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.

🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandMāori Language WeekTe Wiki o te Reo Māori An annual nationwide week promoting the learning and use of te reo across New ZealandCeremony

🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCharro traditionCharro The equestrian skills, formal attire and rodeo arts of the Mexican horseman.Game

🇮🇪 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 morePub quiz A weekly social trivia game played by teams at tables in pubs and barsGame

🇺🇸 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

🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKendo剣道 A Japanese martial art of swordsmanship using bamboo swords and protective armourGame

🇫🇷 Paris, France and 3 moreFête de la Musique An annual celebration where people play music in public spaces on the summer solstice.Festival

🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreHousewarming party A gathering held soon after moving into a new home to celebrate the space and welcome guests.Home

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

🇺🇸 New York, United StatesFlag Day An annual American observance marking the 1777 adoption of the national flagCeremony 🇯🇵 JapanNemawashi根回し The Japanese practice of building quiet consensus before an official decisionEtiquette 🇦🇷 Córdoba, ArgentinaCuarteto An upbeat partner dance and music tradition born in Córdoba, ArgentinaPerformance

🇳🇪 In-Gall, NigerCure Salée A yearly gathering of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In-Gall to mark the end of the rainy season.Festival

🇵🇷 Ponce, Puerto Rico and 1 morePlena Puerto Rican folk songs and dance sharing community news with rhythmic frame drumsPerformance

🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft

🇩🇪 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

🇺🇸 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 2 moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day An American federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader with service and remembranceCeremony

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKing's DayKoningsdag A Dutch national holiday celebrating the monarch's birthday with street markets and orange attire.Festival

🇧🇩 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

🇮🇷 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

🇺🇸 United StatesLabor Day A national American holiday honouring the working class with parades and picnicsCeremony

🇫🇷 FranceFest nozfest noz (pl. festoù noz) A Breton night festival of group dancing and live acoustic music, kept in Brittany and its diaspora.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 7 morePysankaписанка A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival

🇦🇲 Yerevan, Armenia and 6 moreArmenian Genocide Remembrance DayՄեծ Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր An annual day of mourning and remembrance for the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.Spiritual

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 5 moreBloomsdayLá Bloom A celebration of James Joyce and his novel Ulysses, observed on 16 June in Dublin and worldwide.Festival · Breakfast

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

🇺🇸 United StatesVeterans Day A U.S. federal holiday honoring all who have served in the armed forces.Ceremony

🇯🇵 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

🇯🇵 JapanChildren's Dayこどもの日 A Japanese holiday on May fifth celebrating the happiness and growth of childrenFestival

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomTrooping the Colour The annual British military parade marking the official birthday of the monarch.Ceremony

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomNotting Hill Carnival An annual London street carnival celebrating British Caribbean culture and musicFestival

🇵🇰 Islamabad, PakistanPakistan Independence Dayیومِ آزادی A nationwide summer holiday commemorating the birth of Pakistan on 14 August 1947Ceremony

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyFesta della Repubblica Italy's national day marking the 1946 public vote to establish a democratic republicCeremony

🇨🇳 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

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Sun태양절 North Korea's principal holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Kim Il SungCeremony

🇮🇳 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

🇿🇦 South AfricaHeritage DayErfenisdag A nationwide South African public holiday honouring the country's diverse culturesCeremony

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaArirang Mass Games아리랑 축제 A massive civic spectacle of gymnastics, dance, and card stunts in PyongyangCeremony 🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor A spring custom of wearing intertwined red and white strings to welcome the new season.Festival

🇮🇱 IsraelYom HaZikaronיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן Israel's national day of mourning for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.Ceremony

🇨🇳 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

🇳🇿 Waitangi, New Zealand and 2 moreWaitangi DayTe Rā o Waitangi New Zealand's national day remembering the 1840 founding agreement.Ceremony · Breakfast

Photo credits on this page

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

Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Trick-or-treating: Toyah Anette B, Public domain, source
Cure Salée: NigerTZai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
Pakistan Independence Day: Khaum, CC BY 3.0, source
King's Day: Carmelrmd, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
Pysanka: Lubap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day: This photo was made by Hayordi . Այս լուսանկարի հեղինակը Հայորդին է :, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Bloomsday: No machine-readable author provided. Flapdragon assumed (based on copy, Public domain, source
Kwanzaa: Apavlo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
Waitangi Day: Ryan762 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Notting Hill Carnival: Diliff, CC BY 2.5, source
Festa della Repubblica: Anthony Majanlahti, CC BY 2.0, source
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: O. Fernandez, New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, Public domain, source
Double Ninth Festival: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of the Sun: Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Yom HaZikaron: אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
Labor Day: Author not known, but more than 100 years old, Image edited, Public domain, source
Trooping the Colour: Carfax2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Arirang Mass Games: Michael Day, CC BY 2.0, source
Chinese tea culture: Gary Stevens, CC BY 2.0, source
Veterans Day: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Children's Day: Comissão de Jovens, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
Plena: Raylaur15, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pub quiz: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kendo: Source: photo taken by Harald Hofer, CC BY-SA 2.0 at, source
Charro tradition: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Māori Language Week: Government House (New Zealand) https://gg.govt.nz/copyright-and-licens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Flag Day: Freekee /Kevin Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Arabic coffee: Canbel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Heritage Day: CoralBrowne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Housewarming party: State Library of Queensland, Australia, No restrictions, source
Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fest noz: Man vyi, Public domain, source
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: Praneeth Thalla, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fête de la Musique: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source