Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.
God’s Ten Commandments are the fundamental principles of Christianity (Exodus 20:1-17). The first four of the Commandments are to honour God and the last six to address mankind. Among the six addressing mankind, the first is to honour parents.
Many of the Chinese traditional values and moral standards align with God’s laid down commandments for mankind. The Confusion teachings are by this order—cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world—all of which are rooted in honouring parents/governing authorities. God teaches us to honour God’s authority and to submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established (Roman 13:1).
Raising children against old age has been the widely respected and accepted tradition among Chinese families. In honouring our parents, the very first thing to do is to look after them in their old age. Aged parents like their children to live with them or to visit them, especially during all festivals, where families celebrate with big feasts, exchange gifts and share stories in laughter. This tradition has been passing down from generation to generation. All of these good Chinese traditions are printed in my memory, and I believe in many other people’s memories, too.
In this stage and age however, I see that these good traditions are gradually fading away. Many people have become selfish or more selfish, individualistic or more unsociable. Individualism overrides family traditions, and unionism breaks down into individualism. Instagram, Facebook and TikTok etc. replace family traditional gatherings.
Meeting friends, visiting neighbours or worse so for some, paying visits to ancestral graves are most done online.
What are traditions meant to the new generations? Perhaps, one day the word of “tradition” will disappear and “history” will become valueless in the world. What can the current generation do to retain good traditions and play their role in passing down the good traditions—the tradition of LOVE?
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 