Tradicijas

Tradicijas, meaning traditions, are the beliefs, practices, and objects that a community passes down from one generation to the next. They include rituals, celebrations, storytelling, arts and crafts, foodways, dress, language, and social norms. Traditions help define identity, create continuity, and provide a sense of belonging.

Traditions are transmitted through families, schools, religious and community institutions, and everyday social life. They support socialization, mark milestones such as births, coming of age, marriages, and deaths, and offer a framework for collective memory and shared values.

Traditions vary widely across cultures and may be religious, secular, or mixed. They adapt to new circumstances—migration, modernization, and globalization—while some practices fade and others are revived. Digital media and heritage programs can shape how traditions are taught and remembered.

Common categories include rites of passage, seasonal holidays, culinary practices, customary crafts, and oral or written storytelling. The study of tradicijas often intersects with anthropology, sociology, and cultural history, focusing on how communities maintain continuity while negotiating change.