Thanksgiving Tradition

Tradition is something I have seen die out through my life. As I have gotten older, traditions have become less important. I believe this is one of the biggest problems in our society today, and I think this has direct correlation with our weakening morals. The most important tradition still in my life is probably Thanksgiving dinner. Every year Thanksgiving is held at my grandparent's house and we eat the same food every time. The same family members are always there and there are always beautiful decorations placed around the house. This tradition fits Glassie's definition because this is a part of history for my family and I, and how we celebrate Thanksgiving now shapes how we will celebrate is in the future. Our family's culture is shaped
by this traditon because this is one of the only times we all see eachother at the same time, which affects what we find important to us as a family member. While celebrating Thanksgiving, we always share old stories and memories from the past. This allows younger generations to understand the experiences their older family members have had.

I do not think this tradition can be considered art because of several reasons. I believe my family Thanksgiving is a very weak tradition, there is not much meaning in the event and it has becoming just a regular day that we get together and eat on. Also, I do not think most traditions could stand alone as art. The only exeption I would make is a religous ceremony with beautiful music and artwork within the venue. Personally I do not find tradition to be important, I think it is just a matter of preference if you find certain events to be that significant to you.