How old is a tradition?

[MacWage]

FYI: Gilmore was a lawyer before his present religious life.

(Mike, I am NOT entering or trying reengage the debate, just adding info on one of the persons.)

Back to topic:
The notion of "what is tradition" is one that has been hotly debated in times past and present. If you note carefully, in the film "Tunes of Glory," the question of whether the actions and "new" traditions from World War 2 are part of or an aversion from "the tradition of the regiment."

It comes down to when something began and how long it takes before the partakers feel that such is the way it "should be." My family is developing "new traditions" for my kids. These traditions are actually a blending of my family's traditions and my wife's family traditions. For example, Christmas morning in my house growing up Santa left presents in a large pile, each in its own place (mine was on the "the big leather chair") neatly arranged as a display and unwrapped. Anna's family would open wrapped presents from Santa, that were left under the tree. Now Kiwi and Wilson are seeing Santa leaving piles of wrapped presents, each in its own place. When they grow up, it will be part of their tradition, though it is now only a couple years old.

(Also note: the first posts of this thread was from mid-2005. I wonder if the thoughts of the early posters has changed, remained the same, or been reinforced.)

[Ayin McFye]

(Also note: the first posts of this thread was from mid-2005. I wonder if the thoughts of the early posters has changed, remained the same, or been reinforced.)

I agree. I would like to see some of the original members who posted to this forum 2 years ago reply to see if they still hold their views to be the same.

I have a side note i'd like to ask regarding this topic.

If one person starts a tradition and does it for 10 years and does it on a daily basis, and then someone sees them doing that "tradition" and does it for 5 years, does the person doing it for only 5 years have any less right to that tradition?

[Alan H]

The's also the notion of how thorougly I am "connected" to a tradition.

For example, my actual Scottish Ancestry, and by that I mean ancestors that I know are directly descended from immigrants from Scotland, date back to the 1770's. In other words, it's no "me" that's "Scottish"...or my parents or my grandparents. No, it's John McKNight, who emigrated from Ulster in 1730, or John Bryson, whose mother was Scottish, but of unknown origin, as of 1756.

Ever since then, all of my ancestors except my Swedish, maternal g-grandfather, and my French-Canadian paternal grandfather were born on US Soil. so my Scottish connections are mighty thin.

Does this mean, therefore, that I am less connected to...and perhaps less obliged to observe certain traditions regarding the wearing of kilts, etc?

Another way to say this would be..... Is it more onerous if a "real" Scotsman ...someone actually living in Scotland right now, with Scottish family roots going back several generations... "incorrectly" wore a kilt, than if some person from the USA with distant and faint roots to Scottish ancestry, incorrectly wears the kilt?