What is tradition definition. Traditions: what is it? Types of traditions - national, social, cultural, religious and others

What is a custom? These are rules of conduct that have been entrenched in the minds of the people thanks to repeated repetitions. What customs are, where they come from and where they disappear, read about all this below.

What is custom

As mentioned above, the rules of conduct that have become norms for people through repeated repetition. This includes customs that are performed on holidays, as well as those that turn into a daily routine. Basically, people follow them out of habit, not really thinking about the meaning of actions. Every society has its own customs. Some of them are regulated by the state, while others are observed within the same family. How long does it take for a habit to become a habit? At least a few years, at least 3-4.

How is tradition different from custom?

Concepts are best learned by comparison. We already know what a custom is, but now let's talk about tradition. What it is? Traditions are a complex of various actions that are passed down from generation to generation in order to preserve and develop culture. And here scale plays a role. The tradition can be considered as a local phenomenon, but still more often it is created and maintained on a national scale. No one forces people to observe established traditions, this is a voluntary matter.

Now let's look at the differences. Tradition is much broader than customs, since it most often has a larger territorial scope. People perform various rituals, sets of actions, often without thinking about the hidden meaning that their ancestors laid in them. But such traditions are supported by the state, as it considers them an integral part of culture. But folk customs often change under the influence of time, government, the way of human thinking. But for the most part, people do not see much difference in these concepts.

How do habits arise?

Man is a complex being. And to better understand what customs are, you need to know how people create them. Initially, such rituals, or repetitive actions, were performed by man in order to survive. It was a kind of reaction to discomfort. People started the custom of killing a mammoth once a week so as not to go hungry. The girls sewed clothes from the skins of animals once a month so as not to die from the cold. There were many such small local customs in any society, and they still exist today. True, our contemporaries do not have to survive, so the rituals are not aimed at the biological needs of a person, but at creating spiritual comfort. If you think about it, many of the unconscious rituals that are instituted in our society have no logical basis under them. Such customs-omens are common among superstitious people. Why do students eat lucky tickets from the bus before the test?

Why do people, returning home, if they forget something, always look in the mirror? There were once explanations for these customs, but today they cannot be found. Life is too changeable. Each person has the ability to create their own customs. How? Before an important event, he may develop the habit of walking for an hour on the street in order to clear his head, or introduce summing up the results of the day into his evening ritual.

How habits disappear

Time goes by, everything changes. Human life is very fickle. Today one job, tomorrow another, today one love, and tomorrow you can meet a new one. That is why habits have to be changed. An example of such changes is the disappearance of witnesses at weddings.

Previously, these people played the same important role as the bride and groom. But over time, the custom of inviting witnesses lost its relevance. Today, newlyweds do fine without them, which means there is no need to appoint friends to this role.

Another example is baptismal divination. The girls used to do this every year. Today, this custom has fallen out of favor. Young ladies do not want to spend time in a dark bath in the company of candles and mirrors. They have more fun things to do. It turns out that customs know how to die due to a change in public interests.

• vital;
• way of life;
• imposed from outside;
• rituals and ceremonies.

Why do we need customs

Today there is an American globalization of all countries. Most of the goods and services that we are used to consuming every day are not a product of our culture. Customs and customs must be known and observed in order not to lose one's roots and nationality. After all, Russia is a country with its own original culture, speech and art. Of course, it is necessary to modernize the country by updating customs and traditions, but this does not mean that it is necessary to borrow them from other countries. Why is it so bad to borrow a foreign culture, because before it was the norm of life and when one country was captured by another, culture was imposed against the will of citizens. But today it seems terrible, because, forgetting their history, people restructure their thinking. And as a result, such an option may turn out when one person will rule the society, imposing the only possible way of life on everyone. It is worth reading at least one dystopia to understand how bad it will be to live in this situation.

Examples of customs

Today there are many rituals that people perform automatically, without even thinking about their essence. The sources of custom are folk traditions transmitted in writing or by word of mouth. There are many examples.

