Law and customs. Custom - what is it? Examples of legal, national, folk customs and business practices

What is a custom? These are rules of behavior that have become entrenched in the minds of the people through repeated repetitions. What customs exist, where they come from and where they disappear, read about all this below.

What is custom

As mentioned above, rules of behavior that have become norms for people due to repeated repetition. This includes customs that are performed on holidays, as well as those that become a daily routine. Mostly people follow them out of habit, without really thinking about the meaning of the actions. Every society has its own customs. Some of them are regulated by the state, while others are observed within the same family. How long does it take for a habit to become a habit? At least for several years, at least 3-4.

How does tradition differ from custom?

Concepts are best learned by comparison. We already know what a custom is, but now let's talk about tradition. What it is? Traditions are a complex of all kinds of actions that are passed on from generation to generation with the aim of preserving and developing culture. And scale plays a role here. Tradition can be considered a local phenomenon, but more often it is created and maintained on a national scale. Nobody forces people to follow established traditions; this is a voluntary matter.

Now let's look at the differences. Tradition is much broader than customs, since it most often has a larger territorial scope. People perform various rituals and sets of actions, often without thinking about the hidden meaning that their ancestors laid in them. But such traditions are supported by the state, since it considers them an integral part of culture. But folk customs often change under the influence of time, government, and the way of human thinking. But for the most part, people do not see much difference in these concepts.

How customs arise

Man is a complex creature. And to better understand what customs are, you need to find out how people create them. Initially, such rituals, or repeated actions, were performed by humans in order to survive. It was a kind of reaction to discomfort. People started the custom of killing a mammoth once a week so as not to go hungry. The girls sewed clothes from animal skins once a month so as not to die from the cold. There were many such small local customs in any society, and they still exist today. True, our contemporaries do not have to survive, so rituals are aimed not at human biological needs, but at creating mental comfort. If you think about it, many of the unconscious rituals that are established in our society do not have any logical basis behind them. Such customs and signs are common among superstitious people. Why do students eat lucky tickets from the bus before the test?

Why do people, when returning home if they have forgotten something, always look in the mirror? There were once explanations for these customs, but today they are impossible to find. Life is too changeable. Each person has the opportunity to create his own customs. How? Before an important event, he can develop the habit of walking outside for an hour to clear his head, or introduce summing up the day into his evening ritual.

How customs disappear

Time passes, everything changes. Human life is very fickle. Today one job, tomorrow another, today one love, and tomorrow you can meet a new one. That's why customs have to change. An example of such changes: the disappearance of witnesses at weddings.

Previously, these people played the same important role as the bride and groom. But over time, the custom of inviting witnesses lost its relevance. Today, newlyweds get along just fine without them, which means there is no need to appoint friends to this role.

Another example is Epiphany fortune-telling. Previously, girls did this activity every year. Today this custom has fallen out of favor. Young ladies do not want to spend time in a dark bathhouse in the company of candles and mirrors. They have more exciting things to do. It turns out that customs know how to die due to changing public interests.

• vital;
• lifestyle;
• imposed from outside;
• rituals and ceremonies.

Why are customs needed?

Today there is American globalization of all countries. Most of the goods and services that we are used to consuming every day are not the product of our culture. Morals and customs must be known and observed so as not to lose your roots and nationality. After all, Russia is a country with its own unique culture, speech and art. Of course, it is necessary to modernize the country by updating customs and traditions, but this does not mean that it is necessary to borrow them from other countries. Why is it so bad to borrow someone else's culture, because previously it was the norm of life and when one country was captured by another, the culture was imposed against the will of the citizens. But today it seems terrible, because, forgetting their history, people are restructuring their thinking. And in the end, an option may arise when one person rules society, imposing the only possible way of life on everyone. It’s worth reading at least one dystopia to understand how bad life would be in this situation.

Examples of customs

Today there are many rituals that people perform automatically, without even thinking about their essence. The sources of custom are folk legends, transmitted in writing or by word of mouth. There are many examples that can be given.

