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
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMother's Day
A worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careHome
🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United States and 1 moreIndependence Day
The United States' national day of parades, barbecues and fireworks, kept each July 4Ceremony
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesRockefeller Center Christmas Tree
A towering spruce lit annually in New York City to mark the start of the holiday season.Festival
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesVillage Halloween Parade
An annual costumed puppetry march through Greenwich Village on Halloween nightFestival
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesFlag Day
An annual American observance marking the 1777 adoption of the national flagCeremony
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFriday the 13th
A Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.Folklore
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesKrewe
Carnival clubs that stage parades, balls, and pageantry along the Gulf CoastFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCharro traditionCharro
The equestrian skills, formal attire and rodeo arts of the Mexican horseman.Game
🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesSuper Bowl
The annual championship game of American professional football, held every February.Game
🇺🇸 Chicago, United States and 4 moreKwanzaa
A seven-day African American celebration of heritage, family and community valuesFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage
A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day
An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony
🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day
A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony
🇺🇸 United StatesVeterans Day
A U.S. federal holiday honoring all who have served in the armed forces.Ceremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesPresidents' DayWashington's Birthday
An annual American holiday honouring George Washington and the nation's past leadersCeremony
🇨🇦 Calgary, CanadaCalgary StampedeStampede de Calgary
A ten-day July festival of rodeo, racing, and community breakfasts in Alberta.Festival · Breakfast
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesThanksgiving
An annual American holiday of gratitude, family gatherings and an autumn harvest feastFestival · Dinner
🇨🇦 CanadaSaint-Jean-Baptiste DayFête nationale du Québec
An annual civic and cultural celebration observed across Quebec every June 24Ceremony
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine
A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Independence DayDía de la Independencia de México
An annual Mexican national holiday marking the 1810 uprising against Spanish ruleCeremony
🇨🇦 CanadaThanksgivingAction de grâce
An annual Canadian autumn holiday celebrating the harvest with family feastsFestival · Dinner
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreTartan DayLà an Tartain
An annual celebration of Scottish culture, clan tartans, and diaspora heritageFestival
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesNational Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation
An annual White House ceremony in which the American president spares a holiday turkey.Ceremony
🇺🇸 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
🇨🇦 Montreal, CanadaMontreal International Jazz FestivalFestival international de Jazz de Montréal
A ten-day summer jazz festival filling downtown Montreal with free and ticketed concertsPerformance
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSweet sixteen
A North American coming-of-age celebration marking a sixteenth birthdayRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreColumbus Day
An annual autumn holiday marking the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the AmericasCeremony
🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday
An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoMexican Revolution DayDía de la Revolución Mexicana
A Mexican civic holiday marking the 1910 uprising with parades and public ceremoniesCeremony
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesUnited States presidential inauguration
The formal swearing-in ceremony and celebrations for a new United States presidentCeremony
🇺🇸 Philadelphia, United StatesMummers Parade
An annual New Year's Day street parade in Philadelphia featuring music and costumed clubsFestival
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 United StatesPotluck
A shared meal where every guest brings a dish, kept by churches, clubs and neighborsTable custom · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBaby shower
A gift-giving party for a new or expected baby, kept in many countriesRite of passage
🇺🇸 Pasadena, United StatesRose Parade
A New Year's Day floral parade of natural floats, bands and horses in CaliforniaFestival
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreEaster parade
A festive Easter Sunday stroll featuring stylish clothes and elaborate bonnetsFestival
🇺🇸 New York City, United StatesWest Indian Day Parade
A lively Caribbean street procession held every September in Brooklyn, New YorkFestival
🇨🇦 Quebec City, CanadaQuebec Winter CarnivalCarnaval de Québec
A midwinter celebration of snow, outdoor sports and caribou in Quebec City.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoNight of the RadishesNoche de Rábanos
An annual festival of intricate sculptures carved from oversized radishes in OaxacaCraft
🇲🇽 Mazatlán, MexicoCarnival of MazatlánCarnaval de Mazatlán
An annual five-day festival of parades, fireworks, poetry and dance in coastal MexicoFestival
🇲🇽 Acolman, Mexico and 1 morePiñata
A festive decorated container broken open with a stick to scatter treats and fruitFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCyber Monday
An annual online shopping observance held on the Monday following American Thanksgiving.Seasonal
🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreBuy Nothing Day
An annual 24-hour pause on shopping to protest consumerism and overconsumptionCeremony
🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 1 moreStar Wars Day
An annual worldwide celebration of the Star Wars universe on May 4Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreWikipedia Day
An annual gathering and birthday party for the Wikipedia community every JanuaryFestival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation: Trump White House Archived, Public domain, source
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
- Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day: Montrealais, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Victoria Day: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, source
- Thanksgiving: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Public domain, source
- Thanksgiving: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tartan Day: daniel2177, CC BY 2.0, source
- Montreal International Jazz Festival: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sweet sixteen: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, No restrictions, source
- Columbus Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mexican Revolution Day: Ute Hagen, CC BY 2.0, source
- United States presidential inauguration: The White House, Public domain, source
- Mummers Parade: Tyler McHenry at English Wikipedia ( Original text: Tyler McHenry (Thi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Krewe: Tim Ross, Public domain, source
- Charro tradition: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Super Bowl: John Tornow, CC BY 2.0, source
- Village Halloween Parade: InSapphoWeTrust, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Flag Day: Freekee /Kevin Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: Praneeth Thalla, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bachelor party: Derek Springer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Potluck: Mack Male, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Baby shower: Goizarin, CC0, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Buy Nothing Day: Brave New Films, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wikipedia Day: Thejoppyloppy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mexican Independence Day: PetrohsW, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Presidents' Day: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Veterans Day: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
- Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
- Independence Day: John Trumbull, Public domain, source
- Rose Parade: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view, CC BY 2.0, source
- Easter parade: Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo, Public domain, source
- West Indian Day Parade: Fordmadoxfraud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Quebec Winter Carnival: Shapiros10, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carnival of Mazatlán: The New Foxy, CC0, source
- Piñata: No machine-readable author provided. JEDIKNIGHT1970 assumed (based on, Public domain, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Times Square Ball: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, source