When meeting on the street, men take off their gloves for a handshake. It seems to be a sign of courtesy and attention, but this custom has long roots. Previously, men took off their gloves to show that they did not hide weapons there, and as a result, their intentions are pure.

Another example of a custom is Maslenitsa. More precisely, the rituals associated with this holiday. For example, burning a scarecrow. This custom also has long roots going back to ancient times. Burning scarecrows, people see off winter and welcome spring.

Jumping over a fire is considered another Russian custom. However, in recent years, few people do it. But before this fun was popular. The guy and the girl jumped over the fire, holding hands. If they did not unhook their hands and successfully overcame the obstacle, it was believed that their life together would be long and happy. But if young people moved away from each other during the jump, this meant that they were not destined to be together.

Unusual customs

We, the Russians, do not find it strange to burn an effigy for Maslenitsa or decorate a Christmas tree for the New Year. But for Thais, it’s completely normal to lower boats down the river, in which people put flowers, light candles and light incense. It all happens at the beginning of November on the day dedicated to the spirits of water.

The norms of customs are determined by the society in which we live. And in other countries things are the same. In Turkey, for example, there is a custom: before a man takes a second wife, he must give his first darling jewelry worth 10 thousand dollars. This should prove to the woman that her husband is a wealthy man and will be able to feed both her and the second woman.

In Kenya, there is a custom according to which the young spouse must do all the work of the wife for a month. It is believed that after this experience gained, he will not reproach a woman all her life for doing nothing while doing housework.

(from Latin traditio - transmission) - formed on the basis of a long experience of group activity and firmly rooted in everyday life, transmitted to newcomers to the team, social community rules, norms and stereotypes of behavior, actions, communication of people, the observance of which has become a social need for everyone.

TRADITIONS

from lat. tradrtio - transmission) - elements of social or cultural heritage that are transmitted from generation to generation and preserved in social groups for a long time. Certain social institutions, norms and rules of behavior, attitudes towards specific moral and ethical values, customs, and rituals act as traditions. T. differ in content (ideas, norms, etc.), in functions (the essence of T. - customs and their form - rites or rituals), in the nature of existence (oral and written T.), from an evaluative point of view (T .positive, neutral and negative), in socio-historical terms (folk and elitist T.), etc. T. are the most stable stereotypical part of culture, contrasting in this respect with innovations - innovations or innovations. However, this opposition is relative. In the process of interaction between innovations and innovations, many innovations not only die off, but also change, taking the form of innovations, and many innovations become innovations. There are four stages of such interaction: 1) innovations resist; 2) both coexist; 3) T. and innovations are mixed, forming compromise forms - palliations; 4) innovations turn into T. Thus, the stability of T. is also relative, but nevertheless they are the most stable part of the culture that ensures its continuity. In ethnology and culturology, there is no consensus on the relative role of t. in different historical epochs, however, it seems to be more correct to consider that the normative role of t. in the course of the historical process is gradually decreasing, leaving more room for the freedom of one's own choice of an individual or group. An example is the attitude to etiquette, the violation of which was punished for a long time, and then only became condemned.