When meeting on the street, men take off their gloves to shake hands. It seems to be a sign of courtesy and attention, but this custom has long roots. Previously, men took off their gloves to show that they did not hide weapons there, and as a result, their intentions were pure.

Another example of a custom is Maslenitsa. More precisely, the rituals associated with this holiday. For example, burning an effigy. This custom also has long roots going back to ancient times. By burning effigies, people say goodbye to winter and welcome spring.

Jumping over a fire is considered another Russian custom. True, few people have been doing this lately. But before this kind of fun was popular. A guy and a girl were jumping over the fire, holding hands. If they did not release their hands and successfully overcame the obstacle, it was believed that their life together would be long and happy. But if young people moved away from each other during the jump, this meant that they were not destined to be together.

Unusual customs

It doesn’t seem strange to us Russians to burn an effigy on Maslenitsa or decorate a Christmas tree for the New Year. But for Thais it is completely normal to launch boats down the river, in which people put flowers, put candles and light incense. This all happens in early November on a day dedicated to the spirits of water.

The norms of customs are determined by the society in which we live. And in other countries things are the same. In Turkey, for example, there is a custom: before a man takes a second wife, he must give his first chosen one jewelry worth 10 thousand dollars. This should prove to the woman that her husband is a wealthy man and will be able to feed both her and the second woman.

In Kenya there is a custom according to which the young husband must do all the work of his wife for a month. It is believed that after this acquired experience, he will not reproach the woman all his life for doing nothing while doing housework.

Customs and traditions: the harshest examples

What are customs and traditions? Customs are historically established certain actions and practices that have long become the habit of the entire people. By traditions we “decipher” a certain “cultural code” that is passed on by people from generation to generation.

Traditions and customs are very similar in meaning. Sociologists even highlight e. They are closely connected not only with history, but also with religious views. It was with the advent of beliefs that the beginning of customs and traditions was laid.

We all follow some traditions and customs, but not each of us truly knows their purpose and their history. I believe that people should pay special attention to history, because all traditions and customs are an interesting part of the culture of the people, the history of generations and religion, and are also one of the components of a person’s upbringing and his worldview.

The history of the emergence of customs and traditions

Initially, customs and traditions arose out of the need for survival. This is how the so-called hunting magic was born. We must understand that people in ancient times were much more dependent on nature than you and I. The hunt could be successful - or unsuccessful. Therefore, rituals arose that were believed to bring good luck to the side of the hunters. The elders had knowledge about such rituals, so in ancient times old people were treated with due respect, not like now.

The ancients also had other customs and traditions: not to wake up a sleeping person (his soul may not have time to return from the world of dreams), not to mate during a hunt - this is fraught with uncontrolled birth control, etc. By the way, it was within the framework of hunting magic that rock art arose: people wanted attract the spirit of the animal to your side.

Such customs and traditions accompanied the life of ancient man. They have become so ingrained in our culture that we don’t even notice or track them! For example, look at a teenager at a bus stop. He smoked, spat, and wiped his food on the asphalt with his foot. What is this? This is a genetic memory: in fact, he destroyed a trace of himself. After all, people used to believe that through saliva, hair and other remains of a person they could bring trouble to him. Don't believe me? Read the textbook “History of Primitive Society” for universities!

Wedding traditions are completely ancient: white color (dress, veil) is a symbol of transition to another state. We ritually wear white three times in our lives: when we are born, when we get married, and when we die. Did you even know about all this? Write in the comments!

Customs related to food. When you come to a new job, you have to sign up, when you go on vacation, it’s the same. A wedding table, parties - in short, a lot is connected precisely with eating food. Why? It turns out that in ancient times there was a custom of potlatch, when the leader of the tribe fed all his community members. This meant that he did them good - he must respond in kind! And today: I went on vacation, and we work? We're stressed! We need to eat! And a “problem” arises. Have you graduated from school and received a certificate? Are you stressed? School prom and graduation are again associated with food. Didn't notice

Interesting customs and traditions of the peoples of the world

Peoples all over the world have many traditions and customs, and they are different for all nations. For example, Russians have a tradition of celebrating the New Year, a holiday that connects the past and the future. This holiday brings bright feelings and many miracles, but, like most other traditions, the New Year has roots in ancient times.

