Family Traditions are those memorable rituals passed down from generation to generation that shapes your family by creating a sense of unity, warmth and closeness...those memorable rituals that create memories that fill your mind with belonging, love, happiness, and security...those memorable rituals that assure you that you belong and that you have roots. 

            

One of our family traditions is to send out a picture Christmas card each year.  We feel it’s a way to keep our friends and family aware of what’s going on in our lives.  We also include a letter; this is our 2012 card.

Many Family Traditions have their roots in distant past, when the concept and system of family as a unit of society was well established. In all ages and in all civilizations, since the ancient time to the present day, families have taken pride in their traditions.

Before what is called the nuclear family systems became the order of the day, there used to be joint family system, consisting of all the family members of two or even three generations, living together.

Then, as now, nuclear and joint families like to identify a particular person as the keeper of the  family traditions and assign a particular name to the keeper. f, a or example, a particular family may assign a name like “Keeper of the Flame” to the identified family member, entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring observance of that particular family’s family traditions.

In a country like India, the society has assigned a common nomenclature for the head of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), a form of joint family. Head of such a family is called “Karta” (literal meaning ‘One who does’), and for all practical purposes, “Karta” was entrusted with responsibilities, among other things, to ensure observance of family traditions.

Meaningful family traditions have always been a valuable tool for parents and elders to carry out the responsibility of raising children and impressing on them social values. Family traditions ensure that the warmth and closeness of family bonds grow. Today maintenance of and developing family traditions continue to be as significant as they were at the earliest times. Active family traditions and meaningful participation in them help families to avoid what the social scientists call "entropy". An “entropic family” is one that loses its sense of emotional closeness because members neglect the family’s inner life and community ties.

Social scientists now agree that effective family traditions promote a sense of identity and a feeling of closeness, a sense of security and assurance in today’s fast, hectic, and ever-changing world. William Doherty, a social scientist has explained in his book “The Intentional Family” that as family bonds are weakened by busy lifestyles, families can stay connected only by being intentional about maintaining important rituals and traditions.

I grew up with few family traditions, then married a woman who felt that family came first and that traditions were what held a family together.  So we created our family traditions.

Somebody has to create and maintain all these little rituals, so why not let it be you?         

Why not become your family's "Keeper of the Flame"?

There are so many traditions that you can incorporate into your family. For the most part, traditions revolve around holidays and special occasions, and many of the most popular traditions have their roots in religious customs, ancient believes and superstitions and folklore.

Traditions don't have to be extravagant, intense or require a lot of planning.

They can be as simple as reading to your child every night in the same comfy chair, having a movie and pizza night every Friday or discussing things you are grateful for around the dinner table each evening.