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.

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

🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 4 moreKwanzaa A seven-day African American celebration of heritage, family and community valuesFestival · Feasts and festival meals

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

🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomHogmanay The Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve and the first days of the new year.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

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

🇮🇳 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

🇨🇳 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

🇺🇸 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

🇮🇷 Yazd, Iran and 1 moreSadehسده An ancient midwinter festival of fire, light, and the approach of springFestival · Feasts and festival meals

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

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

🇨🇦 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

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

🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiHaitian CarnivalKanaval Haiti's annual street festival of music, satirical plays and costumed paradesFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 moreNovy GodНовый Год A secular winter celebration of decorated trees, family feasts and midnight giftsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇳🇴 Norway and 2 moreJulebord A Scandinavian Christmas banquet of traditional dishes, festive drinks and celebrationTable custom · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇸 IcelandÞorrablót An Icelandic midwinter feast of dinner, speeches and poetryFestival · Dinner

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, AfghanistanNowruzنوروز The Afghan spring new year, celebrated with picnics, wheat pudding and dried fruit.Seasonal · Feasts and festival meals

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

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

🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreChuseok추석 A Korean harvest festival of ancestral rites, seasonal rice cakes, and folk gamesFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMothering Sunday A mid-Lent Christian observance and family celebration of mothers and mother churchesSeasonal · Breakfast

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

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · 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

🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇾 Limassol, CyprusWine Festival of CyprusΓιορτή του Κρασιού An annual autumn celebration of winemaking, folklore and food in Limassol, CyprusFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇹 ItalyDies lustricus An ancient Roman naming ceremony where a newborn was purified and given their first name.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇦🇷 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 🇺🇸 New York, United StatesBark Mitzvah A lighthearted coming of age celebration held by dog owners for their petsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 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.

Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
Double Ninth Festival: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Rtveli: Grigory Gagarin, Public domain, 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
Sadeh: Farzad j, Public domain, 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
Thanksgiving: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Novy God: Евгений Самарин, CC BY 4.0, source
Seville Fair: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Julebord: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nowruz: Peretz Partensky, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Galway International Oyster Festival: Thoslee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Turrón: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
Chuseok: by Joseph Steinberg (Baltimoron in Korea) at Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Mothering Sunday: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jews and Thanksgiving: Executive Committee of Congregation Shearith Israel., Public domain, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas in Iceland: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gonapamhanya festival: Tumbuka Arch, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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