Re- Examination 6 Cultural and Family Traditions
Edcy M. Lebrón, 51248226, 05017901, 8533 Quarter Horse Dr. Riverview, FL 33578, [email protected] 1
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Cultural and family traditions
Background:
Cultural and family traditions revolve around a group of people who share a background or bloodline. They are the events that bring people together and create a need for families and communities to make time for each other and work together towards a common goal. Some traditions happen regularly, and others are once in a lifetime.
Thesis statement:
Cultural and family traditions bring families together and force the members to spend a considerable amount of time together.
Body paragraphs:
There are many cultural and family traditions in the United States. All of these involve people setting aside time from their daily schedules and coming together. The traditions that will be discussed in this essay are the marriage between two individuals, the tradition of having a family dinner every Thanksgiving and the tradition of burying a loved one when he or she passes away JML Jose Manuel Lebron We as Hispanic don’t considerate this two highlighter item as a tradition. The tradition could be considered to this essay are Christmas Eve/Christmas and mothers day or fathers day or even thanksgiving. No funerals or marriage. .
The first tradition is the marriage of two separate individuals. Marriage is an institution that has become an important installment of society's activities. In a conservative set up, a man is meant to find a suitable partner with whom he can have a family and spend the rest of his life with. Therefore, when he does find one, elaborate plans are made to prepare for a wedding ceremony that will include close friends and relatives. The family and friends are invited to witness the two make vows of how they will spend the rest of their lives together and stay faithful to each other. Weddings are not common in the United States only. In fact, weddings are a worldwide tradition that has been observed for as long as history dates back. The Indians invoke the name of God in the whole ceremony and the Europeans used to have large elaborate weddings for the royalty. The lifestyle led in this age is one of isolation JML Jose Manuel Lebron Could you please change all this information to Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. .
However, the weddings play a big part in bringing communities and families together. The disadvantage of weddings is that they tend to be an expensive affair. The larger the group of people hosted the more expensive the wedding. Therefore, this leads to a financial burden on the couple. The wedding preparation process is tiring and expensive for the couple. There are several advantages to the wedding. First, as mentioned earlier, is the bringing together of people. The United States is a large country, and people are spread out. Families tend to be separated by several states and meeting regularly is a challenge. Weddings are always a good excuse for family members to meet up and spend some time together.
In addition to this, cooperation is encouraged. Since planning and financing the wedding can be hard for the young couple, family members come together to help in the process by finding some aspect of the wedding, giving gifts to congratulate the couple and through playing an active role in organizing the wedding. Overall, the wedding is a tradition that strengthens the family bond and brings many together.
Thanksgiving dinners are a tradition that has been practiced in the United States for a long time. This tradition involves bringing together family members to a single house for a dinner where they get to reflect on the past year and what they can be thankful for. The traditional dish served during Thanksgiving is the turkey. Family members try their best to ensure that they are surrounded by their loved ones and relatives during this holiday since it is very important to them. Just like weddings, Thanksgiving brings people of the same family or community together. The sharing of the meal creates a close bond. The meeting of family members at a single place might be hindered by the fact that people live far from each other. The only disadvantage to the tradition is the long time it takes to prepare the meals for the large number of guests the family might host. It puts a strain on the host family.
Death is inevitable for everyone. It occurs in every country and the tradition of having a funeral has been practiced since time immemorial. The funeral gives people a final chance to part with their loved ones physically. Whenever a family member dies, the others are expected to stop what they are doing and travel to the bereaved family and offer consolation. Any form of support possible is given. Family members who had not seen each other for a long time get to meet and catch up. The wake gives them a chance to remember the moments they shared with the deceased. Through the funeral activities, the family and community come together and support each other at the time of loss. It is a sad, painful event but very necessary nonetheless. Therefore, family members and members of the community come together to help the family through the difficulty they find themselves in JML Jose Manuel Lebron Please change this part for something else. .
Conclusion
Cultural and family traditions are important. They are the pillars that hold the families and the communities together. The traditions ensure that people do not lose touch with each other in a world where people are shrinking into solitary individual units. The weddings, funerals JML Jose Manuel Lebron Please change for something else. , and Thanksgiving dinners are all traditions that the average American will experience in their lifetime. These traditions should be continued for the good of the family and the culture.
References
Cox, M. (2012) The Book of New Family Traditions. New York: Running Press.
Jenkins, E (1996) The Book of American Traditions: Stories, Customs, and Rites of Passage to Celebrate Our Cultural Heritage. New York.
Kerrigan, M., (2007) The Historyg of Death: Burial Customs and Funeral Rites, from the Ancient World to Modern Times. Chicago: Lysons Press Chicago.
Wade D., (2008) Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures. Detroit: National Geographic.