Oddbean new post about login | logout I've observed the same thing in the US—most of us don't have any cultural traditions, even family traditions. The unfortunate thing, as I see it, is we can't just create culture, nor can we merely return to traditional practices. Tradition that was not handed down can be artificially reinstated, but it loses something in the process. New traditions can be created but often they don't stick. I think we have to create occasions in which culture can arise, then hope it comes about naturally.
The young adult community at my church started what they call "Wojtyla nights," named after Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), and they consist of sharing of food and presentation of performance of various kinds of art by members of the community. Last year, just before Christmas, my wife and I hosted a party with a formal toast, cocktail menu, and poetry readings. It's possible to create spaces for culture to develop, but it requires active and persistent effort, and buy-in from others.
Many people probably don’t know what it is like to have culture, maybe they’re celebrating their own but do not notice. The word culture has a big variety of meaning. We can’t just create culture, you say something. There has to be people around it, enjoying it, willing to continue. We were celebrating the opening of our church for the last 25 years, maybe it’s time for an update? Not necessarily without religion but the world today is different from where it was 25years ago. Maybe it’s time for a reunion. For myself, I’d like to celebrate nature better so I will build tradition over the years and hopefully it will adapt :) 💭🙏🏼🫂💚
Our church's Pfadfinder and Landjugend started woodland festivals, that you have to hike to with flashlights and torches. It kicks off with prayer and then a bonfire is lit and there's grilling and a potluck dinner, instrumental live music, and stuff. Really popular. They do one for Johannisfeuer and one for Advent.
The German philosophy Josef Pieper argued that true culture depends on—or is at least seeded by—religion. He says that culture is an affirmation of the goodness of the world and of life, and such an affirmation naturally expressed itself in thanksgiving. The act of giving thanks, of course, implies an object, namely, God. That said, while this religious connection is implicit, it is not always the focal point of each and every element of a culture. What is always necessary, however, is an attitude of wonder and receptivity to the gift that is our existence. That is why we typically associate culture with music, food, and poetry; they are all things we receive that cause us to stop and ponder the world as it is.