Traditional: All in the time slice

 

     I have had my hair short. I have had my hair long. Once upon a time, I had more hair. But, I am a traditionalist. My great-great-uncle had his hair long in a ponytail and a beard that went below his waist (he would have given ZZ Top a run for the money). So, as a traditionalist, I am presently having my hair (what is left of it) long. My beard. Well, it just isn't amenable to growing that long -- I guess I missed out in the gene pool.

     At times, people use the word "traditional". What they mean (whether they acknowledge it or not) is "traditional since some date in their past". That date might be over a thousand years ago. It might be as of when they had their first Thanksgiving meal at their home as a new family thirty years ago.

     There are many who might say that having short hair is the traditional, expected, fashion in men's hair. Yet, this has only been the usual thing since about the time of Woodrow Wilson (early 1900s). Before that, hair fashion for men was in flux. Some had long hair like my great-great-uncle, more had shoulder length hair. If you look at a photo of the Lincoln - Douglas debates (1858), you will see Lincoln with short hair and Douglas with shoulder length hair. In the crowds, you will see fully shaved men as well as full beards and mutton chops and handle-bar mustaches.

     Go back another century and you have the "Founding Fathers" with ponytails in their youth and very short hair as older adults (to allow easier donning of their powdered wigs for formal occasions). Once you get into the 1800s and before, however, you primarily have documentation of the wealthier, more newsworthy, people and their living habits. What the majority of working folk wore and did was located primarily in family albums, journals, and diaries.

     Of course, tradition doesn't just apply to fashion. Our family has a special Christmas morning meal. Why? Because my wife had such. Why did she have such? because her grandmother had such. When did it start? Who knows? Or small variations. We had a tradition of opening ONE present on Christmas Eve? Why? When? Does your family have traditions whose origins are unknown?

     Occasionally a family will state explicitly "we're starting a new tradition"! But most traditions just occur out of habits -- and some traditions will be solidified into societal expectations. One of my uncles supported his mother, father, and (as I remember) four siblings through the Great Depression by being a barber. Sometimes he was paid in chickens, eggs, or a slab of bacon but all was useful to the family. During that period of US history, males would do their very hardest to have a short haircut, a shaven face, and a hat. They would use any money they had for that before paying for a meal. Tradition was something to hold onto tightly during the Great Depression and traditions often become tightly held societal requirements during times of great stress, wars, or economic depression.

     Note that I speak only about the men. Women have, and had, their own traditions but I haven't delved into those enough to talk about them well. Sometimes, especially within family traditions, the traditions will be in common. However, traditions are always "since ..." whether it is recognized or not.