Family traditions around the world: 5 Fun Family Traditions From Around The World

In Spain and Russia, there is a tradition when choosing the color of a “dowry” for a newborn child, take into account his gender: for boys they choose blue, and for girls – pink.

In Vietnam, China, Turkey, it is customary to give a gold or silver jewelry or amulet for the birth of a child.

100 day anniversary

There is a tradition in the East to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a child. It is believed that if a child has lived his first 100 days, then everything will be fine with him. In the old days, many children died in the first months of life, and this tradition has been going on ever since. The first month of a newborn is not shown to anyone in order to avoid possible illnesses and problems. After 100 days, the family celebrates the first anniversary of the child.

This is reminiscent of the celebration of the first month of a newborn in Russia, the so-called bridal show, when the child is shown to relatives and friends for the first time. It is supposed to treat everyone with semolina.

First birthday

In China, the first birthday of a child is celebrated with great pomp. Parents and relatives congratulate the newborn, bring rich offerings to the gods.

On the day of the celebration, a child is offered a basket with many different things. Usually this is a book, a pen for writing, thread, money, rice, noodles, as well as scissors for girls and a dagger for boys. Each thing is given a certain value. And by what the child chooses, they determine his future profession.

Surprisingly, in Korea, the countdown of a person’s years does not begin from the day of birth, but after three months. It is believed that if a child spends the first nine months in the womb, then at 3 months he is already 1 year old! Therefore, if a Korean says that he is 25, you need to subtract a year, and you get the real number of years.

In addition, here it is customary to consider age not by birthday, but by the change of year: a person born in December in January is already considered a year older.

Education

The age at which children begin to receive education varies everywhere. In Spain, as early as 3 years old, a child can be sent to study.

The school day in many European countries starts very early – at 7.30 in the morning, which is also due to the family traditions of these peoples: it is customary to spend evenings at home with family.

Tooth Fairy

In many countries there is a wonderful tradition of hiding lost baby teeth under a pillow for the tooth fairy. In the morning, instead of a tooth, children find coins or small gifts. The tale of the tooth fairy and the mouse Perez was created by the Spanish writer Luis Coloma for the eight-year-old king of Spain, Alfonso XIII.

Fairy tale characters for joking

It just so happened that it is customary to frighten naughty little children with some characters. In Russia, this is usually Baba Yaga. But in different countries, scary creatures are different.

Ombre del costal, ombre del saco, a man with a bag – the main fear of all children in Latin America, Spain, Portugal. He is old, skinny, angry, and not only scares naughty children, but also drags them into the dark realm in his shoulder bag, and then eats them.

In the Netherlands, Black Pete is considered to be around Christmas. He brings gifts to good and exemplary obedient children, and he takes the mischievous children back in an empty bag. Those who behave badly, but still not out of the blue, he simply leaves without gifts, sometimes as a joke bringing them either a bunch of rods or a firebrand of coal.

Spanish El Coco is a creepy faceless character wrapped in a white shroud with slits for eyes and mouth. He kidnaps naughty children who do not want to sleep at night and takes them to his gloomy kingdom.

According to Vietnamese myths, Au Ko was an immortal mountain fairy. She was married to Lac Long Quan, the dragon-king of the Lacs. She gave birth to a bag of eggs, from which one hundred children hatched, known as the White Viet, or Yue – the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. Au Co is often revered as the mother of Vietnamese civilization.

Table traditions

In almost all countries, it is customary for the whole family to gather at the same table for lunch or dinner, to talk, to share impressions of the past day.

The cuisine of all nations, of course, is different.

Eastern countries are famous for their sweets. Some dishes are put on the table only on holidays.

In Russia, an essential attribute of any holiday, and especially the New Year, is Olivier salad. In Spain, the festive table is not complete without shrimp. In Vietnam, pancakes are a must. In China – carrots, dumplings, fish, beans.

The tradition of putting jam, marmalade and various pickles in jars exists not only in Russia, but also in Romania and Vietnam. But the existence of three-liter cans has not even been heard in any country. This is our Russian invention.

The tradition of planting potatoes with the whole family in spring and digging them out in autumn exists in Russia, Belarus and some countries of Eastern Europe.

Church

Not every family goes to church on religious holidays in Russia. In European countries, on the contrary, traditionally the whole family goes to church.

Picnic

Almost in every country there is a tradition to get together with the whole family and go on a picnic together – cook barbecue, fry shish kebab. Or people just take some food with them and feast in nature.

Germany

There is a stereotype that the Germans are extremely pedantic. It is customary for them to treat their home with the utmost care, carefully cleaning it and bringing beauty to it. It is not customary to leave grandchildren to be raised by their grandparents: for this it is necessary to determine the amount of money for them.

Parents in old age do not live with their children – they are looked after by nurses or they live in special boarding houses. At Christmas, it is customary for the whole family to gather in the parental home. The Germans are prudent and frugal, so they have a tradition of saving for old age, during which they usually travel a lot around the world.

