Traditions are important because they allow us to reminisce, keep that bond between parents and children, and allow us to strengthen and appreciate past generations. The concept of tradition includes a number of interrelated ideas; tradition refers to beliefs, objects or customs originated, performed or believed in the past, taught by one generation to the next, and performed or believed in the present.

Spending time together
The older children get, the more engagements they seem to have. They have friends to see and places to go to. Unfortunately, that means they have less and less time for us parents. That is why establishing family traditions such as customary celebrations and lifestyles are important. These traditions keep the family together even in the fast-paced lifestyle of the 21st century.

Perhaps you already have traditions
Many Italians, for instance, have lunch or dinner with their parents every Sunday. A lot of families spend Christmas Eve together, birthdays are another occasion to get the family together, egg hunts for Easter is beautiful tradition the kids enjoy, and Sunday bar-B-cues are all traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. It’s an opportunity to gather and share stories.

If you don’t have any traditions or you have lost them because you moved from your country of origin, or perhaps your parents passed away, you can always start a tradition with your children who will probably pass it on to their children. Creating a tradition doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate, it could be something as simple as movie night at home on Wednesday, board games night on Friday, family dinner on Sunday, making Christmas cards with the kids in December, pancakes for breakfast on Saturday morning, a special birthday song or ritual, attending a music festival every summer, etc., the sky is the limit when it comes to creating your very own family tradition.

The so-called sacred traditions
Family and tradition go hand in hand. Times have changed and so have traditions. However, when we reminisce of how our grandparents were stricter about respecting family traditions, we saw it as punishment. Our ancestors taught and enforced these traditions at an early age. This would ensure the continuation of what their ancestors had begun.

Of course, those of us who were forced to go every Saturday to their grandparents’ house, to church on Sunday, or help out in the garden on weekends, saw this rituals more like a sacrifice than a tradition. Children do not understand this concept until they become parents themselves. However, we also know that these moments have left an indelible mark in our childhood. As adults and perhaps parents, we now appreciate those childhood memories and times spent together with family.

These traditions not only made the persons that we are today but also gave us a sense of community and self worth. Most people who were “forced” to follow some family traditions in their childhood, as adults now, value the true meaning and the people who were part of these traditions.

Trust
Traditions also show that parents continue to follow what their parents and grandparents started. It is a way to honor their ancestors, their culture, or just to keep the family together. Even when young children sulk and protest about participating in such traditions because they’re too young to understand, they’ll eventually appreciate the importance of being part of the family tradition. A sense of belonging, a strengthening of bonds, identity, or a connection to the past, all encompass tradition.

In short, traditions are what make up our family, what keeps a group or community united, consisting of members that will always have something in common.

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