Family traditions are your culture
As the person I am, I have always enjoyed learning more about cultures and traditions. This interest is normally focused on different countries, ranging from Japanese eating KFC for Christmas to the different traditions within Día de los Muertos in Spanish-speaking countries.
Almost every country has their own traditions, especially in association to holidays, but I always thought that other countries had more intriguing ones than the United States. That’s when recently, I took my focus away from countries and I focused in on my family, and the type of traditions we have that I hope to continue.
I have a different relationship built between my parents and my siblings than some people might. Due to tragedies we have experienced, we have relied strongly on one another, instead of falling apart. With this strong relationship, we have cherished memories that I love looking back on whenever I’m miss my family.
Starting my family traditions, we mark days on the calendar that we call “angel years.” These are anniversaries are set on the day that we lost a loved one, and we also keep track of how many years it has been. Recently, my grandfather’s first angel year passed on Oct. 1.
On these days, my family tries to have a meal that we enjoy together. If not, we just talk. It doesn’t have to be about the loved one, but the conversation normally is. We just discuss our lives and it’s how we deal with the day, especially if it’s particularly rough. This year, I wasn’t able to get home, instead I facetimed with my family.
This plays into a family event that we go to every year called the “Walk to Remember.” We travel to Fargo, North Dakota to participate in a walk for the loss of a child. Even though Compassionate Friends didn’t formally host it this year, my family still met and did the walk.
Every Christmas Eve, in honor of my grandpa who I lost when I was three years old, my family and I have his favorite soup oyster stew. We have a second soup like chili for my younger siblings, but it is a tradition that has stuck in my family for years.
With the holiday season, we trade off seeing sides of my family each year. This year, we are supposed to meet my dad’s side of the family for Thanksgiving and my mom’s side for Christmas. Next year, we’ll meet with my mom’s side for Thanksgiving and my dad’s for Christmas.
We have fun traditions like my dad has sent me an image or gif on Leif Erikson Day many years because of his Nordic heritage.
When I realized that my family has our own traditions, I’ve started to appreciate it more and realized that even if I don’t have authentic traditions from Ireland or Sweden, I still have my own experiences from other people.
With this, I want to encourage everyone to find their own traditions. Even if they may not be the most obvious, most people have them. It’s amazing being able to find them and truly appreciate them. Embrace your family and your own traditions, especially if nobody else has those traditions.