Traditions

lat. traditio - transmission, narration) - historically formed and transmitted from generation to generation forms of activity and behavior, as well as their accompanying ideas, customs, habits, skills, rules, values. T. developed on the basis of those forms of activity, to-rye acted as regulators of societies. relations and have repeatedly confirmed their societies. value and personal benefit. In the era of the European Enlightenment, the basis of which was rationalism, the traditional institutions, customs and morality that existed at that time were sharply criticized. Criticism undermined the authority of the aristocracy and the influence of the church, the bearer of Christian t., on the social and political. life. The influence of traditional institutions was seen as a reactionary, repressive force based on prejudice. It was at this time that the history itself was formed. understanding of T. as a time-limited and changeable phenomenon. An educational struggle unfolded between "traditionalists" and supporters of "critical reason". At the beginning of the XIX century. Conservative romanticism and an ambivalent attitude towards T. triumphed, including an understanding of it as a universal history. strength, and as a "spiritual opium" that lulls individual initiative and critical thinking. K ser. 20th century almost all the mass movements that arose during this period dec. ethnic groups and polit. directions were based on a critical denial of the existing social T., but at the same time they found a desire to invent and perpetuate new, their own T. This fact testifies to the attributive nature of T. for social reality, which led to the emergence of dec. conceptual approaches to understanding the essence and social significance of T. Such approaches include, for example, modernism and progressivism, for which T. is something that ultimately recedes under the onslaught of the new, it is “doomed and historically relative” . According to M. Weber, T. and rationality make up 2 poles, between which there is a tension that determines the direction of social dynamics. Traditional society, noted M. Weber, is radically different from modern. the slowness of action and the subordination of personal and social initiative to the authority of T. This implies the recognition of a close connection between T. and stereotypes. If we limit the consideration of the problem of O. to a behavioral perspective, then it is obvious that following T. involves the stereotyping of social and individual behavior, the rigid dominance of the stereotype over the will, personal characteristics and aspirations of a person. That is, the social stereotype is the implementation mechanism of T. Osn. the problem associated with T., in this case, is the ratio of stereotyped experience and emerging innovations. Innovations appear in the process of organic recombination of the elements of t. With a change in the social situation of the development of one or another community, t. can be destroyed, transformed and replaced by new ones. At the same time, t. inevitably serve as an important factor in the regulation of people's vital activity and form the basis of education. In ethnopsychology, the concept of a bundle or bundle of T. serves as one of the characteristics of the national. community. Lit.: Ivanenkov S.P. Traditions and the future // Credo. 1997. No. 1; Markaryan E. S. Theory of culture and modern science. Logical and methodological analysis. M., 1983. L. A. Karpenko

Traditions are some historically established group experience embodied in social stereotypes, which is accumulated and reproduced in society. It is necessary to distinguish this concept from art, which represents a more individual creative activity. Through traditions, a certain group of individuals inherits the knowledge necessary for self-development and even survival. That is, this term can be interpreted as a certain mechanism of collective communication. Experts identify the main types of traditions: folk (ethnic), social, national, religious and cultural.

Origin of the term

The well-known word "tradition" for many has a fairly clear meaning. If we talk about literal translation, then in Latin the term means "transmission".

Initially, the concept of "tradition" was used only in a literal sense and denoted an action. The ancient Romans used it when they had to give someone a material object or marry a daughter. Subsequently, material objects faded into the background, they were pushed aside by the transmitted skills and abilities. Thus "tradition", or rather, its semantic spectrum, indicates the main difference from everything that could be summed up under this concept. Tradition is something that does not belong to a certain individual, as it is transferred from outside. The derived meaning is associated with everything that is connected with the distant past, which has irrevocably lost its novelty, is unchanged and symbolically stable. And strict adherence to customs relieves many of the need to independently comprehend the situation and make a decision.

Traditions and society

Each new generation, having at its disposal a certain set of traditional patterns, does not accept and assimilate them in finished form, it involuntarily carries out their own interpretation. It turns out that society chooses not only its coming future, but also the past that has sunk into oblivion. Social groups and society as a whole, selectively accepting some elements of the social heritage, simultaneously reject others. Therefore, social traditions may well be both positive and negative.

national heritage

In general, traditions are the so-called element of culture, which arises in one generation and is transmitted from ancestors to descendants, remaining for a long time. These are certain norms, rules of conduct, rituals, procedures that must be followed. Considering the definition of the word “heritage” together with this term, we can say that the concepts are almost identical.

