Good way to differentiate the two. I don't think Christmas trees originated as a pagan tradition, though I could be wrong. Didn't they become the "tradition" with Queen Victoria, after her husband introduced the idea from his native Germany? Pagans would be more likely to leave the tree standing, possibly decorate it and dance around it. The evergreen tree would symbolize the idea (to me, at least) that though everything seems dead in the middle of winter, it's an illusion. Life is still there, waiting to erupt boisterously with the spring.
Thanks for such a thought provoking and empowering post, and especially for drawing that distinction between tradition and ritual. You asked readers to share our own rituals in the comments.
Considering what in my life qualifies as “ritual” drove me to realize that the countercultures united around electronic music and dance have essentially created our own contemporary rituals.
Those rituals build on earlier traditions, like those of Sufi mystical dancers. When I visited my native country in 2007 to investigate the US role in enabling a dictatorship there, I discovered a weekly gathering that has happened every Wednesday for 2000 years that revealed striking resemblances to gatherings I’ve joined in the desert, or helped organize in any number of cities.
I recall at the time feeling elated, and your writing helps me put my finger on why: while our contemporary rituals have offered dancers and DJs no end of inspiration, discovering a tradition in which they were rooted (across time and culture, no less) felt like a realization of something essential in the human experience transcending our own particular settings.
You've drawn a line connecting new rituals to old ones, I love this observation. It makes you wonder about the origin of everything we do. Perhaps the ceremonies and habits we have survived because of the impact and power that they have. It makes me think of all the ones that we've lost too... anyway, thank you for taking the time to share this.
Also, I'm not certain but I thought I saw you on the Oakland Substack meetup registry? I plan on being there.
I hope to be there, depending on when it gets scheduled. I moved to the mountains to start a new life, but still return to the bay from time to time.
Your point about all of the ceremonies that we’ve lost feels poignant. It forces me to wonder what losses future generations will mourn, or alternatively, never have the chance to know what they’ll miss.
I can't think of tradition without thinking of the song of that name from "Fiddler On The Roof"- which makes more sense now that you have explained its religious usage and origins.
Good way to differentiate the two. I don't think Christmas trees originated as a pagan tradition, though I could be wrong. Didn't they become the "tradition" with Queen Victoria, after her husband introduced the idea from his native Germany? Pagans would be more likely to leave the tree standing, possibly decorate it and dance around it. The evergreen tree would symbolize the idea (to me, at least) that though everything seems dead in the middle of winter, it's an illusion. Life is still there, waiting to erupt boisterously with the spring.
Thanks for such a thought provoking and empowering post, and especially for drawing that distinction between tradition and ritual. You asked readers to share our own rituals in the comments.
Considering what in my life qualifies as “ritual” drove me to realize that the countercultures united around electronic music and dance have essentially created our own contemporary rituals.
Those rituals build on earlier traditions, like those of Sufi mystical dancers. When I visited my native country in 2007 to investigate the US role in enabling a dictatorship there, I discovered a weekly gathering that has happened every Wednesday for 2000 years that revealed striking resemblances to gatherings I’ve joined in the desert, or helped organize in any number of cities.
I recall at the time feeling elated, and your writing helps me put my finger on why: while our contemporary rituals have offered dancers and DJs no end of inspiration, discovering a tradition in which they were rooted (across time and culture, no less) felt like a realization of something essential in the human experience transcending our own particular settings.
You've drawn a line connecting new rituals to old ones, I love this observation. It makes you wonder about the origin of everything we do. Perhaps the ceremonies and habits we have survived because of the impact and power that they have. It makes me think of all the ones that we've lost too... anyway, thank you for taking the time to share this.
Also, I'm not certain but I thought I saw you on the Oakland Substack meetup registry? I plan on being there.
I hope to be there, depending on when it gets scheduled. I moved to the mountains to start a new life, but still return to the bay from time to time.
Your point about all of the ceremonies that we’ve lost feels poignant. It forces me to wonder what losses future generations will mourn, or alternatively, never have the chance to know what they’ll miss.
I can't think of tradition without thinking of the song of that name from "Fiddler On The Roof"- which makes more sense now that you have explained its religious usage and origins.