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.

🇮🇳 IndiaNational Unity Dayराष्ट्रीय एकता दिवस An annual Indian observance honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31 OctoberCeremony

🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSoviet Occupation Dayსაბჭოთა ოკუპაციის დღე Georgia's annual day of remembrance, held on 25 February for victims of Soviet ruleCeremony

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreArmed Forces Day A civic holiday honouring national military services, their history and active personnelCeremony

🇻🇳 Hanoi, VietnamNational DayNgày Quốc khánh Vietnam's national day, marking the 1945 independence declaration read in HanoiCeremony

🇩🇪 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 States and 5 moreLGBTQ History Month An annual month of education and remembrance celebrating queer lives and civil rightsCeremony 🇬🇧 United KingdomWorld Osteoporosis Day A global observance on 20 October promoting bone health and fracture preventionCeremony 🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaNational Flag of Canada DayJour du drapeau national du Canada Canada's annual day for the maple leaf flag, kept on 15 February since 1996Ceremony

🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanIndependence DayOʻzbekiston Respublikasi Mustaqilligi kuni A state holiday on 1 September marking Uzbekistan's break from the Soviet UnionCeremony

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

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

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

🇵🇰 PakistanSindhi Cultural Dayسنڌي ثقافتي ڏھاڙو An annual December celebration of Sindhi heritage, music, and traditional attireFestival

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCashiering A ceremonial military dismissal that publicly strips an officer of rank and insigniaCeremony

🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaParty Foundation Day조선로동당 창건일 A national holiday in North Korea that marks the founding of its ruling party in 1945.Ceremony

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBanned Books Week An annual autumn campaign celebrating the freedom to read and access challenged booksCeremony

🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaChildren's Day An annual Indian celebration of children and their welfare held on 14 NovemberCeremony 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreInternet DayDía de Internet An annual May observance dedicated to digital access, education and online community.Ceremony

🇩🇪 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

🇮🇳 Santiniketan, India and 1 moreRabindra Jayanti An annual Bengali festival celebrating Rabindranath Tagore with music, drama and verseFestival

🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonLebanese Independence Dayعيد الاستقلال اللبناني Lebanon's national day, marking the end of French mandate rule in 1943Ceremony 🇦🇷 Rosario, ArgentinaFlag DayDía de la Bandera Nacional Argentina's national day for its flag, kept on 20 June in memory of Manuel BelgranoCeremony 🇬🇧 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 🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreBundling A traditional courtship practice where a couple shares a bed under supervision to ensure compatibility and accountabilitRite of passage 🇸🇷 Suriname and 1 moreSuriPop A biennial songwriting festival and gala performance held in SurinamePerformance

🇮🇸 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 🇱🇧 Beirut, LebanonBeirut International Women Film Festival An annual cinema festival in Beirut celebrating films made by and about womenPerformance 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaRiga International Short Film Festival 2ANNASRīgas Starptautiskais īsfilmu festivāls 2ANNAS An annual autumn film competition and screening event held in Riga, LatviaPerformance 🇵🇬 Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaRepentance Day An annual public holiday of prayer and national reflection across Papua New GuineaSpiritual

🇲🇼 Bolero, MalawiGonapamhanya festival An annual gathering of the Tumbuka people honouring their first paramount chiefFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia and 2 moreMerlinka Festival An annual queer film festival held across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and MontenegroFestival

🇲🇹 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 🇰🇳 Charlestown, Saint Kitts and NevisCulturama An annual summer carnival celebrating Nevisian heritage and returning islandersFestival 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi Science Festival An annual science festival in the United Arab Emirates with hands-on workshops and showsFestival 🇨🇾 Nicosia, Cyprus and 1 moreInternational Festival of Ancient Greek Drama An annual summer gathering in Cyprus staging classical Greek plays in historic open arenasPerformance

🇽🇰 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.

Delphic Games of the modern era: Achilles Painter, Public domain, source
Independence Day: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mischief Night: Roseohioresident, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Soviet Occupation Day: Jeremy Teigen, CC BY 2.0, source
Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smooth O, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lebanese Independence Day: Adib Ibrahim, Public domain, 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
Gonapamhanya festival: Tumbuka Arch, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
Armed Forces Day: Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, 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
Banned Books Week: carmichaellibrary, CC BY 2.0, source
Meteņi: Spekozols, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
National Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Party Foundation Day: David Stanley, CC BY 2.0, source
Children's Day: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Rabindra Jayanti: Generalstabens litografiska anstalt, Public domain, source
Sindhi Cultural Day: Jogi don, CC BY-SA 4.0, source