If we talk about national traditions, then these are rules that are manifested in almost everything. This applies not only to clothing, style and behavior in general, they are also manifested in movements, gestures and other elements that are present in the psychology of people. Such concepts and manifestations are very important for a person, since it is they that are able to launch an unconscious mechanism in a person who is clearly able to determine the line between "one's own" and "alien".

National traditions are a phenomenon that has been formed as a result of the life of each people or nation, regulated by functions in the human mind. In other words, regulation occurs in family life, in communication, and behavior. Traditions have their own characteristics, namely, they have high stability, continuity and even stereotyping. They are characterized by a long-term factor, which is the regulator of social phenomena.

Modern attitude to cultural traditions

The variety of traditions of most countries is sometimes simply amazing. The fact that for a certain people is the norm of everyday life, in another country can often be perceived as a personal insult. We can say that traditions are one of the fundamental things in the cultures of various countries of the world. Therefore, if you decide to relax in some exotic country, you must first familiarize yourself with its customs in order not to get into an awkward position. For example, in Turkey, one of the important traditions is the need to remove shoes when entering a house and a temple. In no case should you refuse an offer to drink a cup of tea, this can be perceived as an insult.

Not just a set of rules

Cultural traditions are not only a set of etiquette rules, they are a certain semantic flow aimed at showing the depth of the history of a particular country, they are values ​​laid down over the centuries, passed down from generation to generation to maintain and reveal the unique mentality of its inhabitants. For example: countries where Buddhism is widespread believe that touching a person’s head is unacceptable, since the human soul lives in it. Unfortunately, in many countries, traditional rites have gone out of fashion, so to speak, and have lost their value due to technological progress. I would like the interest in preserving one's culture not to lose its relevance in any corner of the world.

Word synonym

The word "tradition" is a feminine noun, if necessary, it can be replaced by the concepts custom, practice(masculine nouns), legacy, tradition(nouns of the middle gender). Instead of a single term, you can use phrases with the word "so", for example: so it is, so it is. Among writers, and not only among them, traditions are called unwritten laws. One of the most unusual synonyms in Russian for this noun is the word "itihasa", which means "that's exactly what happened." Most sources define a synonym for the word "tradition" in several variants, in which, in addition to those presented above, norm, establishment, habit, value. An interesting option is the use of the word "khashar" (a term that has long been included in the Turkic and Tajik languages ​​and means "joint work").

Religious traditions

Religion also has its own traditions, which makes it a spiritual and cultural treasure. represent a set of stable forms and methods of worshiping the gods (God). Each of the religions existing on earth carefully preserves and in every possible way maintains its tradition, but most often in each religion there are several traditions at once, for example: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism - in Christianity, Shiites and Sunnis - in Islam, Mahayana and Hinayana - in Buddhism. The religious traditions of the East practice a certain technique of working with both the body and consciousness, which is aimed at enlightenment, i.e. obtaining extremely high states of human consciousness. Christian religious traditions include church attendance, prayers, confession and worship. The most famous holidays are Easter, Christmas, Epiphany, Trinity, Ascension, Annunciation. Also, not all traditions are observed, if only because in the digital age people have become not as pious as their ancestors were. Now, few people at the festive table ask for harvest or rain. Just a holiday has become another reason to get together with the whole family.

There is no future without a past

Traditions are a legacy that is unshakably authoritative, they are meekly accepted and transmitted in accordance with the fact that the departed ancestors - "carriers" - have a solid foundation in the life of their heirs - "followers".

We often do not think about what turns us from a group of people living together into a real unit of society. And here the customs that have developed over the years play an important role. In our article, we will talk about what family traditions are, what is their significance, and also give examples of habits that occur in families from different countries and make our own list.

Family traditions: what is it

To define what a family tradition is, let's first define what it means - "family". According to the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary, it is “a small group based on marriage or consanguinity, whose members are connected by common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility.” This means that in a full-fledged cell of society, relatives not only live under the same roof, but also love each other, take care of each of their members, and spend time together. If some occupation or action is repeated repeatedly, passes from one generation to another, then it becomes a custom of this kind.

