Your Holiday Traditions
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” Gustav Mahler.
A tradition is an action that is known in a social unit, and has been repeated, or handed down, through several generations.
‘Habit and custom also rely on precedent, but they are distinguished from tradition by their relative lack of emphasis on intergenerational connection and symbolic connotation’1. For instance, brushing one’s teeth is a habit (albeit a necessary one), whereas the Tooth Fairy is a tradition.
Traditions are seen very differently across society2. Many of us love the reassurance and comfort of a tradition, of doing the same activity with beloved people over many years. Religions perpetuate traditions. But there are some naysayers. Advertisers are blamed for supporting or inventing traditions for commercial purposes3. Many people think traditions are old fashioned, time wasting, or that they stifle creativity and freedom. For all those who love the sentimentality that is often associated with traditions, others dislike traditions for the same reason.
I think traditions have an important role in our history & culture.
Many family traditions, or cultural practices, work as a glue holding the family together through a shared focus, through many generations. If family traditions fade away, it often means that many family stories are also lost.
Our family continues the Scottish tradition of opening the front and back door just before midnight on the last day of the year. This is to let the old year out and the new year in. When I married, I discovered my husband’s Russian mother did the same - except they opened all the windows as well.
Have you ever stopped to think about your holiday traditions, and what they mean to you?
Where do your family traditions come from? Is there a family tradition that you remember your grandparents talking about? What are the family stories associated with traditions? What stories do friends have of their traditions? Have you started or changed a family tradition? If your tradition is associated with religion, what does that tradition mean to you?
Sharing stories and photos of family traditions is a great way of preserving family history.
Decorating a Christmas Tree became a tradition in the UK in the 19th Century. Though bringing greenery into the house to decorate had long been a tradition, and burning a yule log was part of the ancient winter solstice ritual. In the 16th Century decorated evergreen trees were erected in public places in Germany, so when German Queen Charlotte married King George III in 1761, she brought the custom with her, though it remained only a royal tradition.
‘In the middle of the room stood an immense tub with a yew tree placed in it, from the branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds, and raisins in papers, fruits and toys, most tastefully arranged, and the whole illuminated by small wax candles. After the company had walked around and admired the tree, each child obtained a portion of the sweets which it bore together with a toy and then all returned home, quite delighted’.
Description by Dr John Watkins of a Christmas Tree at a children’s party held by Queen Charlotte, at Queen's Lodge, Windsor, in 1800.
Prince Albert, who was also German, married Queen Victoria in 1840, and they continued the Christmas Tree tradition. The Royal Family were keen to portray a stable family image, as the British monarchy was by no means secure at the time4. The image of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children with a Christmas Tree was intended to show their ‘perfect’ and stable family5. After seeing the Queen’s Christmas Tree in a widely circulated newspaper, decorated trees became fashionable and popular in Britain.
Best wishes for your celebrations this winter, and I hope you enjoy your family traditions.
Morin, Olivier. ‘How traditions live and die’. Oxford University Press, 2016.
This is a light-hearted discussion about traditions, and how we document traditions in our own lives. I appreciate the role of tradition in our culture is a much bigger, and sometimes controversial subject.
In 1948 De Beers started an advertising campaign called ‘A diamond is forever’, which promoted the sentimental value of a diamond engagement ring. The campaign started the idea that a diamond ring signified the love of the giver, that love would last forever, and the size & value of a new diamond ring indicated social status. It was a very successful campaign, and nowadays 80% of American women are given a new diamond engagement ring when they get engaged.
There were several French revolutions in the 18th and 19th Centuries, which un-nerved the other royal families of Europe. The revolution in 1789 later deposed King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, who were then guillotined. There was a lot of messy politics after that, and further French revolutions in 1830 and 1848. If you are interested read more here.
Victoria’s predecessors were not well loved, particularly King George IV. He and some of his brothers were known for their bad behaviour, mistresses and debts, which made them very unpopular. During the 19th Century, changes in family and social rituals took place, and the idea of the nuclear family was increasingly exalted. Victoria was expected to maintain a stable monarchy with no scandals, epitomised by her large, happy family.
Love it!!! Will open all my doors and windows on Dec. 31
An excellent and apposite post!