Day A nationwide summer holiday in Turkmenistan honoring the country's prized melonsTable custom

🇨🇭 Vevey, SwitzerlandFête des Vignerons A once-in-a-generation wine festival and arena spectacle in Vevey, SwitzerlandFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇸🇪 SwedenJul A midwinter holiday of feast tables, doorstep gift givers, and candlelit morningsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptSham Ennessimشم النسيم An Egyptian spring festival of picnics, salted fish, green onions and painted eggsSeasonal

🇨🇦 CanadaThanksgivingAction de grâce An annual Canadian autumn holiday celebrating the harvest with family feastsFestival · Dinner 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreRéveillon A luxurious late-night feast that stretches until dawn across the winter holidaysTable custom · Dinner

🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreGlögg A spiced, warm winter wine served across Nordic countries around ChristmasTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇪🇸 Jijona, Spain and 5 moreTurrón A festive Mediterranean nut-and-honey confection shared at Christmas and local feastsTable custom · Sweets given and shared

🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaMaltese Carnivalil-Karnival ta' Malta A lively week of costumed parades, dancing, satirical floats and sweets across Malta.Festival · Sweets given and shared 🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiIndependence Day A national celebration of liberation, freedom, and unity observed every New Year's Day.Ceremony

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇸 IcelandÞorrablót An Icelandic midwinter feast of dinner, speeches and poetryFestival · Dinner

🇳🇴 Norway and 2 moreJulebord A Scandinavian Christmas banquet of traditional dishes, festive drinks and celebrationTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇻🇳 Saigon, Vietnam and 5 moreBánh mì A Vietnamese baguette sandwich filled with meats, pickles, herbs, and condiments.Table custom · Breakfast

🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSeville FairFeria de Abril de Sevilla A week-long spring festival in Seville of carriage parades, marquee tents and dancingFestival · Dinner

🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain and 5 moreTwelve GrapesLas doce uvas de la suerte A grape for every chime at midnight on 31 December, welcoming the new yearFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaViennese coffee house cultureWiener Kaffeehauskultur A Viennese social ritual where patrons linger for hours with a single coffee and newspapers.Etiquette · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇺🇸 United StatesPotluck A shared meal where every guest brings a dish, kept by churches, clubs and neighborsTable custom · Dinner

🇮🇪 Galway, IrelandGalway International Oyster Festival An annual autumn gathering in Galway honouring native oysters with shucking contestsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreCoffee culture The habits and etiquette of drinking coffee, and the cafés built around itTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

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

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

🇭🇺 Miskolc, HungaryKocsonya FestivalKocsonyafesztivál An annual winter food and culture festival held in Miskolc, HungaryFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇰🇳 Charlestown, Saint Kitts and NevisCulturama An annual summer carnival celebrating Nevisian heritage and returning islandersFestival

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

🇦🇷 Villa General Belgrano, ArgentinaNational Beer Festival An annual Bavarian-style folk and beer gathering in Villa General Belgrano, Argentina.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇩🇪 Munich, GermanyO'zapft is! The civic barrel-tapping ceremony that officially launches Munich's OktoberfestCeremony · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇺🇸 Manhattan, United StatesJews and Thanksgiving An American national holiday kept by most US Jews, and debated by their rabbisFestival · Dinner

Photo credits on this page

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

Picnic: Thomas Cole, Public domain, source
Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
Rtveli: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, source
Chinese tea culture: Gary Stevens, CC BY 2.0, source
Fastelavn: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Jul: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Risalamande: Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Daeboreum: hojusaram, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Burns supper: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Thanksgiving: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Public domain, source
Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Novruz: Abutalub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas cracker: en:User:Cgros841, Public domain, source
Melon Day: AltynAsyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Thanksgiving: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Fête des Vignerons: "Groupement des photographes officiels" / Fête des vignerons Vevey / S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Seville Fair: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Julebord: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bánh mì: Andrea Nguyen, CC BY 2.0, source
Nowruz: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Galway International Oyster Festival: Thoslee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Glögg: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Turrón: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
Maltese Carnival: Ronny Siegel, CC BY 3.0, source
Chuseok: by Joseph Steinberg (Baltimoron in Korea) at Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Cicchetti: Benreis, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Caffè sospeso: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0, source
Arabic coffee: Canbel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Twelve Grapes: Ralf Roletschek, GFDL 1.2, source
Viennese coffee house culture: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
Potluck: Mack Male, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Coffee culture: The original uploader was Hajor at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 3.0 br, source
Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
Christmas in Iceland: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Wine Festival of Cyprus: George M. Groutas, CC BY 2.0, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
National Beer Festival: Jmmuguerza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
O'zapft is!: Michael Lucan, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source