An integral part of the New Year is a Christmas tree with funny and winding toys, bright and glossy balls and garlands flashing in different colors. Do you know why everyone decorates the Christmas tree so quickly before this holiday? Because according to customs, people believed that by decorating a Christmas tree, they make the evil forces that surround them good. Currently, many have forgotten about these forces, and the decorated Christmas tree still remains a symbol of the New Year holiday. This magical holiday is described in many Russian fairy tales and poems, the authors of which are well-known A. S. Pushkin, S. A. Yesenin and others.

The Russian people also have interesting customs that are incomprehensible to foreign residents. For example, on the eve of Great Easter - a bright holiday that appeared in Rus' at the end of the tenth century, in honor of the resurrection of Christ, we paint chicken eggs. And many people paint them with onion skins, because it gives a burgundy-red hue, this shade symbolizes the blood of Christ crucified on the cross. And a chicken egg, in turn, is a symbol of the birth of a new life.

But not only the Russian people are famous for their traditions and customs. Abroad, there is the well-known All Hallows Eve, or, as we call it, Halloween. The holiday became a tradition several centuries ago and, as we know from the book “Scarlett”, authored by Alexandra Ripley, this holiday had roots in Ireland. An attribute of this tradition is a pumpkin, which simultaneously symbolizes the harvest, evil forces and the fire that scares them away.

There are no less interesting traditions in Eastern countries. For example, polygamy. Polygamy also came into life from our ancestors and persists in the countries of the East to this day. For example, the Book of Mormon can tell us a lot about such a tradition. It is known from the book that in ancient times, the nomadic lifestyle required considerable care for numerous herds of horses or camels, so the owner forced several women to provide care for the mares or camels. Camel fur made it possible to have warm and light blankets, and camel milk was highly valued. All this could only be done by a woman; men had no time to do housework, they were breadwinners. Currently, in Eastern countries, polygamy determines the prestige of a man, which is no less important for residents of the East.

Moving away from the stories of polygamy traditions in Eastern countries, one cannot help but recall the monogamy of the Caucasus. No matter how sad it may sound, wars always occur in countries, as a result of which the number of men sharply decreases. As a rule, more girls are born than boys, and in the future many adult girls will not have enough husbands, and as a result, families and children.

In general, if you remember, there have been cases in history when only one survivor from the male population of the village returned to the village from the front. However, after some time the population returned to its previous level.

So, during the Caucasian War of the nineteenth century, the leader of the Caucasian highlanders, Imam Shamil, eased the lot of widows and single women. They were allowed to choose a husband at their own discretion, which actually legitimized the existing relationship. As S. Essadze wrote: “The named man, single or married, was obliged to marry the one who chose him.”

I propose to remember the customs and traditions of the inhabitants of such an interesting country as Thailand. Thailand is famous for its exotic customs. Throughout the calendar year, indigenous Thais have many customs and traditions that delight tourists. Solemn holidays are celebrated throughout the kingdom of Thailand. In general, some of the most interesting rituals can be observed in “backward” cultures, whose carriers live in.

An example of this is one of the most beautiful holidays in Thailand - Loy Krathong, dedicated to the spirits of water. This day falls in early November on the day of the full moon. The Thais float their boats along the rivers - krathongs, in which candles burn brightly and contain fresh flowers, coins, and various incense. Thais firmly believe that with the help of these boats, on this night, the water spirits will wash away all the sins of the previous year.

Each country in our vast world has its own special customs and traditions that determine the way of life and culture of people. How often do we hear about the customs and traditions of China? One of the most special traditions in China is greeting. In the old days, the Chinese greeted each other by bowing with their hands folded across their chests. It was believed that the lower the bow, the more respect the person showed. Modern Chinese today simply bow their heads a little. However, if they want to show respect, they can bow lower.

