Afraternal order is a voluntary membership group organised as an order, with an initiation ritual and traits alluding toreligious,chivalric orpseudo-chivalric orders,guilds, orsecret societies. Fraternal orders typically havesecular purposes, serving as social clubs, cultural organizations and providing a form of social welfare through reciprocal aid or charitable work.^[1] Manyfriendly societies,benefit societies andmutual organisations take the form of a fraternal order.

Fraternal societies are often divided geographically into units called lodges orprovinces. They sometimes involve a system ofawards,medals,decorations,styles,degrees,offices,orders, or otherdistinctions, often associated withregalia, insignia,initiation and otherrituals, secret greetings, signs, passwords,oaths, and more or less elaboratesymbolism, as in chivalric orders.

TheFreemasons andOdd Fellows emerged in the eighteenth century in theUnited Kingdom and theUnited States. Other examples, which emerged later, include theBenevolent and Protective Order of Elks, theFraternal Order of Eagles,E Clampus Vitus, theIndependent Order of Rechabites, theTemplars of Honor and Temperance, theIndependent Order of Foresters, theKnights of Columbus, and theLoyal Order of Moose. Some may have ethnic or religious affiliations, such asAncient Order of Hibernians orOrder of Alhambra forIrish Catholics, or theOrange Order forIrish Protestants. Some orders have a clear political agenda, sometimes radical or militant - for example, theNativist andanti-CatholicOrder of the Star Spangled Banner andOrder of United Americans, active in the 1840s US, or theKu Klux Klan. Some are associated with professions, such as theFraternal Order of Police, while yet others are focused on academic traditions.^[2][3][4]

In the more social type, eachlodge is generally responsible for its own affairs, but it is often affiliated to an order such as theIndependent Order of Odd Fellows or theIndependent Order of Foresters. There are typically reciprocal agreements between lodges within an order, so that if members move to other cities or countries, they can join a new lodge without an initiation period.

The ceremonies are fairly uniform throughout an order. Occasionally, a lodge might change the order that it is affiliated to, two orders might merge, or a group of lodges will break away from an order and form a new one. For example, the Independent Order of Foresters was set up in 1874 when it separated from theAncient Order of Foresters, also called Foresters Friendly Society, which itself was formed from theRoyal Foresters Society in 1834.

Consequently, the histories of some fraternal orders andfriendly societies are difficult to follow. Often there are different, unrelated organisations with similar names.

• List of general fraternities
• List of social fraternities
• List of social sororities and women's fraternities

• Fraternal orders

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata