Making Your Own Traditions

With our increasing global mobilization, we will find pockets or differing nationalities and religions existing beside one another. It’s a delightful melting pot to be involved with, if like me, you live in the suburbs surrounded by a half dozen different traditions being celebrated throughout the year.  Regardless of your nationality or religion, your family or culture will observe at least one day in the year as being of special significance.  However, these differ even within the same cultural contexts as the make up of families bring a variety of elements and ideas to the special day. Family traditions are extremely important not only on a cultural context, but for the strength and connectivity of that family unit.  The way your family “does” a certain thing will becomes a family tradition. Although these things won’t be written down, they are things that if asked about a particular event, someone for the family will respond with “Oh – we always….”

What are Family Traditions?

Traditions are practices or beliefs that create positive feelings and are repeated at regular intervals. More than just a routine or habit, family traditions are the special things that as a family you look forward to and are the threads of life that binds you together as a family. Very often traditions are things which have been handed down from generation to generation; but there is little reason that your family cannot create their own.  Certainly in many cases traditions are based on religious codes of conduct or observance of a cultural event; however, with the over commercialization of arguably some of the most important days, perhaps it time to observe family orientated days which carry meaning for your unit. The strongest families are often those who have a commitment to one another and spends quality time with one another.

The Value of Family Traditions

Traditions  severe a connectivity and longevity between both family members and within generations. The most effective traditions allow individuals to foster a sense of belonging and group identity. With our ever-changing world, now, more than ever is an important time to establish traditions which give family members something to look forward to and ones which promotes secure feelings by providing predictable outcomes and set sequences. Our family has a tradition at Christmas whereby the rule is that you must wear the items you are given the entire day. Obviously this has paved the way for a spate of shockingly bad taste garments exchanged between family members, with this becoming one of the highlights of the day to see who has secured the worst tie, t-shirt or sweater.

Observing Religious Traditions

Religious traditions for times such as Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, New Years and Hanukkah will carry meaning and observed traditions for specific groups, however within these groups, families will often carry out their own traditions.  It doesn’t matter which traditions you choose to observe, as long as they are meaningful to you and your family and that as a family, you incorporate things that the family love to do. Make sure that they are a joy to participate and be involved in and not just another job you must do on a day you don’t really care much about. By undertaking some research as a family, you may uncover new meanings for religious days, you had not encountered before and perhaps this will make the day more personalized or special for your family.

General Traditions

Not everyone has strong cultural or religious convictions and this can leave your family feeling lost. Thus its important to create your own traditions for days that hold meaning for your family – even if it overlaps a ‘normal’ religious event or day. Family traditions can be things you do on a daily basis, or observing a particular day every year. Some suggestions for general family traditions may include:

• For birthdays, each family member chooses his or her favorite menu, then everyone except the birthday person helps prepare the meal.
• No one can go to bed until they’ve told each member of the family “I love you.” Or given a hug and kiss – or acknowledged them.
• For religious, sporting, cultural or other milestones a child is given a book – be it religious or otherwise – but something very special as a momento.
• For religious or historical figures the family especially admires, celebrate that person’s birthday with a themed party.
• Sundays ( or Saturdays) are Dad’s day to make breakfast with the kids and to leave Mummy in bed for a while.
• Keep a family journal, letting everyone write in it. Do this weekly as a round up of what happened during the week. This journal could even form part of a blog online!
• Establish your own holidays, such as an “Unbirthday Party.” (My husband has a birthday very close to Christmas, so often a half year party is observed to make it special)

As you recognize the traditions and rituals in your families, also take time to recognize the strength and meanings you gain from them. Traditions make your family unique and provide understanding, continuity, closeness and appreciation for one another and for past generations. There no reason not to start immediately with recognizing small daily things that make your family special. Realize that those “little things” done together are really memories in the making. For me – that’s what life is about – the little things, the little moments.

Annie wishes everyone in the US a wonderful Independance Day holiday and would love to hear about how you spent it – with your tradtions.  Catch her on her other websites and blogs exploring kids, nutrition, love, life and the odd fictional short story.

Related posts:

1. Creating Holiday Memories and Traditions
2. Green Your Holiday Traditions
3. Making Memories with Open House
4. Holiday Traditions: The Cookie Exchange
5. Making a Plan When Your Child Tells You About a Project at the Last Minute