When does a tradition become "tradition?"
Tonight we went to a fire fest in the village of Unterkirchen which is part of the town of Lorch. We got wind of this last week when we drove by an open field and saw people building a wood construction. At the intersection was a small sign that said a traditional festival would take place August 26 beginning 6pm.
They had built a pyramid out of wood. There was a big beer tent with tables and benches where you could get beer, wurst, french fries and onion pie (a Swabisch specialty). The whole village was there, enjoying and socializing. When it got dark they lit the pyramid on fire and it burned spectacularly. Sparks and ashes flew into the sky, the flames danced and got larger and larger, and the heat grew until you had to step away from the fence circling the area.
I asked the guy who set the pyramid on fire when it started. It turned out that 40 years ago he and friends of his began doing this when they were around 10 years old. With each year the construction got bigger and bigger and the happening became more of a public event until today when it is well attended and sponsored.
Is 40 years enough for an event to be called traditional? When I saw the sign I thought it must be something from centuries ago. This is Europe, which can be ancient and mysterious, and some hidden part will come alive. The fire fest has been done, however, for a relatively short time. Has it happened long enough to be considered a tradition?
They had built a pyramid out of wood. There was a big beer tent with tables and benches where you could get beer, wurst, french fries and onion pie (a Swabisch specialty). The whole village was there, enjoying and socializing. When it got dark they lit the pyramid on fire and it burned spectacularly. Sparks and ashes flew into the sky, the flames danced and got larger and larger, and the heat grew until you had to step away from the fence circling the area.
I asked the guy who set the pyramid on fire when it started. It turned out that 40 years ago he and friends of his began doing this when they were around 10 years old. With each year the construction got bigger and bigger and the happening became more of a public event until today when it is well attended and sponsored.
Is 40 years enough for an event to be called traditional? When I saw the sign I thought it must be something from centuries ago. This is Europe, which can be ancient and mysterious, and some hidden part will come alive. The fire fest has been done, however, for a relatively short time. Has it happened long enough to be considered a tradition?
posted by paulmediaeye at 2:49 PM
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