The customs and traditions of all the peoples of the world inhabiting the Earth are very extensive and multifaceted. They are directly related to factors that are rooted in the very depths of history, and to religion, which helps a person to understand and perceive the world around him by believing in the supernatural. You need to respect and honor not only the customs and traditions of your country, your people, but also other countries and its inhabitants.

Interesting article? Like it and write what you think about all this in the comments. .

©Sokolova E. A.

Editing by Andrey Puchkov

1.2 The essence of traditions and customs, their social functions

There is not a single nation in the world that does not have its own traditions and customs that pass on its experience, knowledge and achievements to new generations. Traditions, customs and rituals play an important role in the reproduction of culture and all spheres of spiritual life, in the implementation of centuries-old efforts of successive generations to make life richer, more beautiful, more meaningful, in ensuring the continuity of the new and the old, in the harmonious development of society and the individual. They exist and are supported by the masses in all spheres of public life: labor, socio-political, family and everyday life, socio-cultural, etc. According to the characteristics of various forms and types of social relations, traditions are distinguished: national, revolutionary, international, patriotic, religious, socio-cultural, family and everyday life, etc. There are special traditions in school, student, scientific, creative, rural and urban environments, etc.

Traditions are firmly established forms of behavior of people and their relationships, inherited from previous generations and supported by the power of public opinion, or principles according to which universal human culture develops (for example, realistic traditions in literature and art). When we're talking about Regarding the family and household sphere, the word “custom” is more often used, which is the oldest form of storage and transmission from generation to generation of standard actions and behavior of people in certain typical circumstances and specific situations.

“A custom is a generally recognized norm of behavior, unofficially “legalized” by the power of mass habit, traditions and public opinion (although the very fact of the obligatory nature of this custom may not be recognized by people) and spontaneously reproduced by the actions of many people.”

Traditions and customs have certain similarities. It is based, firstly, on fulfilling an equal role in the life of society; secondly, they have the same features and characteristics (stability, normativity, connection with public opinion, moral norms, social habits, standards of behavior, etc.); thirdly, they are equally widespread. Through the system of tradition and customs, new generations of society inherit the relationships developed in it and all social experience, down to the most specific actions and actions. Inheritance of social experience with its critical understanding allows society to follow the path of social development with lower costs. Contributing to this, customs and traditions themselves reproduce themselves, with some of them dying out, while others appear or gradually change.

Traditions and customs, being included in the moral system, as well as in the system of social psychology, perform the function of a social regulator. The assimilation of traditions and customs contributes to the formation in people of socially necessary qualities, habits and skills of social activity and behavior. Traditions and customs also perform cognitive and educational functions. Without performing these functions, they would largely lose their social meaning. Traditions and customs are moving closer together, as they perform functions that are similar in their social orientation. However, this does not yet indicate their absolute similarity. Their difference is precisely revealed in the fact that they perform their functions in society in different ways and in different forms.

The content of a custom is a rule of behavior, a detailed prescription of an action in a specific situation, and the content of a tradition is a general norm, a principle of behavior. “Custom strictly fixes the action or prohibition of some action; the implementation of a strictly regulated action is the goal of the custom. Tradition does not have a strict connection with a specific action in a specific situation.”

Through customs, people acquire the necessary knowledge, behavioral skills, experience associated with their immediate environment, and through traditions, to the greatest extent, they become familiar with the social experience of humanity (international, revolutionary traditions, etc.).

The nature of the educational influence of customs and traditions on people is also different. Based on the assimilation of customs and following them, simple habits and stereotypical behavior skills are formed, and following traditions contributes to the formation of not only complex habits, but also complex social feelings (patriotic, international, etc.).

The difference between customs and traditions does not at all indicate the advantage of one over the other. For example, the educational impact of customs is very great in the sense that people, following them, gradually instill in themselves certain spiritual traits and qualities, and are brought up unnoticed, naturally and simply. Therefore, truthfulness as a moral personality trait in children is formed much earlier than the content of the concept “truth”, and precisely under the influence of customs, in particular family customs.

