People Reveal Which Traditions They're Trying To Preserve Before They Die Out
Hold on to tradition!
'Because it's tradition!' That's the main response we get a lot of the time when we question why people do the things they do. You go to Midnight mass for Easter, you make a certain dish for a holiday, or you take part in a weekly activity by rote... 'It's Tradition!' Roll with it.
This is especially true with holidays or family platitudes. The problem is tradition as a concept has always been a generational concern. Over time tradition seems to have fallen by the wayside, which irks many who look at it as a definitive part of life. Could it be that we're too consumed by our lives now to continue on with traditions or it could be that we're lazy and just don't care.
Reddit u/Thehaloboy wanted to know What is a dying tradition you believe should be preserved?
With or without a moat?
Castles, no one builds a good castle anymore. I mean sure there are "castle like" buildings but not a good 11 foot thick wall of stone castle.
This has always been on my "if I was insanely wealthy" list. I would build an honest-to-god castle in the same style as they did in the 12th century.
Naturalfest!!
Harvest festivals. It really only works in small to medium agricultural towns, but it really grounds one to the seasons and agricultural production. Right now in Lodi California we are having the annual Lodi Grape Festival, themed after the winegrape harvest season, and it's been going for something like 60 years.
Classic drawings...
Traditional animation. A lot of the big animation studios claim it's too expensive and time consuming but if you look at their budgets and how long it can take to render CG animated films then it's about the same difference.
Yeah, I noticed when Disney shifted from traditional animation to CG. I really miss having traditionally animated films in the theater every year.
Traveling correspondence...
Whenever I travel, I love to send postcards to my young family members. Sometimes I go to an antique store and find vintage postcards from the area I'm visiting.
I've gotten positive feedback, they all seem to think it's neat to get them, but recently I received one from a young family member and it was a nice surprise!
I like postcards too. I send them to few friends when i am on vacation. I never receive any. I do have some from many years ago.
There are a few companies that now sent printed posted from pictures you take and download. The sender adds a message to the picture. I saw this concept on Shark Tank a few years ago and the guy got a deal. I am now seeing television commercials for a similar product. This is not the same as buying a postcard from the location, writing a message and mailing it but perhaps it will revitalize the idea of sending postcards.
And Peanut Butter too!
Canning and preserving food. I grew up doing this and it's something I still do. There's nothing like eating chili in the winter with tomato juice you made yourself or eating homemade strawberry jelly. My friends didn't grow up in that lifestyle but enjoy when I bring them fresh jelly in the spring.
Irish Romance...
That Irish one with the rings that indicate whether or not you're interested in dating anyone by the way you wear them.
I think the current iteration is that girls who aren't interested in dating will put on a fake wedding band, and those without a ring are also not interested.
The Claddagh ring! For those who don't know it's a ring with two hands holding a heart. The idea being referenced is that the wearer would flip which way the heart was facing depending on if she had a special someone or not. (I might have gotten this flipped) If the ring was oriented so it looked like the hands were presenting the heart toward the fingertip(away from the wearer) then she is looking for love. If it was flipped, heart being presented to the wearer, she was already in love or spoken for.
It's also just a cool design in general and being a male in an Irish family, I was super disappointed that I wasn't allowed to wear rings.
Can I ride my bike in?
Drive In Movie Theaters.
We've got one about 15 minutes from me and it's the BEST! Like $6 to get in, and they don't kick you out if you want to stay for another show after the one you went to see. Since we're in FL it's better to go during the winter when it's cooler and less bugs.. Dress cozy, bring some camping chairs, whatever snacks and drinks you like.. My friends with kids bring them and set them up with blankets and pillows in the back of the truck.. It's a great time! My only complaint is that for horror movies or stuff like that where they're darker in color it can be a little hard to see but whatever, you can bring the whole squad for less than $20 so it's forgivable.
Keep the basics...
"Home economics" as they used to call it. Learning the basics of cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning and how to manage a household budget. They are useful and important things to know no matter who you are.
Get off my lawn!
Sitting on your porch.
I love it.
But I've thought before if everyone sits on their front porch everyone would just be looking at everyone else sitting on their porch. Would there be a common knowledge that we don't start crossing streets and property lines to mingle? If I need to speak to Charlie across the street about carpooling do I have to call him? Can I shout out? Or is it like invisible walls are up during porch sitting?
Be there!
RSVPing, saying you'll be somewhere and actually showing up, consistency, etc.
I blame a lot of the rise of flakiness to cell phones. It's a lot easier to cancel last-minute when you can reach someone who's already made it to your designated meeting place. Whereas before everyone had a phone, if you made plans, you pretty much had to be there unless you had a good reason not to (or were a complete d**k!) I mean, i still think flaking is a d**k move, but it's way easier to do it nowadays.