TRADITIONS CLASS!

 TRADITIONS CLASS 

Traditions can be customs, uses, patterns of coexistence or considerations around the religious, legal, cultural, etc. In all these cases, however, it is an inheritable mental model, that is, a paradigm that is preserved over time through its repetition.

Therefore, when we talk about something or someone being traditional or traditionalist, we mean that they adhere to or value the customary, inherited way of doing things. In addition, traditions are part of the identity of societies, that is, of the patterns and beliefs that make up the idiosyncrasy or way of being of the peoples.

There are unique traditions, specific to a society, and also others shared by peoples who have a common origin or who share historical and cultural characteristics. Thus, one can speak of national traditions, such as German traditions, but also Hispanic traditions, to cite an example, or Christian, Jewish or Muslim traditions.

Tradition and custom

Traditions and customs are some of the main manifestations of a given culture, and can be defined as a set of beliefs and experiences that are inherited from one generation to another. In that sense, these two terms are handled almost interchangeably.

However, customs are those social practices rooted in a community, linked to everyday life, with habits, which from being repeated so much have ended up becoming part of the local identity.

For their part, traditions involve a greater number of people, reinforcing their sense of belonging to the same cultural identity. They include ritual, cultural, religious, gastronomic or folkloric practices.

For example, a Caribbean coastal town may have the custom of gathering in the plaza on Fridays to dance. It is something that they usually do, and that is repeated over time, but at a given moment it might not be done, or it might be done the day before or the day after, let's say, because it rains too much on a Friday.

But that same town, on certain dates of the year, worships the Virgin Mary through a procession of the statuette from the church to all corners of the town, religious festivals, specific foods, etc. This constitutes a religious tradition, which they most certainly share with neighboring peoples, and even with other distant ones, who have the same cultural and religious history.

Some examples of traditions of different origin are the following:

The day of the Dead. Celebrated in Mexico and other nations that have inherited the Mesoamerican past, it is a large and colorful celebration that takes place every November 1 or 2, to honor the memory of the deceased and, supposedly, briefly bring them back to life. This party has its own decoration, gastronomy and costumes.

The dancing devils. Celebrated in Corpus Christi in various locations in Venezuela, they consist of a group of dancers with devil masks that accompany the celebration of Holy Week and wear specific outfits, in some regions colorful and full of mirrors and crosses, in others neatly white. They are a local tradition that shares important features with traditions from other latitudes, as we will see shortly.

The devils of carnival. Celebrated during the carnival in the north of Argentina, specifically in the Andean highlands, they usually lead celebratory troupes wearing colored costumes and mirrors, thus embodying the festivity during the three to four days of celebration. Unlike the Venezuelan variant, they are not so linked to the Christian religious tradition.

Dragon dances. Very common in China (and in Chinese communities throughout the world) during the celebration of the new year of their lunar calendar, they usually involve several dancers who wield a dragon sculpture on their heads, or a dragon made of different materials and colors.

The feast of Saint Nicholas. Tradition dedicated to the children of Europe, especially in its central and eastern countries, worships Saint Nicholas of Myra (Saint Nicholas of Bari) and usually consists of specific foods, as well as sweets and gifts for children. However, it varies a lot from region to region.

Thanksgiving is a family celebration, even more important than Christmas in some cases. American families gather in their homes, where they prepare a banquet. Before the meal, the most believers say a prayer in gratitude to God for the food. At the table, the turkey is the main character. It is normally served stuffed and cooked in the oven and accompanied by a sauce (often cranberry sauce).

The turkey is usually accompanied at the table by large trays of vegetables, sweet potatoes, among other foods. The tables are full to the end, also at dessert time or desserts, since it is common for a wide variety of sweets to be served. The most popular is pumpkin pie. The meal is usually accompanied by apple cider, wine, and champagne.