The main pattern of formation of customs and traditions is their dependence on economic development, a certain level and nature of production. The influence of socio-economic relations is also great on this type of traditions and customs, such as family and everyday ones.

It is very important to take into account the peculiarities of family traditions and customs. Changes in everyday life occur more slowly than in the economy, in the system of education and social upbringing, as well as in some other areas of public life. The conservatism of family and household relations is due to the intimacy, specificity, relative independence and isolation of the family. Here sometimes the long-term, very deep influence of religion, nationalist psychology, difficulties and contradictions in the development of individual consciousness is reflected. It is in the family and everyday sphere that we most often encounter relapses of old customs and traditions that have lost both the economic and ideological basis. After all, there are cases when, after the solemn registration of the marriage, the newlyweds secretly get married somewhere else in a church. In the same way, the baptism of newborns, the consecration of a new house, etc. are performed. Funerals with a priest, wakes and other religious rites have not yet been eliminated in our everyday life. And the reason for this is not only the persistence of old customs and rituals, but also insufficiently active organizational and educational work.

Old family traditions, customs and rituals are not all so bad and harmful that they need to be completely eradicated. Many of them have enduring moral and aesthetic significance.

These traditions were formed under the influence of economic necessity; they were the most effective means of instilling hard work, not to mention their influence on the physical development and hardening of children. Respect for the results of labor, the concept of duty, and many other moral qualities were formed directly in the younger generation. True, in family life itself there used to be much more objects for the application of feasible labor for children.

But under the influence of the growth of material well-being and the development of technology in everyday life, these objects decreased, and the tradition itself began to fade away. And the consequences were not long in coming; There was a clear trend towards a decrease in hard work in children.

Some other family traditions and customs, despite significant social changes in our lives, need to be preserved and improved, because they largely express the folk ideal of those human qualities, the formation and presence of which predetermines family happiness, a favorable family microclimate and overall human well-being. Thus, the traditional friendship of families, as if related at the birth of children, the friendship of families of leading workers, etc., is of great importance.

An integral part of socialist aesthetic culture is the revival of some folk holidays (Russian Maslenitsa, Tatar Sabantui - “feast of the plow”, etc.). However, those changes in folk customs and rituals that distort their essence and reduce their aesthetic value can hardly be considered useful.

In the Central Asian republics there is a revival of the shameful custom of the past - the hated kalym - bride price. Magnificent weddings and ruinous funeral ceremonies cannot be passed off as folk customs and rituals, just as beautiful folk customs cannot be turned into a bourgeois cult. Some customs and traditions become so harmful that the force of state power has to be involved in the fight against them. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly distinguish between traditions, rituals and customs, including revived ones that carry positive moral and aesthetic values, and those that not only do not contain anything socially useful, but also harm the development of socialist culture.

Folk traditions, rituals and customs, including traditional celebrations, should serve as a means of developing aesthetic culture, collective entertainment and recreation, and improving socialist life. We must not forget that, in addition to holidays, there are everyday life, and in them the most important element of aesthetic culture is good work and family traditions. It is not for nothing that work and family life are so inseparable in the minds of the working people; it is not for nothing that they are so widely reflected in folk proverbs and sayings, in epics, folk songs and fairy tales, which together represent the ideological content of folk traditions and customs. In all folk art, which constitutes the most important element of aesthetic culture, friendship in the family, respect for parents, love of work is glorified, and laziness, parasitism, gluttony, dishonesty, extravagance and other human vices that stem from the desire to live a prosperous life without making any effort are condemned. this work. And this is quite natural, because labor has always been, is and will be the basis of the people's way of life.

The labor traditions of the Soviet people differ from their other traditions, because during the years of socialist construction the nature of work in general, family work in particular, has changed dramatically. An integral feature of the previous way of life, especially rural, was the inevitable participation of children in general family labor (maintaining the home, caring for animals, cultivating the land, etc.). The family life structure presupposed the compulsory labor participation of children, because there were much more labor tasks in the family, both in nature and in volume, than at present. Now the family life has changed, and quite significantly. And it is no coincidence that idle children often grow up in hard-working, honest families. And one of the reasons for this is a certain fading of the above-mentioned centuries-old tradition. The tradition of heredity of professional work is also fading: previously, children acquired professional skills and abilities most often from their parents, working alongside them. Now this function is performed almost entirely by the state vocational training system.

