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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
🇯🇵 JapanBowing in Japanお辞儀 The Japanese bow, used to greet, thank, apologise and show respectEtiquette 🇺🇸 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 🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaViennese coffee house cultureWiener Kaffeehauskultur A Viennese social ritual where patrons linger for hours with a single coffee and newspapers.Etiquette · Tea-time and snacking customs 🇺🇸 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 🇨🇺 Santiago de Cuba, CubaTumba francesa An Afro-Cuban art of dance, song and drumming kept by societies in eastern CubaPerformance 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreLast Post A bugle call sounded at military funerals and remembrance services across the Commonwealth to honour those who died in sPerformance 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreCoffee culture The habits and etiquette of drinking coffee, and the cafés built around itTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBindi A dot worn between the eyebrows, red for marriage and devotion, worn daily by many womenDress 🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in Korea Weddings in Korea, from Goryeo matchmaking to Confucian rites and modern chapel vowsRite of passage 🇳🇱 Landgraaf, NetherlandsPinkpop A three-day pop and rock festival in the Netherlands, held on the Pentecost weekendFestival 🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival 🇻🇪 Mérida, VenezuelaFeria del Sol Mérida's February fair: bullfights, parades, concerts and the Queen of the SunFestival 🇬🇧 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 🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage 🇮🇶 Kufa, Iraq and 5 moreArabic calligraphykhatt (خَطّ) Artistic handwriting of the Arabic script, practiced as a sacred craft and a living visual tradition.Craft 🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaGandhi Jayanti India's annual holiday on 2 October, for Mahatma Gandhi's birth and nonviolenceCeremony 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreProgrammer's Day A professional day for programmers, fixed to the 256th day of the yearCeremony 🇺🇸 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 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreYuri's Night An annual global celebration on April 12 marking milestones in space explorationFestival 🇨🇦 Canada and 5 moreWorkers' Memorial Day An annual day remembering people killed, injured, or made ill by their workCeremony 🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭 A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette 🇰🇷 South Korea and 4 moreParents' Day어버이날 (Eobeoinal) Days set aside in several countries to thank mothers and fathersFestival 🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival 🇺🇸 Sitka, United StatesAlaska Day Alaska's 18 October holiday marking the 1867 transfer from Russia to the United StatesCeremony 🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival 🇺🇸 United StatesFestivus A secular December observance marked by bare poles, voiced grievances, and wrestlingFestival · Dinner 🇵🇭 Kawit, PhilippinesIndependence DayAraw ng Kasarinlán The Philippines' national day, marked each 12 June with flags and paradesCeremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreInternational Masturbation Month An annual May observance promoting sexual health, pleasure, and open dialogueSeasonal 🇦🇱 Vlora, AlbaniaIndependence DayDita e Pavarësisë Albania's national day on 28 November, marking the 1912 declaration of independenceCeremony 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreYouth Day A commemorative holiday honoring young people and youth movements worldwideCeremony 🇹🇷 Van, Turkey and 5 moreChildren's Day An international observance supporting youth welfare, education and children's rightsCeremony 🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaIndependence Dayდამოუკიდებლობის დღე Georgia's national holiday marking the 1918 declaration of sovereignty from the Russian Empire.Ceremony 🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony 🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaHindi Dayहिन्दी दिवस An annual Indian observance on 14 September marking the adoption of Hindi as an official language.Ceremony 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLine-crossing ceremony A naval initiation rite marking a sailor's first voyage across the equatorRite of passage 🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada and 5 moreNo Bra Day An annual October observance promoting breast cancer awareness and bodily autonomySeasonal 🇮🇳 New Delhi, IndiaKargil Vijay Diwas An annual Indian observance honouring soldiers and the end of the Kargil War.Ceremony 🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaIndonesian Independence DayHari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia Indonesia's national day, marking the 1945 proclamation of independenceCeremony 🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSoviet Occupation Dayსაბჭოთა ოკუპაციის დღე Georgia's annual day of remembrance, held on 25 February for victims of Soviet ruleCeremony 🇮🇳 IndiaNational Unity Dayराष्ट्रीय एकता दिवस An annual Indian observance honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31 OctoberCeremony 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreFukubukuro福袋 Surprise discount grab bags sold by Japanese retailers for the New YearSeasonal
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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.