Time-Honored Traditions Across the Globe: To learn more about different cultures than just language (you can use our translation services for that), the Tomedes team has looked into different practices from around the world. We learned about strange traditions and customs from around the world along the way. These can be funny, sad, or just plain weird.
Put down your coffee and let us take you on a quick tour of some of these interesting cultural traditions from around the world.
There is no way to separate tradition and society. Both have changed over many generations. Traditions are generally unique to one group of people and come from their views and the way things are in their area. These can be used in a lot of different areas of daily life.
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UK Wedding Cake
Food is one of the things that has given rise to the most customs over the years. Food-based rituals are a big part of almost every culture. They include the tools we use to eat, the way we sit, and the things we eat at certain times of the year.
People who get married in the UK usually freeze the top tier of their wedding cake and eat it on their first wedding anniversary a year later. It’s thought that this will bring the couple luck. A traditional wedding cake is made from fruitcake that has been soaked in booze and topped with marzipan and royal icing. The cake doesn’t go bad because of this.
In Italy, Eating Jesus
A lot of customs come from more than one place. Religious traditions, though many are unique to one nation or group of people, demonstrate this very well.
People all over the world put a lot of value on religious customs, like going on pilgrimages or celebrating certain days. They make people feel spiritually and socially connected and help them figure out who they are and what they believe.
A lot of faith customs have something to do with food. For example, Catholics eat a wafer made from uncooked bread during holy communion. There is a mysterious process called transubstantiation that they think makes them eat the body of Jesus Christ.
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Red Brides, India
There are customs about clothes in many countries around the world. Many people believe that the color a girl wears on her wedding day will bring her luck. Brides in the US usually wear white, while brides in China wear red.
Hindu women also wear a red lehenga or wedding sari. The color depends on the part of India where the girl lives. Click on the link below to learn more about Indian traditions and habits and why it’s important to adapt to those practices.
Magpies, UK
Traditions that have to do with luck can be found in more places than just wedding clothes. Superstitions, which are widely held but illogical beliefs, are often linked to luck and the supernatural. This is how many customs come to be.
One great example of this is the magpie. In some Native American groups, having a magpie feather was seen as a sign of not being afraid. But a lot of Christians think that seeing a single magpie is a sign of bad luck. Over time, different customs have grown up to keep that bad luck away. Some people salute the single bird, others say “good morning,” and still others are happy to just take off their hat.
All over the world, people have practices and customs that are meant to keep bad luck away and bring good luck.
The Red Envelopes, China
A lot of different countries have practices that have to do with holidays. On Christmas Eve, have you ever hung a stocking from the mantel? Or left Father Christmas a mince pie and a drink? Of course, Rudolph needs a carrot too!
A lot of the time, holiday customs involve food and drink, but not always. In China, for example, giving red packages with money inside them is a custom for the New Year. These are often gifts that parents and grandparents give to their kids as part of fun events.
Royal Worship, Vanuatu
Over the years, people have created many interesting culture practices to honor the deeds and/or lives of certain people. Something like the Prince Philip Movement, have you heard of it? It is a faith group with its headquarters on Vanuatu’s southern island of Tanna. People from the Kastom group who live near Yaohnanen village think that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who is married to Queen Elizabeth II, is a god. They have a traditional feast with dances every year on his birthday.
Remembrance Day, Europe
Many countries have traditions that honor the lives of the dead in a wider sense, as well as customs that honor the lives of specific people, both past and present. At 11 a.m. on November 11, there is a two-minute silence in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. It shows the exact moment that fighting stopped in the First World War in 1918. People who observe it think about all the things that many people gave up so that others could be free.
Flamenco, Spain
In many places around the world, music and dance are big parts of the society. If you think of Mexico, what comes to mind? A mariachi band? When you think of Spain, what comes to mind? Brightly dressed flamenco dancers?
Folk music and dance are very different from one society to the next, both in terms of the instruments played and the way people dance. A force that crosses ethnic lines is something they do tend to have in common, though. Have you ever cried at the opera even though you didn’t understand a word? The native music is very powerful and has its own power.
Pinatas, Mexico
There are also classic things for each country. When you think of Mexican culture, how long does it take for you to picture a sombrero? Or a piñata? Yes, exactly.
Pass the Parcel, UK
A lot of families have their own birthday customs that are passed down from one generation to the next. Different groups also have their own practices about birthdays. Have you ever played “Pass the Parcel” at a birthday party as a kid? Or make a wish after you blow out the cake’s candles? Most likely, you did if you grew up in the US, the UK, or a lot of other places!
