The reasons people follow traditions

¶ … Traditions?

When we look at a modern Western nation such as the United States or Great Britain, we see in these countries a mosaic of different cultures and people following traditions that originate from all over the world. For example, in America it is possible to see people celebrating Greek national holidays, preserving Italian names, wearing Turbans, cooking Asian food on specific days of the year, and likewise following many other traditions coming from abroad. We might add that most Americans also follow traditions such as celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, learning the national anthem, and respecting the American flag -- among other things. While some people may follow these traditions for the simple reason of "having fun," most people do so to have a sense of identity and a meaningful relationship to the past and the future.

Tradition is defined as a "mode of the past being present in the lives of a people," having "a specific relationship between past, present, and future" (Rusen). We see traditions everywhere: in the family, religious rituals, schools, textbooks, street and building names, sports games, political ceremonies, and other forms of private or public expression. Many traditions emanate from established values and norms existing within a society. And people follow these traditions because it gives a sense of belonging to a community of people with whom they share a common past and hope to share a common future. Refusing to follow these traditions may make one a rebel or an outcast.

Many people around the world, including government officials, intellectuals, and other public figures today emphasize the importance of preserving national traditions because they see globalization as a threat to their national identity. Thanks to advances in technology and the means of communication, the Western nations are able to propagate Western ways of life, norms, values, and traditions to all corners of the world. And because of widespread exposure to Western traditions, many people around the world -- especially the youth -- start adopting Western traditions which ipso facto leads to partially quitting local traditions. An imported tradition replaces the existing local one. Therefore, many public figures around the world today act defensively, by banning Western TV channels, publicly condemning globalization, or emphasizing the importance of local traditions because they believe the loss of traditions means the loss of identity (Galeota). Intellectuals start worrying that the loss of traditions will lead to forgetting local histories and having a different future.