Chinese people all over the world would have celebrated the Lunar New Year in the past week. It is the time of the year when extended families gather for reunions and gatherings. Many traditions are practiced during this time as well. Traditions, by definition, are the beliefs and practices passed down from generations to generations. As time passes, some traditions would stay strong, while others would have morphed into something else, or dropped completely by newer generations. So how do we decide what traditions to continue practising?
What does tradition contribute to?
The value of traditions is in the sense of belonging and identity of an individual in the group. People who share the same beliefs and practices feel more comfortable and likable to us. Traditions are also part of our respective cultures and shared memories of the past.
When we think of traditions, one of the first things that may come to mind is traditional food of different cultures. There are some specialties that belong to a group usually based on their taste preference, and the preferred methods of preparation. In the past, people mostly prepared their own food with family recipes passed down from mothers to daughters. Food preparation can also be symbolic for some families of passing down the family tradition and history, as seen in the dumpling scene from the movie Crazy Rich Asians.
These days, food is mostly mass produced in factories, and the homely taste from the past is missed by many. People would flock to restaurants or eateries which are discovered to still prepare food in the traditional ways simply because they invoke a sense of nostalgia.
Why do some traditions die out?
Certain traditions and practices are based on myths and superstitions of the past when people did not understand a lot about science. They could even be based on folklore. For instance, in the Chinese tradition, firecrackers were believed by to scare off a mythical monster named Nian, and that wearing red would bring good luck. As the younger generations hear about these stories, they may start to question the practicality of certain traditional practices. Failing to appreciate the importance of it, some may choose not to practise them at all.
In the example of food, new technologies have paved the way for mass production or easier ways of cooking. Using machines is more convenient and efficient. Hence, not many people would choose to prepare food using the traditional methods on a frequent basis.
While some traditions remain relevant today, and we should continue practising those that teach good values, there are many others that the younger generations would question. Each family also has the prerogative to practise the traditions that it believes in and values.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- What are some traditions in your culture? What do you think of them?
- What are some of the other significant traditional activities and their origins?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘prerogative’: a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class
Here are more related articles for further reading:
- Esquire: Revival of Kristang, a language that was once almost forgotten in Singapore.
“There is something powerful that unites all those who come for classes though. “Across the board, the people who come have a strong recognition of the importance of intangible cultural heritage, and it may not necessarily be their own,” says Kevin.
When pressed, Kevin gives his take on why he thinks it’s taken off in such a big way. “Kodrah Kristang is very unique. There have been other language revival movements, but none youth-led and intergenerational. Language is a social thing. You have to play games, talk to people, meet people. This is an unusual way of teaching language in Singapore. We also make the effort to have all the materials looking clean and attractive to appeal to the millennial generation. And the learning takes place in a very systematic, structured way.””
- Day Translations: Travel has also been one of the contributing factor of evolving cultures and traditions.
“We are living in a globalized society where traveling to foreign countries is seen as an eye-opening experience. Moving abroad is becoming more commonplace, as are intercultural marriages. When two people from different cultures marry, often one culture becomes more dominant in the family and threatens cultural preservation.
It wasn’t always this way. Different groups of people used to be isolated by rivers, jungles, mountains, and oceans, and hardly interacted with one another. This changed in 1492, the year Columbus landed in the New World and swung open the gates to global travel and trade.
That’s not to say that people never traveled to other places before. The Romans roamed all over the European continent and sailed the English Channel towards Great Britain. The Vikings sailed from Norway to the Mediterranean and North America. The Chinese traveled the Silk Road all the way to Venice.
As people travel and move to different parts of the world, some immerse themselves in the host culture and see the great value the culture brings to the region and the world, again this can affect cultural preservation, or lead to cultural evolving.”
Picture credits:https://pixabay.com/en/lion-dance-chinese-tradition-653736/