I sometimes wonder if our world has become too fast paced to honor and cherish the traditions of past generations. My grandmother, Renate, for example, grew up at the Northern Sea and she used to tell me about her family’s Sunday tradition of visiting the harbor at 4 am in order to purchase their weekly share of granat (= common European shrimp). Her family would then spend the entire day peeling hundreds of tiny shrimp in order to prepare a relatively small and humble dinner at night. While I do not think that most of our modern society has (or makes) the time to honor traditions like the one mentioned above, I do believe that such family traditions hold a special pedagogical significance to the development of children as well as the inner workings of all of our souls. Traditions are joyous celebrations of life and help us move from the ordinary everyday into the mysteries of the season. My grandmother’s shrimp peeling tradition, for instance, is a great example of connecting a local tradition with a natural phenomenon- in this instance the moulting and migration cycles of the common European shrimp. In my opinion, honoring such family traditions is a true art form and requires intention. While time consuming, there is so much magic to be found in the anticipation, the preparation, and finally the celebration of a tradition.
I also wanted to share one of my favorite May Day traditions with you that I remember from my childhood in Bavaria: May Day Bags. As a child, me and my friends would make little paper bags, add a handle and fill the bag with springtime flowers. We would then hang our bags on our neighbors’ door handles, ring the bell, and run away so they would be surprised.
What are some of your favorite, slow paced traditions? Feel free to share in the comment section below.
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