I was surprised to see a major retail chain starting up the holiday gift-giving advertisements even before the Ghosts of Halloween Present had done their tricking or treating. By now, however, the last of the Halloween candy is likely gone, so can Thanksgiving be far behind? And we all know that the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is accelerated in a way that defies the laws of physics. With the advent of the holiday season, most of us, in one way or another, begin to operate in ways that can be described as traditional. My American Heritage College Dictionary suggests that tradition is the passing down of elements of culture from generation to generation. These elements consist of customs and usages from the past that have relevance to the present. The Latin root of the word “tradition” refers to handing over, delivering or entrusting.
So, as the holidays unfold, we will find ourselves doing a number of things as we have done them for years, decades, even generations. How we decorate our homes, those we visit or who visit us, how we spend our time together, what we eat, the stories we tell – much of this has been passed down.
We acknowledge that not all tradition is worthy of keeping and handing over. Indeed, we live in an age when tradition is often seen as an obstacle to the necessary march of progress. And, it is possible, that even when we see that tradition is plainly withering, we may be reluctant to part with it, since it does give us reassurance of some measure of continuity in an uncertain world. I readily admit to being a traditionalist, in the sense that I find it difficult to part with the customs and usages to which I am emotionally connected. For example, though no one in our family is really fond of rutabaga casserole, I continue to make it as part of our Christmas Eve culinary tradition. I do so because lanttulaatikko is associated with my first memories of Christmas in Finland. Christmas would not cease to be Christmas without this dish, but, for me, it would be diminished.
Much of tradition enriches us. I think of examples in our local Finnish community in the Puget Sound area. By the time this newsletter goes to press, the annual Seattle Finnish Community Bazaar will be over. Note the “annual,” for this event has been part of our collective life for decades now. It’s really quite a remarkable coming together of nearly all Finnish organizations, which rent their tables, put up their displays, sell their baked goods and handicrafts, pass along their information, raffle off their baskets and offer their Finnish food. For longer than I can say, Leo Utter was the guiding spirit behind the bazaar. There may have been some concern when he died that the tradition would languish, but it did not. Sandy Haug, Tuija Kaarrekoski, Liisa Mannery, and Norman Westerberg, who form of the core of the Finnish American Heritage Committee, have kept the bazaar going, and in doing so have honored Leo’s memory, since we all know how important this event was to him.
Another holiday season event happening among us is the Finnish Independence Day Dinner Dance, coming up on December 1. While sponsored for some time by Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter, there are archival materials and even some living memories that trace it back beyond the founding of our chapter. By now, it is widely-known among us that the first Saturday in December is the date we come together to remember the circumstances under which independent Finland came into existence, to pay tribute to those who fought to preserve that independence, and to rejoice in the advancements that have been made under conditions of independence in post-war Finland. It is a source of real satisfaction to us to know that there are dozens, even hundreds, of such festivities now going on wherever Finns and friends of Finland are gathered all over the globe. We don’t all celebrate in the same way. Here, there is a full evening of dinner, program and dance. That is our tradition, and we have kept it for about a half century.
But is fifty years long enough to create a tradition? How much time is required? I like what the theologian Thomas Merton says about that: “Tradition, which is always old, is at the same time ever new because it is always revising – born again in each new generation to be lived and applied in a new and particular way.” So, tradition is not ossification. Tradition honors the past, but does not fear the present, nor shrink from the future. Even the recipe for my rutabaga casserole has changed over the years, and it is better for it. Surprising what a little ginger can do. And may the coming holiday season bring you joy in your own evolving traditions.
Gary London
FFSC President