TRADITION

Tradidion: the handing down of information, beliefs, or customs from one generation to another, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

I am currently in a production of Fiddler on the Roof, which is a show whose primary theme is about Tradition.

I was unable to perform in one of the days of our production, because I had a long standing commitment to my husbands family and to one of their ancestral Traditions called Carnivale.  It is a tradition that began with my husbands Grandfather and Grandmother from Gaeta, Italy, and now reaches through the generations to their children, their grandchildren, great grandchildren and now great great grandchildren.

We gather together and sing a song that tells the story of Carnivale, and each year the song has new verses added to it, telling the stories and milestones of each new family member that is born into the family. This song is a testament to my husbands grandparents and to their tradition of gathering their family together around a table where we eat homemade ravioli, meatballs and sausage.

Tomorrow, I will gather with my family, where my parents will make almost 30 pounds of corned beef and cabbage and we will all gather and laugh, tell stories and bask in the joy of being together. This tradition is not as old as my husbands Carnivale, but that is the joy of Traditions, we can constantly reinvent Traditions and mix the old with the new.

To me Tradition means:

T- togetherness (as a family, a community, a circle of friends, when two or more gather....we share beliefs, information and customs....Tradition)
R- revelry (finding joy in the art of being together, enjoying each others presence, laughing crying, storytelling...we revel in our Traditions)
A- attention (taking the time to pay attention, to listen and hear each other, telling stories of old, and stories of new, the stories are what create the Traditions)
D- dedication (being true to your word, and following through on being there for each other in good times and in bad, understanding that some traditions stay the same, some fade, but we can be dedicated to creating new versions of old Traditions, keeping some Traditions the same, and creating brand new Traditons)
I- insight (knowing instinctively to respect our elders, and their stories. To know, that they are who we come from,and we owe it to them to pass their stories on from generation to generation)
T- time (make time matter, spend time with loved ones and show your gratitude for all who came before us and all who will come after)
I- inclusion (include everyone, don't hold grudges, forgive, welcome the new Traditions that are created, and value the Traditions of old.  Change is hard sometimes, but if you include the  nuances of old Traditions when creating new Traditions every one from generation to generation will be included)
O- openess (open your heart, your arms, your eyes and your home to the beauty and joy of Traditions)
N- notetake (take note of the folklore, listen to your elders, their stories are your stories, and your stories will become your next generations stories....and so the stories go on, and on, and though the Traditions may change from generation to generation, the fiber of those Traditions will be woven in the memories of those yet to come)