Family Tradition: Meaning, Examples, and Ideas

Meaning 1：family custom (family tradition)

family tradition 🔊

/ˈfæməli trəˈdɪʃən/

n.phr.

A special activity or belief that a family does regularly, often passed down from older to younger members.

Three generations baking cookies together as a family tradition

family custom 🔊

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/ˈfæməli ˈkʌstəm/

n.phr.

A repeated practice or belief that is passed down through generations within a family, often associated with holidays, meals, or gatherings.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Family from Latin 'familia'; Tradition from Latin 'traditio' (handing over).

💡 Mnemonic

Family + Tradition = memories passed down like a recipe.

📖 Example

Our family tradition is to cook a big breakfast together every Sunday morning. 🔊 Every Sunday we cook a big breakfast together as a family tradition.

🔗 Collocations

carry on a family tradition – to continue maintaining a tradition that has been practiced by previous generations

start a family tradition – to begin a new regular activity that becomes a tradition within a family

pass down a family tradition – to transmit a tradition from older family members to younger ones

🔄 Synonyms

family custom (n.phr.) – a traditional practice or behavior that is typical of a particular family

family ritual (n.phr.) – a regularly performed ceremony or action within a family, often with symbolic meaning

hereditary practice (n.phr.) – a practice that is inherited from ancestors and continued within a family

📖 Cultural Story

Rooted in Roman law, 'traditio' meant handing down property. Today, family tradition refers to repeated activities like holiday dinners or birthday rituals passed across generations.