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.

🇳🇱 Landgraaf, NetherlandsPinkpop A three-day pop and rock festival in the Netherlands, held on the Pentecost weekendFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTowel Day An annual worldwide celebration on 25 May honouring the author Douglas Adams.Festival

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyGerman Unity DayTag der Deutschen Einheit Germany's national day, marking reunification on 3 October 1990Ceremony 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreProgrammer's Day A professional day for programmers, fixed to the 256th day of the yearCeremony

🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival

🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival 🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore

🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSweden Finns' Dayruotsinsuomalaisten päivä (Finnish); sverigefinnarnas dag (Swedish) An annual day in Sweden for the Sweden Finns, their language and their historyFestival

🇩🇪 GermanyHat tip A gesture of lifting or touching one's hat to show respect, greeting, or thanksEtiquette

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇧 United KingdomWorld Osteoporosis Day A global observance on 20 October promoting bone health and fracture preventionCeremony

🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIndependence Day of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDan nezavisnosti A public holiday on 1 March marking the 1992 vote for independenceCeremony

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCashiering A ceremonial military dismissal that publicly strips an officer of rank and insigniaCeremony 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaDay of Republika SrpskaДан Републике Српске An annual civic holiday observed across Republika Srpska on 9 JanuaryCeremony

🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyRepublic DayTag der Republik The former national holiday marking the founding of East Germany each OctoberCeremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreDelphic Games of the modern era Global competitions and exhibitions across the arts, modelled on ancient Greek gamesPerformance

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreMeteņi A Latvian pre-Lenten festival marking the turn of time and welcoming spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival

🇩🇪 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMischief Night An informal autumn evening of neighbourhood tricks, practical jokes and street pranksFestival

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 2 moreBaltic Pride An annual Baltic festival and human rights march rotating between Riga, Tallinn, and VilniusFestival

🇽🇰 Pristina, KosovoDAM Festival Pristina An annual gathering in Pristina showcasing emerging classical and contemporary musiciansPerformance

🇽🇰 Vushtrri, Kosovo and 1 moreGatherings of Poetesses in VushtrriTakimet e Poeteshave në Vushtrri An annual literary festival celebrating female poets in Vushtrri, KosovoPerformance

🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaSpartakiad of the Peoples of the USSRСпартакиада народов СССР A massive multi-sport festival that brought together Soviet republics every four yearsGame

🇭🇺 Miskolc, HungaryKocsonya FestivalKocsonyafesztivál An annual winter food and culture festival held in Miskolc, HungaryFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress 🇬🇧 United KingdomLincolnshire Day An annual county day on 1 October honouring the history and culture of LincolnshireCeremony 🇬🇧 East Kilbride, United KingdomKate Dalrymple A traditional Scottish reel and comic Scots song about a muirland spinsterPerformance

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreBridesmaid The companions and attendants who support a bride during a weddingRite of passage

🇮🇸 IcelandChristmas in IcelandJól A winter festival of mountain folklore, family feasts and thirteen mischievous visitorsFestival · Dinner 🇲🇪 Herceg Novi, MontenegroSunčane Skale A three-day summer pop music festival and song competition in MontenegroPerformance

🇮🇸 Reykjavík, IcelandReykjavík PrideHinsegin dagar í Reykjavík An annual festival and parade celebrating LGBT+ rights and visibility in IcelandFestival 🇲🇹 Valletta, MaltaL-Għanja tal-Poplu An annual Maltese music festival celebrating original songs in MaltesePerformance

🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 moreManifesta A roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsPerformance

🇸🇰 Pezinok, SlovakiaPezinok Grape Harvest FestivalPezinské vinobranie An annual autumn harvest and wine festival filling the streets of Pezinok, SlovakiaSeasonal · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoAutostrada Biennale A biennial contemporary art festival and cultural exhibition in Prizren, KosovoPerformance 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance 🇱🇺 LuxembourgCinEast An October film festival in Luxembourg showing new cinema from Central and Eastern EuropeFestival

🇲🇹 Floriana, MaltaIsle of MTV A major free summer open-air pop and electronic music gathering held in MaltaFestival

🇽🇰 Prizren, KosovoDokuFest An annual summer gathering in Prizren dedicated to non-fiction cinema and short filmsFestival

🇽🇰 Gjilan, KosovoFlaka e Janarit A winter arts festival in Kosovo honoring national martyrs through music, drama and verseFestival 🇷🇺 RussiaPodvorotnichokподворотничок A detachable white fabric strip sewn inside military uniform collars for hygieneDress

🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreFlabiol A Catalan woodwind flute played alongside a small drum in folk dancesPerformance 🇮🇹 ItalyDies lustricus An ancient Roman naming ceremony where a newborn was purified and given their first name.Rite of passage · 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.

Kocsonya Festival: Szalax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pinkpop: Gianni Taranto, CC BY 3.0, source
Grandparents' Day: Wendy Berry, CC BY 2.0, source
Liberation Day: Wouter Hagens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smooth O, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas in Iceland: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Reykjavík Pride: Helgi Halldórsson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Manifesta: Manifesta8 manifesta 8, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Autostrada Biennale: Lajmmoore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pezinok Grape Harvest Festival: Bratislavská župa, CC BY 2.0, source
Isle of MTV: Continentaleurope, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
DokuFest: Fallbackintoreality, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Flaka e Janarit: E Sadiku, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Towel Day: Bischy174, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yuri's Night: Ryan Somma, CC BY 2.0, source
Hat tip: Futrzak13, CC0, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
Cashiering: Henri Meyer, Public domain, source
Day of Republika Srpska: Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Republic Day: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Flabiol: P0mbal, CC0, source
Secular coming-of-age ceremony: Karsten Davideit, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
Shoe throwing: Zarateman, CC0, source
Europeade: Niklas Lydeen, CC BY 3.0, source
German Unity Day: Philipp Hertzog Bearbeitet von Dr. Meierhofer (beschnitten, aufgehellt, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Baltic Pride: IDAHOT, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
DAM Festival Pristina: Lyra Cela, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gatherings of Poetesses in Vushtrri: Drenisa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR: Scanning Dmitry Makeev , scan date - 2020 year., Public domain, source
Swiss traditional costume: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source