UK

The British honor their traditions with special trepidation.

Oatmeal in the morning, tea at 5 pm. Family gatherings and discussions are sure to be held over a cup of real Earl Grey.

The British are Catholics, so they especially celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving, gathering with the whole family, preparing traditional dishes.

The British consider it necessary to give children a good education. It is considered bad form not to send your child to a private boarding school or college.

France

In France, the custom is widespread on Sundays to gather at a common table, eat and be sure to drink wine.

As for the holidays, the French like to celebrate Christmas by gathering at their parents’ house. At the festive banquet, delicacies such as foie gras, salmon, seafood, iscariot snails and noble cheeses are sure to be present. The traditional drink for Christmas is champagne and the dessert is “Christmas log”.

China

On the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, China celebrates Zhongqiujie, the Mid-Autumn Festival. On this day, the lunar disk is especially round and bright, and in China since ancient times people have admired the moon at this time. Those who are away from home, looking at the moon, remember their homeland. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is sometimes called the holiday of family unity.

There is a legend about the origin of this holiday. In ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky. A terrible drought began, the crop died. However, a hero named Hou lived on earth, who possessed incredible strength. He climbed to the top of Mount Kunlun, pulled the string of his bow and launched arrows at nine suns at once, hitting them with one shot.

Then he ordered the remaining, tenth, sun to rise and fall in time. Hero Hou, whose deed brought happiness to the people of the whole Earth, deserved the love of the people. Many asked to be his disciples. He soon married a beautiful girl named Chang’e. One day, the hero Hou went to Kunlun Mountain to visit his friend. Along the way, he met a heavenly sorceress ruler. She gave Howe the elixir of immortality and promised that by drinking the elixir, Howe could immediately ascend to heaven and gain eternal life. But Hou did not want to leave his beloved Chang’e alone, so he gave her the elixir of immortality for safekeeping. She hid it in a jewelry box. Once, when the hero Howe was not at home, one of his students came to his house with the intention of taking possession of the elixir of immortality. Threatening with a sword, he began to demand from Chang’e to give a wonderful potion. The girl knew that she could not cope with him. However, seeing the evil in his heart, she realized that it was impossible to allow a warrior to take possession of such power. Therefore, she had no choice but to drink the elixir of immortality herself. When the last drop was drunk, Chang’e lifted off the ground, fluttered out through the window and flew to the moon. Returning home, the hero Howe fell to his knees and, peering desperately into the night sky, called his beloved by name. Suddenly, he noticed that on the moon, which was surprisingly bright and bright that night, a shadow similar to Chang’e flashed by. Hero Hou rushed after the moon with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not overtake her. Hou yearned for his wife and ordered to install in the garden where his Chang’e liked to walk, a table for a ritual incense burner, put her favorite sweets and fruits on it as a sacrifice. Upon learning that Chang’e had landed on the moon and gained immortality, people one after another began to light incense in the evening hours under the moon and ask Chang’e to send them happiness and prosperity. Since then, the custom of worshiping the Moon on Mid-Autumn Day has spread.

This is a public holiday in the PRC, the celebration lasts from one to three days. Traditionally, the holiday is celebrated by the whole family. In the evening, people enjoy the beauty of the moonlit night. Fruits, sweets and yuebing – “moon gingerbread” are served on the table. This tradition comes from ancient times. Then moon cakes were considered the main sacrificial offering to the moon god. Later, yuebing and admiring the moon became a symbol of family unity. Yuebing, “the gingerbread of happy family unity”, should be cut into equal pieces and treated to each family member.

The range of mooncakes is very diverse. In the north of China, yuebings stuffed with red beans are popular, in the south, yuebings with smoked corned beef or salted egg yolk are preferred. In China, patterned mooncakes with various fillings are considered a good gift.

On this day, it is customary to sing songs and recite poems about the moon, as well as release traditional Chinese lanterns into the sky, as proof that Hero Hou’s love for Chang’e is still alive and revered on Earth.

The most important holiday for the Chinese is the New Year, also known as Chunjie (Spring Festival) or Lunar New Year. It does not occur on January 1, but on the first new moon after the winter solstice and usually falls between January 21 and February 21. The New Year Festival is considered the most revered and longest holiday in China: it is celebrated for fifteen days, and this is the official holiday.

Each year is associated with one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar, including the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake and others. According to legend, these animals were chosen by order of the great Jade Emperor, who sent his faithful servant from heaven to earth after them. In addition, each year is assigned one of the five main elements of the Chinese horoscope: metal, water, wood, fire and earth.

