Is there a difference between culture and tradition?

_Elsa_

‘What is Culture? - Culture is the collective term to identify certain ideas, customs, and social behaviors. It represents a group of people or a society, combining their knowledge, beliefs, morals, and laws. 

For the most part, culture looks at the big picture. It’s a general term that represents the whole. It includes everything from the food you eat to the TV shows you watch, as well as art, language, fashion, dance, and more. 

When you think of the Japanese culture, for instance, certain foods, movie genres, dances, art, and language likely come to mind. Culture is what brings an entire group of people together. It not only represents what you do but also what you believe. It’s deep-rooted into your personality and behavior, often resulting in shared morals and values. It’s a shared sense of community identity. In short, culture is everything a certain group of people has amassed throughout their history. It’s a way of life that you learn through immersion as you experience it each and every day. 

What is Tradition? - Tradition, on the other hand, is a more specific term. It’s often used to describe an individual event or practice, such as removing your shoes when entering your home. Traditions are ideas and beliefs passed down from one generation to the next. They’re not rules, but rather guidelines. Each family within a culture can have its own unique traditions while sharing other common ones. 

For example, each year on the 3rd March many Japanese families celebrate their daughters, wishing them happiness and success. This is a shared tradition that goes back many generations. It isn’t a law you must abide by, but most families celebrate it because they consider it a part of their culture. Yet different families may celebrate it in different ways. A tradition to go to a certain location, for instance, or to present a specific gift. In short, traditions present a link to the past. They allow you to honor your ancestors and pay respect to certain aspects of your culture. 

The Difference Between Culture and Tradition - The main difference between culture and tradition is that traditions describe a group’s beliefs and behaviors that are passed down from one generation to another. Culture describes the shared characteristics of the entire group, which has been amassed throughout its history. For example, the tradition to remove your shoes when entering a home in Japan is a shared custom passed down from parent to child. It’s rooted in good manners, as is the tradition of bowing to those you greet. These honor Japan’s greater culture, which largely centers around showing respect.’ (Source) 

Elsa tries to categorize what she has just read online. She uses some of the Netflix stories that she has been watching lately as an example. The last 3 stories that she has seen have based their story in Turkey.  

“In those stories the people entering their home, or visiting someone’s home, remove their shoes as soon as they walk inside the home,” thinks Elsa. “So that is a tradition in Turkey. On the other hand, culture is shared patterns of behaviors and interactions that are learned by socialization. So isn’t that the same thing as traditions? I am so confused.” 

Let’s continue - Where does culture fit in?

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