Where does culture fit in?

_Elsa_

‘Culture acts as the underlying thread that connects you to everyone else, with traditions acting as the events and customs to honor these. We witness this not only in Japan but across every country in the world. In Mexico, for instance, the importance of family plays a huge role in its culture. 

There are certain traditions that honor this. The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a widely celebrated tradition that honors those that have already passed. Yet other traditions, such as the role of friends and family at weddings, and huge family get-togethers for birthdays are customs that center around the importance of family. 

Each culture has certain traditions that help honor it. They play a huge role in the culture’s continued evolution, yet no tradition alone can tell the whole story. 

Traditions are often the most externally-facing parts of a culture. They show the personality, color, and heritage of a culture. They help you know what to do and when (and what not to do). They give you a glimpse into a person’s culture, but to truly understand a culture, you need to spend time listening and learning. 

And one of the first lessons is understanding the difference between culture and tradition. Once you know this you can go beneath the surface and understand the bigger picture. This leads to empathy, respect, appreciation, and the ability to properly honor a person and their culture. 

How To Honor a Culture and its Traditions - True understanding empowers real change. Millions of people are waking up to this as movements like MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and those by the LGBTQ community gain precedence. We’re beginning to think more about what life is like in another person’s shoes. We only know what we know, which widens the gap of ignorance and indifference. But when you start to understand what you might not know, to try to understand the perspective and experiences of others, and to empathize with them, you lay the foundation for change. 

Ignorance fuels so much hate, conflict, and war. Long before bombs and bullets, violence starts in our heads and our hearts, in the words we use, in the beliefs we hold about other cultures and traditions. Understanding the difference between culture and tradition allows us to better understand one another, to empathize, build relationship, and create long-lasting change.’ (Source) 

“So what I am reading in this article is really saying that culture just connects people in a country together by sharing the same traditions,” Elsa thinks. “Maybe that’s it and nothing more than that.”

Let’s continue - Elsa researches the definition of customs

Start at the beginning - Is there a difference between culture, tradition and customs?