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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
🇺🇬 UgandaKwanjula A formal marriage introduction ritual of the Baganda people in Uganda, where families meet to exchange gifts and seek blRite of passage 🇳🇪 In-Gall, NigerCure Salée A yearly gathering of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In-Gall to mark the end of the rainy season.Festival 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage 🇯🇵 JapanComing of Age Day成人の日 A Japanese public holiday welcoming new adults with municipal rites and celebrationsRite of passage 🇷🇺 RussiaScarlet SailsАлые паруса A summer graduation celebration on the Neva River in Saint PetersburgFestival 🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayRussefeiring A spring graduation rite of passage for Norwegian secondary school studentsRite of passage 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDoljanchi돌 (dol); 돌잔치 (doljanchi) A Korean first-birthday rite where a baby picks an object that hints at the years aheadRite of passage 🇨🇳 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 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSweet sixteen A North American coming-of-age celebration marking a sixteenth birthdayRite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBachelor party A send-off for a groom-to-be, kept in the days and weeks before a weddingRite of passage 🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditions A Russian wedding runs two days to a week, with ransom games, crowns and toastsRite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBaby shower A gift-giving party for a new or expected baby, kept in many countriesRite of passage 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in Korea Weddings in Korea, from Goryeo matchmaking to Confucian rites and modern chapel vowsRite of passage 🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇬🇧 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 🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSecular coming-of-age ceremony A non-religious rite of passage for adolescents in Europe and North America, marking the transition to adulthood throughRite of passage 🇺🇸 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 5 moreBridesmaid The companions and attendants who support a bride during a weddingRite of passage 🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreMarriage vows The promises a couple speak to each other as they marryRite of passage 🇬🇧 London, United KingdomQueen Charlotte's Ball A historic coming-of-age gala where young women curtsey to an ornate birthday cakeRite of passage 🇷🇺 RussiaOctobering A short-lived Soviet naming rite that put the Red Star in place of the baptismal crossRite of passage 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNude wedding A marriage ceremony where the couple and guests gather without clothingRite of passage 🇮🇹 ItalyDies lustricus An ancient Roman naming ceremony where a newborn was purified and given their first name.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaCalling of an Engineerl'Engagement de l'ingénieur A private Canadian rite where engineers pledge ethical duty and receive an iron ringRite of passage 🇺🇸 New York, United StatesBark Mitzvah A lighthearted coming of age celebration held by dog owners for their petsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

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.