Family customs are not necessarily something grandiose and large-scale. Even modest weekly rituals that are instituted in one or another union can be considered a tradition. For example, cleaning on Saturdays, having breakfast together on Sunday mornings, or watching cartoons with the kids on Fridays.

Moreover, the habit of wishing each other good morning, kissing at a meeting or parting, a call that you have safely reached your destination, can also be attributed to the norms adopted in this cell of society.

Types of family traditions

The list of what can be attributed to family traditions can be endless. However, they can be conditionally divided into general ones, which are inherent in many people in different variations, and completely unique, specific rituals.

The first group includes such actions as:

Joint celebrations

In most houses in Russia, on a birthday, New Year, Easter, a large circle of relatives and close friends gather at a richly laid table to congratulate the birthday man or spend the outgoing year.

These days, it is customary to present gifts and souvenirs, write congratulations, sing songs and dance, make toasts, followed by the adoption of alcoholic beverages, which of course does not benefit the nation.

Joint meeting of important events in life

It is customary for many people to discuss daily or at least once a week in a narrow circle how the day went, what events happened, share their thoughts on this matter, give advice, or simply empathize from the bottom of their hearts. It also discusses plans for the weekend and the near future. Such close, frank communication is very uniting, allowing all members of the family to feel their importance and significance for the rest.

Joint travel

If circumstances permit, many spend their holidays together, if possible going to the sea or to another city. And there are those who prefer annual trips to the country in the summer, where outdoor recreation is combined with work duties. Any such trip brings a lot of positive to each of its participants, which strengthens the relationship of the household.

Photos for memory

I want to capture pleasant events on photographs so that, if desired, at any time I can return to a memorable day. Fashionable now photo shoots can become a good tradition, especially in families with children. After all, each age of the baby has its charms, and time flies so fast that you won’t have time to come to your senses. In addition, there are usually long joint preparations for such an event, and the child will perceive the shooting itself as an adventure.

Joint attendance at various events

Cinema, theater, exhibitions, museums, festivals - it's all very interesting and informative. If everyone in the house is set to develop their personality, then the household will never be bored with each other. So joint visits to cultural or entertainment events are a very good and useful custom.

The list of other common family traditions can be very long. After all, the smallest daily habits can also be attributed here, as well as all religious rites, national features associated, for example, with marriage or initiation into religion. Russia is a multinational country, and each nation has its own historical customs.

Specific customs include those features that are unique to your unit of society. For example, you like to eat only oatmeal for breakfast, or you don’t go to bed on Friday before dawn.

In addition, there are those actions that have developed on their own, and there are specially introduced ones. In any case, this is exactly what is repeated in one house with some periodicity.

The role of family traditions: what does their observance mean

If we single out the main positive theses, then they, perhaps, will sound like this:

• Traditions give a sense of stability, inviolability of marriage for spouses.
• Cultivate respect for elders.
• They instill a craving for work and order.
• They rally and unite relatives.
• They allow you to feel like an integral part of something big, strong, what we call a cell of society.

What are family traditions for children

It is especially important to observe established customs for babies, because it gives a feeling of stability, and therefore security. Guys love it when something is repeated many times, it is good for their psyche, makes the child calm and balanced. That is why doctors so strongly recommend observing the daily regimen.

The following traditions will be especially useful for children:

Reading bedtime stories and singing lullabies to babies

Evening reading not only develops the child's imagination, but also sets him in a calm mood, appropriate before going to bed, and the mother's voice always calms and lulls.

Joint games

In the age of computers, televisions and an endless number of entertainment, it is very easy to keep a child busy. However, the warmest memories from childhood will be exactly those when the baby played with his parents. It can be board games or outdoor activities, the main thing is that all relatives take part in the game.