But does this mean that labor traditions are disappearing in the Soviet family life? Not at all. Another thing is that in former times they were formed under the influence of the material difficulties of family life, but now they need to be formed in every family in order to organize the labor education of children. In those families where this important task is given due importance, a good tradition is a feasible and fair distribution of permanent work responsibilities among all family members.

Nowadays, the continuity of labor culture does not lie in the transfer of narrow professional skills and abilities or, as was often the case in the past, the secrets of the profession of fathers and grandfathers, but in instilling deep respect for work and its results, in the formation of a healthy desire to be useful to people, society, skills and habits of organization , self-discipline, efficiency and composure.

If traditions and habits are organically fused in the life of people, then the former should be established, and the latter trained with the help of elders in the family, those who have more life experience and moral authority than others. There can be many such small and large traditions, supported in each family in its own way, but subordinate to the general principle.

A good family tradition for maintaining everyone’s interest in the concerns and successes of each family member is a constant exchange of opinions about labor and social affairs, impressions of what they have seen, heard, and important events. It is very important to form a healthy public opinion in the family. This should also be a tradition.

The ritual design of events of family significance, Soviet holidays and other important social events plays a very important role in the comprehensive development of the individual, in ensuring the effectiveness of education, etc.

The specificity of the rite, as well as the ritual, consists, first of all, in its symbolic, sometimes strictly defined character. In any tradition (especially in customs) there is a ritual, ritual side. A wedding as a tradition and custom in its meaning and content, perhaps, differs little in different countries. But the ritual design of this event has significant differences among different peoples.

A ritual, as an integral part of a custom, one or another traditional activity, subordinates the behavior and actions of people to a single emotional mood, creates a moral and aesthetic background against which reason and feeling, rational and emotional impulses and actions of people merge and are directed in a single direction. The ritual is characterized by an impressive, bright form that has an aesthetic and psychological impact. Many rituals and their aesthetic design include all major types of art.

One of the features of the ritual is that, despite the difference in roles in one or another ritual ritual, all participants are internally active and experience the same feelings.

Rituals in a special way perform important social functions: mass communication, educational, social-normative function of social inheritance. A ritual is a special way of transmitting ideas, social norms, values ​​and feelings to new generations. This transfer is carried out through direct personal contacts.

The social nature of the ritual determined its collectivist character. At the same time, people satisfy the need for collective experiences, complicity and public assessment of events that are important to them. The ritual not only shapes, but also deepens people’s feelings, enriches their emotional world, which is especially important in our era - the era of the scientific and technological revolution with its social consequences. Solemn symbolic acts form in each performer a sense of belonging to a team and society. If we consider that most rituals are performed at key moments in the life of an individual, family, team, people, state, society, then it will become clear how great their educational significance is.

A characteristic feature of the ritual is its conservatism, resistance to external influences, and stereotyped actions of people. This is his social strength and weakness. Serving society over a number of historical eras, it very effectively ensures continuity in the development of human culture. But during social revolutions, the conservative force of rituals plays a difficult antisocial role and becomes an obstacle to social progress. Therefore, in communist construction, in the development and improvement of a new way of life, both the struggle against old rituals and the creation of a new one, corresponding to new forms of life and everyday life, communication and social development of rituals, are of particular importance.

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“The best laws are born from customs.”

I agree with the opinion of J. Joubert. With this expression he wanted to say that all laws originated from ancient customs. Over time, the state replaced the clan community, which entailed the transformation of customs into laws. The process of formation of law, state and laws took more than one century. Social relations were regulated by custom, since there was no need for law or law. Labor was collective, property was common, so it made no sense to claim rights to other people's property.

