tradition

Tradition refers to beliefs, practices, and objects that are transmitted from generation to generation within a group. It encompasses rituals, ceremonies, languages, crafts, moral norms, social roles, and patterns of life that are recognizable as belonging to a particular community. Traditions can be formal, codified in rules or rites, or informal, embedded in everyday behavior and shared memory.

Tradition is often distinguished from related concepts such as culture, custom, and ritual. Culture is broader, including beliefs and institutions, while customs are specific, habitual practices. Rituals are formalized actions with symbolic meaning, frequently embedded in tradition. Traditions persist over time but are not static; they are continually reshaped by new meanings, innovations, and encounters with other cultures.

Transmission mechanisms include family upbringing, religious institutions, education systems, media, and community organizations. They work through repetition, storytelling, and social sanction, helping to maintain social cohesion and a sense of identity. Traditions can provide continuity and legitimacy for social arrangements but may also be invoked in political or religious claims to authority.

Dynamics and critique: traditions are dynamic and can be revised or recreated to reflect changing values or circumstances. They can empower communities by preserving heritage or constrain them by preserving unequal structures or excluding outsiders. Globalization, modernization, and heritage discourse influence how traditions are maintained, adapted, or contested, leading to selective revival or reinterpretation.

Examples commonly cited include seasonal festivals, rites of passage, dietary practices, culinary recipes, dress codes, language usage, and ceremonials surrounding life events.