Household duties

It's good when every member, even the smallest one, has some household chores. It does not have to be a fixed labor service. Classes can be changed and each time offer a new task. Invite your child to wipe the dust during one cleaning, and the next time to work with a vacuum cleaner. And with such an assignment, how to water the flowers, even kids are happy to cope.

family meals

Kisses and hugs

Psychologists say that to feel happy you need at least eight hugs a day. And kids need more. So hug the little ones for any reason. And a kiss at night will be a wonderful end to the day for both the child and the parents.

Preparing for the New Year

For many adults, one of the most magical moments of childhood is the New Year holidays. You can create a fairy tale together with your child, decorate the Christmas tree together with themed songs, make souvenirs as a gift for your relatives, write letters to Santa Claus. After all, the baby knows how to do what many adults have forgotten how to do - to believe in miracles.

All these and many other traditions will allow children to form the right attitude towards marriage as one of the main elements of their lives. Already as adults, they will carry into their young cell of society precisely those foundations and principles that they learned from childhood.

Description of family traditions of different countries

Of course, every society has its own, historically established customs. Let's talk in more detail about what is accepted in other states.

In Russia

Since ancient times, traditions have been honored and protected in Russia, they were an important part of the life of both the common people and the nobles.

One of the main customs was a good knowledge of one's family, all one's ancestors up to the tenth generation. In an aristocratic environment, each family name was necessarily compiled family trees, which listed all the ancestors with names, patronymics, surnames and titles. Stories from the life of the ancestors were passed from mouth to mouth, and with the invention of the camera - pictures. Until now, many families carefully store old photo albums, gradually supplementing them with modern cards.

Respect for elders is one of the pillars of education in Russia. In our country, unlike Western countries, it is not customary to send parents to live out their lives in pensions and nursing homes. Children until the last day take care of their elders. And after their death, it is customary to commemorate departed relatives on the day of death and birthday, to look after their graves.

Another Russian feature that testifies to respect for one's family is the assignment of a patronymic to a child. This is a tribute, first of all, to the father. It was also often possible to meet a “family” name, that is, often found in this genus, when a child is named after one of the relatives.

The transmission of relics by inheritance was also widespread. And it is not necessarily jewelry worth a fortune. It can be simple, but dear to the heart things - interior items, cutlery. Often the wedding dress passed from mother to daughter.

Almost all of these traditions have been preserved in our society to this day. But many, unfortunately, are almost lost. For example, professional dynasties, when some craft was deeply studied, and its secrets were passed down from generation to generation.

A good trend has been a return to the roots and centuries-old traditions. "Russian House of Genealogy" offers assistance in compiling a family tree of a kind. They have more than five hundred genealogists on staff, working around the world, who will certainly find any archival documents that mention this or that surname. Also, experts not only compile a pedigree, but also teach this difficult craft. A rich choice of design will allow not only to make a tree for yourself out of interest, but also to purchase a genealogy book as an original and useful gift.

In Great Britain

This is a country that sacredly honors its customs, especially for aristocratic dynasties. Traditions are followed in everything from the daily rituals of morning porridge and afternoon tea to the concept of how to raise children.

One of the features of the British is the education in their children of strict control over their emotions. Saving face for a true gentleman is as important today as it was a couple of centuries ago.

in Italy

Italy is a very patriarchal state. Almost 90% of all enterprises there are related, that is, they are transferred from father to son. In addition, the surname in this state is not limited to a narrow circle of the closest relatives, all relatives are an important part of a large clan.

On holidays, the whole family gathers at a richly laid festive table, they joke, laugh, share news.

In America

Despite the fact that Americans are mostly workaholics and very career-oriented, there are three or more children in many cells of society. An interesting tradition is to take the baby with you everywhere, even to parties and gatherings with friends. It is believed that such early integration into society will help the child in adulthood.

Historically, family traditions are an integral part of the life of any society in every state. They are like cement when building a house, they bind all relatives, allow them not to lose common interests. So observe the existing customs and make new ones, then in your home there will always be an atmosphere of love and friendship.