With the development of mankind, social life became more complex; it became clear that customs would not be able to regulate all aspects of social relations; the need for laws arose. A “third force” was needed that could resolve conflicts and disputes between the warring parties. This became the reason for the emergence of the state.

You can’t create laws against custom and principles. There is a certain way of life throughout the existence of mankind (customs), and laws should only legitimize, and not cross them out. But at the same time, not all customs are worthy of legalization.

Good customs do not always take root. In a society with bad morals, the same bad customs are born and live. Therefore, some people want to “instill” in other people what seems “good” to others.

Consequently, laws arise from customs, and customs are influenced by morals. Morals are habits, feelings, beliefs, common to a group of people, behavioral patterns of moral value that have developed over a long historical development. Morals preserve not only those patterns of behavior that have enduring significance and are the inalienable power of cultural traditions, but also those that hinder the further development of culture, limit the freedom of moral choice of a person... or social habits form the primary form of law based on tradition, or law of custom. Customs are ingrained actions that have been repeated for a long time in any society. The main way to control behavior in a pre-state society in terms of tribal relations. Customs develop during the life of society. If they receive recognition from the state and are ensured by its coercive force, they become legal. Social norms are rules governing the behavior of people and the activities of organizations in their relationships. Law is a set of rules or norms of behavior that defines relationships between people, organizations, and the state/states. The connection between these terms is obvious, which proves that Joubert is right.

An example is the custom of expelling offenders from the tribe, which became a law on isolating criminals from society. Also, the tribes elected a leader and a council of elders, obeyed them in everything - this passed on to the laws on elections and power.

Every person at some time in his life has encountered such concepts as tradition, custom or ritual. Their semantic meaning is deeply rooted in antiquity, and over time, their historical essence and value have changed greatly. Certain rituals are an integral attribute of people's lives, and we, without hesitation, follow customs and traditions, hardly distinguishing one from the other. Our article will help you understand the difference between them.

Custom is a way of behaving in society, based on habit, which is reproduced in a social group or society and is logical for all members. The meaning of this word carries with it a religious, cultural and legal order, which may even be coercive in nature. When we talk about customs, we mean the transmission from generation to generation of rites, rituals, holidays, rules of behavior at funerals or weddings.

If we are talking about the transmission of the fundamentals of behavior and the structure of society as such, then we mean such a concept as tradition. The difference between tradition and custom is considered to be its national connection: generally accepted national clothing can be classified as tradition, but an attribute to this clothing, added by some group of society, will already carry the concept of custom. There are family, social, and folk traditions that can have both a positive and negative impact on a person.

Examples of customs and traditions

For clarity, I would like to give several examples of national customs and traditions:

• The most famous custom is the celebration of the New Year and Birthday, and the tradition is to put up and decorate a Christmas tree on New Year’s Day, and to give gifts on Birthday.
• Celebrating Great Easter is another old Christian custom. It is traditional to bake Easter cakes and paint eggs on Easter.
• In Thailand, according to custom, Loy Krathong is celebrated - the day of the water spirit that comes
• on the full moon. The tradition of this holiday is to float boats with candles, flowers and coins along the river.
• In the United States, it is considered a custom to celebrate Halloween. According to tradition, on this day various faces are cut out of pumpkins, and burning candles are placed inside the vegetable.
• An interesting tradition for celebrating name days in Denmark is hanging a flag in the window.

Advice

If you are planning a trip to Asian countries, remember that there is a custom there to serve “besh barmak” during the holidays. In order not to offend the hospitable hosts of the house, this dish is eaten only with the hands, and its translation is just that: “five fingers.”

Contrary to our traditional and generally accepted concepts, in other countries there are many strange and illogical customs for our understanding. Contrary to the usual handshake that we are used to exchanging when meeting, the Japanese curtsy, some aborigines customarily rub noses together, in the Zambezi they curtsy and clap their hands, and Kenyans simply spit at the person they meet. According to the tradition of politeness, it is customary for us to ask “how are you?”, the Chinese ask the question “have you eaten?”, the Irish express the wish “be cheerful”, in Zulu they will simply tell you “I see you”.