The Definition of Tradition

The definition of Tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. The word tradition comes from the Latin verb tradere which means to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. Sometimes tradition can include socially meaningful clothing and is often found in traditional music, dance, and athletic games. Traditions are thought to be ancient and deeply important to a group or society and transmitted through time; taught by one generation to the next. It is said that it takes two transmissions to happen over three generations for a practice, belief, or object to be considered traditional.  

I have found over the years that tradition is extremely important to me and is rooted with pride and emotion. Today, I have four generations of family participating and celebrating: from my Mum to myself and sisters, to my children and grandchildren. While we are proud Americans, we are also proud Scots; always anchored by our Scottish traditions. My parents passed this to me, and I passed them to my children and today marks the first Highland Games for my Grandson and Granddaughter. To this day, the pipes and drums give me "all the feels" as they say, dancers bring a tear to my eye and joy to my heart, and I sit in awe of the athletes. I often think about where I come from, the trials and tribulations of my ancestors and the deep meaning of our traditions. And that makes the honor of being trusted with the transmission and safekeeping of the Tacoma Highland Games incredibly special to me.

I welcome you as we don our kilts and ghillies; our emotions stirred by the sound of pipes and drums, the grace of highland dancers and the strength of athletes reminding us of our strong Celtic traditions. We visit the clans to discover our heritage and ancestry. We visit the shops to find the treasure to take home and remind us of the wonderful day we had celebrating Scotland!

#Savethegames

Stay safe and stay healthy,
Norma Gilfeather Smith
President, Tacoma Highland Games Association

Norma Gilfeather Smith

President, Tacoma Highland Games Association