Tradition (from Latin traditio - transmission) is an anonymous, spontaneously formed system of samples, norms, rules, etc., which guides a rather large and stable group of people in their behavior. A tradition may be so broad as to cover the entire society at a certain period of its development. The most stable traditions, as a rule, are not perceived as something transient, having a beginning and an end in time. This is especially evident in a traditional society, where traditions determine all the essential aspects of social life.

K.V. Chistov wrote: "tradition is a network (system) of connections between the present and the past, and with the help of this network, a certain selection, stereotyping of experience and the transfer of stereotypes are made, which are then reproduced again." (3. p. 106)

Traditions have a clearly expressed dual character: they combine description and evaluation (norm) and are expressed by descriptive-evaluative statements. Traditions accumulate previous experience of successful collective activity, and they are a kind of its expression. On the other hand, they represent a blueprint and prescription for future behavior. Traditions are what makes a person a link in the chain of generations, which expresses his presence in historical time, his presence in the "present" as a link connecting the past and the future.

Not everything from the life experience of mankind becomes traditional, but only that which contributes to the most successful course of life in certain (specific) conditions. Conditions of life change, and so do traditions. In the part in which traditions are connected with the very nature of man, they have something invariable in time and common to representatives of the most diverse cultures and civilizations. Consequently, the nature of tradition is determined by the life of people, and the latter follows both from the nature of basic and secondary needs, as well as from the conditions for their satisfaction. Therefore, tradition is a universal phenomenon, and the totality of specific traditions determines the identity of a given community.

To understand the essence of traditions, it is important:

The presence of some positive life experience - a way to meet the needs, to maintain the life of individuals. Without this experience, there would be nothing to become traditional.

The ability of a person to perceive the experience of other individuals and reproduce it - in whole or in part - in his life. Therefore, the basic quality of a person in terms of the emergence of traditions is his receptivity to the experience of others.

Combining the content of the first and second points makes the tradition a way for the accumulation of experience by all of humanity or its individual communities in ensuring and maintaining their livelihoods. At the same time, this experience becomes effective due to the fact that it is assimilated by many individuals. In other words, the traditional is what is perceived and reproduced by many individuals.

One of the characteristics of a particular tradition is its prevalence: there are traditions of local significance, there are traditions of a national character or even international ones. For example, all peoples, all confessions, all civilizations have a tradition of celebrating holidays.

Another characteristic of a particular tradition (and with it this phenomenon itself as a whole) is the stability (of traditions), and a direct consequence of the stability of a tradition is its viability. Throughout the course of human history, there is a "natural selection" of traditions, as a result of which new ones are born, old ones die off, and some exist for millennia. In this "natural selection" of traditions there is a permanent core of traditionality - the universal and timeless character of basic needs and a modifiable specific content, depending on the conditions of life.

Among the members of the community there is always a more conservative part - adherents of traditions, who are inclined to defend them even with significant changes in living conditions (the latter is their disadvantage), and a "progressive" part - individuals who are inclined to depart from traditions even while maintaining the same living conditions. (this is their drawback, since not everything new is better than the old). Especially dangerous is the extinction of old traditions before new and more effective ones are formed: many members of the community may find themselves disoriented in their life activity. This is possible when changing socio-political systems (for example, as a result of a revolution).

Favorable processes occurring with traditions are: emergence, consolidation, distribution, reproduction; unfavorable - "erosion", devaluation, extinction, distortion, erasure, oblivion, depreciation.

Not only the above methods of action, assessments, attitudes, technologies, ethical principles can be traditional, but also life situations determined by the very nature of a person and the course of his life, regardless of his will and consciousness. Situations such as conception, birth, wedding, funeral are events of different levels, in which both what is given by nature itself (conception, birth) and what contributes to "fitting" this into the social context are interconnected.

