Creating traditions
As I go about my regular weekday ritual of waking early to cook in the morning, I realize how much on auto-pilot I am on. As I light the lamps or power the music player on to play melodious music it occurs to me that no one really asked me or told me to do these things. Like my mom and her mom before her, I seem to have picked up seamlessly. Modifying these traditions to suit my style and creating new ones of mine along the way.
It makes me wonder if traditions were created to pass on that feeling of continuity. Society’s way of ensuring the tenuous connection between generations. Sometimes I wonder if hundreds of years back there was a woman bent over the dark nook in her kitchen muttering under her breath a multitude of thanks to God as she lit her lamps or removed the old flowers from the idol. I wonder if she like me, had her arguments and threatened the mute witness with dire consequences if her demands were not met.
I guess all I can do is wonder!
Hey laksh,
There is a little something for you…please do drop by at my blog
Laksh-
this is more like creating routine, rather than traditions, but, I guess you could call it that as well. Esp. for us women, having the daily tasks, doing them at the same time in the same order etc. creates a structure. Guess, you are right in thinking that this goes way back to the ancient times.
Routine given time translates to tradition is what I would like to think
Routines…tradition…rituals… they all have their part in life.
Interesting post and interesting comments. Made me check out Webster to reconfirm the meaning of tradition. A routine becomes a tradition when it’s passed on to the next generation. I liked the way you put it - Tradition is “Society’s way of ensuring the tenuous connection between generations.”
Laksh! your many postings about morning cooking makes me wonder, how you do that?..
for the fear of fire and smoke alarm, i don’t light the lamp, but switch on the lamp..
good day laksh!
shy
@Rupa: Thank you so much. Will put my award up shortly
@Mitr: That is exactly what intrigues me. Makes me wonder how traditions are created and what I would want to leave behind for posterity.
@Akay: You are right on the money!
@Spillay: Agree wholeheartedly!
@Suman: True and thanks!
@Shy: Good day to you too! I think I do it because I really enjoy the ritualism and the peace it gives me?
I used to like lighting the lamp…again sorry if I sound boring…but this tradition should probably be because in those days of yore, with no electricity; lighting the lamp after waking up in the wee hours probably had meaning….just like chestnuts roasting on a fire depicted during christmas….when people gathered around the fire and there was no other heating around!
So routine has become tradition. It might soon become tradition to write a blog entry everyday?!?!
@Apar: Well! you never know
It might just happen 