From the time we are born we are engulfed in tradition. Tradition is such a part of our lives we never question it or wonder where it originated. Unlike many people I know, though, I do not blindly accept the tradition that has been handed to me from birth. I feel that as a child traditions were an obligation I had to accept, I did not have a choice in the matter. However, as a young thinking adult, I have the right to question all the concepts I was given as a child and come to my conclusions about the validity of them. .
A Christian tradition that I now questioned has been Easter. Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs, these are all pagan traditions that have become synonymous with the most sacred of Christian Holidays, which celebrates the resurrection of are Lord Jesus Christ. The fact we have joined Easter with pagan traditions is amazing enough, but that we do not question these traditions nor where they come from is even more amazing. Then we have wedding traditions, such as the wedding reel, which is were wedding guest form two lines and pay one, five, ten, or any other amount of dollars to dance with the guest. This tradition is traced back to the Middle East were families, and friends would put money in a bowl or pot to support the newlyweds in their first year of marriage and then dance with them. Another wedding tradition, wearing something blue, was developed in ancient Israel or Judea, and it comes from the fact that tzitzits or fringes required by the Mosaic laws, which were blue (dye came from a sea snail). Also, a wedding tradition derived from the Middle East is music being played. At the wedding, they would play music which would symbolize happiness and long sweet life to the two getting married (this came from Yemen).
One of the traditions I deeply regret is the quickly disappearing traditions of a young child's coming into manhood, which vary in the USA among different religions and cultures.