The social significance of the phenomenon of traditionalism is determined both by the fact that any tradition goes back to one or another human need, and by the fact that the content of the tradition is acceptable or necessary for many individuals. That is why tradition is a fundamentally social phenomenon that affects each member of the community.

In the life of the individual, the requirements of tradition can be realized in two ways. Firstly, the traditional can become habitual for the individual, and then he performs this action or adheres to this assessment as his own, organically inherent in him. If the traditional has not become habitual for the individual, he only submits to tradition or pretends to obey, even resisting it internally, that is, he submits to circumstances, including the coercion of others. One of the important ways of such coercion is "public opinion" - a concept applicable to any community of individuals, and not just to the "society" that liberals habitually contrast with the "state".

Any particular tradition within a given generation can be adopted (from the previous one) or developed - in which case it needs to be tested by time, and until the next generation begins to reproduce its content, this is just an innovative action with the potential of traditionality.

In relation to this or that tradition, all individuals can be divided into active carriers, passive carriers and opponents of tradition. From among the active bearers, a group of zealots of tradition stands out - those individuals who not only strictly observe the requirements of the tradition themselves, but also demand the same from others and, therefore, carefully monitor their actions, evaluate them and compare them with their own. Often, for such zealots of tradition, the most important thing is not the conformity of the behavior of other individuals to some common pattern, but its indistinguishability from their own behavior, assessments, attitudes, etc.

Traditions have the property of expansion. This is connected, firstly, with the pressure of the active bearers of the tradition on those around them, and secondly, with imitation (of the individual by those around him). The extension of this or that action to an ever wider range of situations is a special kind of expansion of traditions. Consequently, the expansion of traditions is manifested both in an increase in the number of individuals who follow them, and in the spread of one or another mode of action to new life situations.

The expansion of traditions sometimes leads to very unfavorable consequences. For example, the manifested propensity of the peoples of the North to alcohol is a completely alien thing to them, since they do not grow the appropriate plants from which alcohol is obtained and the very nature of nutrition is different. They did not have a natural selection on the basis of resistance to alcohol, which is why they become an inveterate drunkard so quickly and inevitably.

The traditions of everyday life, which are as close as possible to the basic needs of a person, change little over time, while the traditions that reflect the specifics of the socio-historical formation die off mainly along with it. At the same time, traditions both follow from the way of life and form it themselves. Through the assimilation of tradition, each subsequent generation forms its own way of life, similar to the way of life of the previous one. Consequently, without continuity, there would be no integrity underlying such concepts as "humanity" and "history of mankind."

Like any object or phenomenon, tradition has a common, singular and special. The general expresses the fundamental unity of the human race, the singular expresses local specifics, and the special expresses the creative contribution of individuals or communities to the content of tradition.

The better structured the life of society and the life of individuals, the more traditions in a given society. At the same time, the detraditionalization of society - the distortion of the content and the weakening of the role of traditions in its life - deprives society of a historical perspective, so such a society loses both stability and originality.

Traditions can interact in a certain way: combine and complement one another; resist and displace one another; undergo a process of mutual modification and adaptation; give rise to one another. Under the conditions of migration, there can also be an "exchange" of traditions of representatives of various communities, national, ethnic, religious groups.

So, the transmission and preservation of social and cultural experience from generation to generation is called tradition. Traditions are certain values, norms of behavior, customs, rituals, ideas. Traditions can sometimes be perceived as survivals, that is, as obstacles to the further development of culture. They can disappear and then reappear. Traditions can be positive when something is accepted, but can also be negative when something is rejected because it is "out of tradition", as they say, of a given society or group of people. Time makes a selection of traditions, and the eternal ones, such as respect for parents, for a woman, are always modern.

The constituent elements of tradition are custom, rite, ritual. Tradition covers a wider range of phenomena than custom, which sometimes resembles a stereotype in behavior. But the custom does not exist separately from the tradition, it is its variety. A rite, or ritual, is a certain order of actions by which a custom is performed and fixed.