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

Traditions are a kind of 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 tradition, a certain collective 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. Specialists 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 literal meaning and denoted action. The ancient Romans used it in the case when they had to hand someone a tangible item or give their daughter in marriage. Subsequently, material objects faded into the background, they were pushed aside by transferred skills. Thus , the meaning of the word “tradition”, or rather, its semantic spectrum, indicates the main difference from everything that could be brought under this concept. Tradition is that which does not belong to a particular individual, as it is transmitted from without. The derivative value is associated with everything that is connected with the long past, which has irrevocably lost its novelty, invariably and symbolically stably. And exact adherence to customs eliminates the need for many to independently understand the situation and make a decision.

Traditions and society

Each new generation, having received at the full disposal of a certain set of traditional patterns, does not accept and assimilate them in its finished form, it unwittingly carries out their own interpretation. It turns out that society chooses not only its future 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, at the same time reject others. Therefore, social traditions may well be both positive and negative.

National heritage

In general, tradition is a so-called cultural element that arises in one generation and is transmitted from ancestors to descendants, preserved for a long time. These are certain norms, rules of conduct, ceremonies, procedures that must be performed. 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, these are the rules that are manifested in almost everything. This applies not only to clothing, style and behavior in general, they also appear 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 who are capable of triggering an unconscious mechanism in a person who is clearly able to determine the line between “his own” and “another's”.

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

Contemporary cultural attitudes

The diversity 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 different countries of the world. Therefore, if you decide to relax in some exotic country, you must first familiarize yourself with its customs, so as not to get into an awkward position. For example, in Turkey, one of the important traditions is the need to remove shoes at the entrance to the house and the temple. In no case should you refuse to offer a cup of tea, this can be perceived as an insult.

Not just a rule set

Cultural traditions are not only a set of etiquette rules, it is a certain semantic flow aimed at showing the depth of the history of a country, these are values ​​laid down for centuries, transmitted from generation to generation to maintain and identify the unique mentality of its inhabitants. For example: countries in which Buddhism is prevalent believe that touching the human head is unacceptable, since the human soul dwells in it. Unfortunately, in many countries, traditional rites have gone out of fashion, so to speak, and have lost their value in connection with technological progress. I would like for interest in preserving our culture not to lose its relevance in any corner of the world.

Synonym for the word

The word “tradition” is a feminine noun, if necessary it can be replaced by the concepts of custom, abutment (masculine nouns), heritage, tradition (neuter nouns). Instead of a single term, phrases with the word “so” can be used, for example: this is the way it is, the way it is . For writers, and not only for them, traditions are called unwritten laws. One of the most unusual synonyms in the Russian language for this noun is the word "itihasa", which in translation means "it was so." Most sources define a synonym for the word "tradition" in several versions, in which, in addition to those presented above, the norm, establishment, custom, value are in the lead. An interesting option is the use of the word "hashar" (a term that has long been included in the Turkic and Tajik languages ​​and meaning "joint work").

Religious traditions

Religion also has its own traditions, which makes it a spiritual and cultural storehouse. Religious traditions are a combination of stable forms and methods of worshiping gods (God). Each of the religions existing on earth carefully preserves and strongly supports its own 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 the mind, which is aimed at enlightenment, i.e. getting extremely high states of human consciousness. Christian religious traditions include church attendance, prayers, confession, and worship . The most famous holidays are Easter, Christmas, Baptism, Trinity, Ascension, Annunciation. Also, not all traditions are respected, if only because in the age of digital technology, people have become less devout than their ancestors. Now few people at the festive table are asking for harvest or rain. Just a holiday was another reason to gather the whole family.

There is no future without the past

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