According to ancient beliefs, the appearance of traditional red scrolls and lanterns, with which it is customary in China to decorate all houses on the New Year, is associated with a ferocious mythical beast called Nian. On every first day of the new year, he attacked the villages, destroying all food supplies, kidnapping and killing people. Then, at the doors of their houses, the inhabitants began to leave food for the Nian, hoping that this would serve as a guarantee of safety, but the beast continued to act out. One day, Nian ran into a small child dressed in red and, to the surprise of the people, frightened, rushed to run away. The weak point of the beast was revealed, and the Chinese began to hang red lanterns and scrolls on the windows and doors of their houses for each New Year. The tradition of ending New Year’s Eve with the launch of firecrackers and fireworks also applies to scaring away the Nanny.

The beginning of the holiday is the last night before the New Year, “Chusi”. The whole family gets together. On both sides of the entrance to the house, special strips with inscriptions are pasted: “duilian” – “paired inscriptions”.

An obligatory part of the holiday is a plentiful family dinner, consisting of many dishes. After the meal, all family members have leisurely conversations and make dumplings. In many families, people stay up until morning. This is called “show sui” – waiting for the New Year.

On the first day of the New Year in the morning it is supposed to go around the houses of relatives and acquaintances with congratulations. Children are given envelopes made of red paper with money – “yasui-qian”. People wish each other a happy New Year, prosperity, joy and wealth.

Family traditions of the peoples of the world

Family traditions: from generation to generation

How family rituals can help maintain peace and understanding between households

We rarely think about what turns us from a group of people living together into a real family. Meanwhile, not the last role in this is played by established customs that are passed down through generations. We analyze the importance of family traditions and how they affect family life and people’s values.

From joint dinners to playful nicknames

In a family, 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.

Family customs are not necessarily big things. Even modest weekly rituals that are established in a particular family can be considered a tradition. For example, watching cartoons with children on Fridays, cleaning together on Saturdays, or family dinner on Sunday evenings.

The habit of wishing each other good morning, kissing when meeting or parting, family nicknames understandable only to a narrow circle or calls that you have safely reached your destination can also be attributed to family traditions.

What are family traditions like

Family traditions can be conditionally divided into universal, which are inherent in the most different nations, and rituals specific to different nations. The first group includes traditions associated with events that occur in the lives of people around the world.

Joint holidays

In most Russian families, on birthdays, New Year and other holidays, relatives and close friends gather at the laid table to congratulate the birthday person or spend the outgoing year. These days it is customary to give gifts and souvenirs, sing songs and dance.

Meeting important events in life

Relatives and friends are also invited to a wedding, housewarming, graduation or the birth of a child to share their joy with them. Such a sad event as passing away also gathers all relatives in order to lead a person on his last journey and support each other.

Family council

In many families it is customary at least once a week to discuss in a narrow circle what events have happened during this time, share thoughts on this matter, give advice or simply express their support. It also discusses plans for the near future. Such frank communication unites, allows all members of the family to feel their importance and significance.

Traveling together

If opportunities permit, many people spend their holidays with the whole family, going on trips to different places. And someone prefers annual summer trips to the country. Any such trip opens up people from a new perspective and strengthens family relationships.

Photos for memory

You want to capture pleasant events in order to return to a memorable day at any time if you wish. Fashionable now photo shoots can become a good tradition, especially in families with children. After all, each age of the baby has its own charm, and time flies quickly.

Joint cultural trips

Cinema, theater, exhibitions, museums, festivals – all this is interesting and informative. So joint visits to cultural or entertainment events is a tradition that is useful for all family members.

Bedtime stories

Evening reading not only develops the child’s imagination, but also sets him in a calm mood, and the mother’s or father’s voice calms and lulls.

Joint games

The warmest childhood memories will be those when our children played with us. It doesn’t matter if these are board games or active outdoor games, the main thing is that both older and younger family members take part in the game.

Household duties

It is good when all household members, even the smallest ones, have household duties. Classes can be changed and offer new tasks each time. Invite the child to wipe the dust during cleaning, and the next time to work as a vacuum cleaner. And with such an assignment, how to water the flowers, even kids can handle it with pleasure.

Transfer of skills

Children learn craftsmanship, recipes, needlework from older relatives, and these skills are passed on from generation to generation.

Continuation of the collection

Older family members often pass on their passion to the younger ones. It can be collecting stamps, badges and other items.

General “meeting place”

Relatives often organize a family chat, which consists of many family members from different cities. There they congratulate each other on the holidays and exchange news, provide support when necessary.

Traditions are different, but all are aimed at the main thing – mutual understanding in the family

Traditions provide a sense of stability for spouses and, more importantly, for children. From childhood, they form a variety of positive qualities:

1. bring up respect for elders;

1. instill a craving for work and order;

1. rally and unite relatives;

1. make you feel like an integral part of something bigger.

Family traditions include daily habits, religious rites (of which there are many in Russia, depending on the confession), and national features associated, for example, with marriage. Russia is a multinational country, and each nation has its own customs.

Specific customs include features that are unique to your family. For example, you like to eat oatmeal for breakfast, or each family member has an “internal” nickname known only to the household.