Is cultural tradition overrated?

They mark the Seasons and become part of the calendar.
Our DGS sets great store by all the traditions, possibly most Children do, more than adults.
Other countries keep their culture and traditions alive, and we should to although am in favour of hot cross buns all year round.

Ahh.. there we differ lemon I love a hot cross bun and mince pies but I am a bit of a "dog in a manger" and refuse to buy them until it is ' the season' for them and grumble at DH if he sneaks them in too soon! if we eat them all year or too often they are no longer 'traditionally' eaten at Christmas/Easter!

True! I just like them ( a lot.)

I don't feel that much of it matters even if the commercialisation is over the top, which it is. One can ignore a lot of that. Trick or Treat is essentially blackmail so I do object to that.

My Dh loves Cadburys Creme eggs and each year he lurks, ready to pounce on the early crop which is usually in store around Christmas. Three years ago I spotted newly laid ones in a shop in the third week in December, appropriately in Egham in Surrey, and bought him a couple. He ate them there and there, not bothering to wait until Easter.

It would be a shame, though, if everything became the same as everything else as I think it's nice to have different things to look forward to.

its always been guising in Scotland as far back as my GGm and further as far as I'm aware .Kids here still expect to sing a song or recite a poem or tell a joke and then get their reward .We dont get many who say "trick or treat" usually its "the sky is blue the grass is green what do you have for my halloween" ,same as I said when I was wee .Locally its called the Gloshes .

When I was young there was not a season for hot cross buns. All the shops were closed on Good Friday except the bakers. It was a real treat to go there to buy the buns. At Harvest Festival the baker also made an enormous bread wheat sheaf, complete with mouse. This was given to the church. Because we did not have, or see these things all year round, they were special.

I agree BBbevan I like having things in season, gives me something to look forward to.
I suppose its inevitable that customs will change and new ones evolve. I think it would be a shame to lose things like cheese rolling, Morris dancing etc.

Is cultural tradition overated?
No - as long as commercialism does not take over.
We have just been to a country with a very long history and traditions which are still kept alive. Dancing, their food and their awareness of their history - all a matter of great pride and a great tourist attraction too, so bringing in much needed money by visitors to the country.

We've been practising songs for harvest festival today (but not 'We Plough the Fields and Scatter' - apparently superseded by 'fun' songs).

BBevan Exactly my perspective! My mum used to get up early to finish baking Hot X buns. She would have done the prep late on Maundy Thursday and then get up to get them in the oven in time for breakfast.

Even after we were married I remember the shops being shut on Good Friday - apart from the village baker's which made lovely hot cross buns.

I have made them (once )

Ha, I'm a once-only hot cross bun maker, too, Jalima.

As a child I used to dread Easter. Shops and everything else shut on Friday, open on Sat morning for the ritual dash out for more bread, everything closed on Sunday, everything closed on Monday and my mother in a four-day bad mood, coping with four children and her grumpy father, plus my dad who didn't like any change in routine.

It was actually okay if the weather was good but if it was a cold, wet Easter it was misery! I'm not sure even the eggs made up for that.

I made hot cross buns once. We cobbled the path with them ?

What is cultural tradition?

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html

'Cultural Tradition'
The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication: cultural practices that are preserved by tradition.

My hot cross buns were very nice BBbevan (thought I say it myself ). The problem was that I made about 3 dozen of them!

Bbevan ???

We did the same with some of my sister's parkin once. Couldn't even cut it with a saw!

sounds like my gf pastry!
The problem is that it is not at all traditional.
although the mincemeat filling is.

Where is Guy Fawkes in your list? Has that been forgotten for Trick and Treat which we never did when I was a child.

Christmas is a twelve day festival? Well I never!
It seems to begin at the end of August each year, and carries on through the January sales, finally retiring in time for the Valentine’s Day commercial shindig.
Bah humbug!
Actually I love Christmas, but won’t acknowledge it until late November.

Just forgot to put it in! And I have a special soft spot for Nov 5th.. Met my DH at a firework party!!
We always celebrated Halloween..though did not trick or treat.. but a similar guising tradition in some areas of UK.

Not religious at all but I like to keep the different celebrations as separate as possible. I could scream at people who put Christmas secs up before December ( I put them up last week before the DAY). Why spoil the expectation, I agree with a previous poster though....hot x buns...all year round please.

slutty That is part of the reason for me starting this thread! I hate the extension of some festivals because ,for me, it diminishes them.

Isn't culture constantly shifting and changing ? I like the craziness of it sometimes.