Tradition

In February, A lil Hoohaa launched a monthly video challenge, first topic being "Potpourri". In March he invited us to tell our personal story. For the April project he sent us to experience some outdoor adventures. In May, we were supposed to document a day in the life, and in June we got to show you our towns.

July’s theme is “Tradition”, and I have to admit: I was slightly annoyed that I had already used our local youth festival in my last video. I could easily have turned what was just the outro into an entire video. Oh well… 

But what actually makes something a tradition? Traditionally speaking, a tradition is something that has been passed down or done for a long time. But when does a habit, a routine, or a little family ritual cross that invisible line and become a tradition?

I started thinking about our own family traditions: building a leprechaun trap for St. Patrick’s Day, dyeing eggs for Easter, creating elaborate themed birthday parties, or going trick-or-treating at Halloween.

Then reality hit me: our son Colin turns 18 this year. First of all… when did that happen? And secondly, many of the things we did when he was a toddler, a schoolchild, or even a young teenager are now simply memories. I guess I’m at that stage of life where I need to create some new traditions for myself — like chasing magnolia and cherry blossoms in spring or visiting pumpkin patches in autumn.

Instead of focusing on my own traditions, I decided to explore those of a village that many of you will probably recognize from countless photos: Zermatt, with its unmistakable mountain backdrop.

For this video, I looked at different sides of Zermatt’s heritage: mountaineering, alpine farming, traditional food, historic buildings, and even the fact that the village has no combustion-engine cars.

So… did I manage to capture the spirit of Zermatt’s traditions? Let me know what you think!

Please also check out the other participants' contributions here.