What Is The Meaning Of 'Tradition'?

The word tradition comes from the Latin word 'traditio' meaning to hand down or hand over.
Traditions are usually customs, events , stories which have been handed down through generations. Oral traditions are stories or information which has been passed on by word of mouth - these can be very ancient and are common to pre- literate societies.

Families and groups have their own traditions. Traditions don't have to be ancient, they can be invented at anytime and become part of the cycle of traditions.Some traditions are seasonal such as celebrating the bringing in of the Harvest - Harvest Festival, dancing round the maypole on May day, Christmas are all traditions here in the UK.

In Britain and Ireland there are thousands of traditions which form a deeply embedded part of the cultural heritage of these countries. We have many national, regional and local traditions many of them unique to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Tradition generally means something that has been going on for a long time. There are various different traditions around and some could be considered as slightly strange, whilst others are used by thousands of different people.

You can have a traditional wedding for example which is basically a beautiful white dress, the handing over of rings, the father walking the bride down the isle. It is a tradition which has gone on for many years in the Christian faith. Of course other faiths have their own traditions too and no two faiths are the same.

Overall a tradition is something which is followed year after year and it is passed down to our children. It is something that means a lot to us and it is something which will never be broken.