Change traditions! Unthinkable. Unheard of. Absurd. But on the other hand …
I enjoy watching classic musical films and Fiddler on the Roof, a 1971 film, is one of my favorites. The fiddler on the roof, the movie title, is a symbol of the traditions that the poor milkman, Reb Tevye, tries to hold on to in his changing world.The film begins with Tevye, explaining to the audience that what keeps them, the Jews of Anatevka, going is the balance they achieve through following their ancient traditions:
“A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition! Because of our traditions, We've kept our balance for many many years.”
When I hear the word tradition, I think of practices passed down to us by our ancestors. When I think of our traditions here in the Philippines, it is the “Mano Po” that first comes to my mind. We say “mano po” to our elders as we take their right hand and touch the back of their hand lightly on our forehead. We do this as our most respectful form of greeting and saying goodbye to elders, and also as a way of asking and accepting their blessing. Today, more and more Filipinos no longer practice “mano po”. The respect is still there but many have replaced “mano po” with a hug or a peck on the cheek. I still practice “mano po” with distant relatives and other elders but I prefer to hug and kiss my parents and first degree aunts and uncles, to show not only respect but also love.
Tevye's traditions are very pervasive of their way of life. He says: “Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything. How to sleep, how to eat, how to work, how to wear clothes.” Their traditions relieves them the trouble of thinking about their daily activities. He continued to say: “You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you. I don't know, but it is a tradition and because of our tradition, everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” Tevye's traditions tell them what they are expected to do. Traditions are their deciding factor. To them, they know that they are doing the right thing for as long as they follow their traditions – the way that they have always done things – even though they don't know how these traditions got started.
Tevye has five daughters. One by one, Tevye's daughters started challenging his traditions. To him, these were “Unthinkable. Unheard of. Absurd.” But considering what are essential such as the happiness of his daughters, he began to think and reason, “but on the other hand …”
What if we change tradition? What if we start to question how things have always been?
In the film Fiddler on the Roof, the song about tradition goes:
“Who, day and night, must scramble for a living, feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers? And who has the right, as master of the house, to have the final word at home? The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.
Who must know the way to make a proper home, a quiet home, a kosher home? Who must raise the family and run the home, so Papa's free to read the holy book? The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!”
Like the Jewish families in Anatevka, the Filipino family is also patriarchal where the father, as head of the family, is expected to be the breadwinner and has the final say in making decisions, and the mother is expected to take care of the house and children and to submit to the decisions of her husband.
Tevye's third daughter, Chava told Tevye: “The world is changing, Papa.” What if a tradition is no longer practical? While Tevye claims to keep their balance by following their traditions, change has to be balanced by flexibility that may involve changing our traditions. Various aspects our changing society became threatening to the stability of the patriarchal arrangement between husband and wife. It became practical for married women to take paying jobs in the workforce. Having shared the breadwinning role with their wives, husbands began to take their share of taking care of the kids and doing household chores. Men seen washing dishes were, at first, ridiculed. Tevye would have said “absurd!” When decisions began to be discussed by husbands and wives, sometimes even employing the opinions of their children, the old-fashioned criticized the idea. Changing traditions is likely to be frowned at, ridiculed, or criticized. If we change traditions, we decide, make a choice, and accept the responsibility for acting or behaving in a way that departs from how things have always been.
If we are to change traditions, we must think of what truly matters. With both parents working, it should not be forgotten why they are doing what they do it. Some parents claim to work for the welfare of their family but tend to prioritize their career or their business over their children's needs. If we change traditions, it should be with the intention of moving things to higher level. Timeless values, like kindness and honesty, must be preserved. It is good to replace “mano po” with a hug or a kiss because respect was not only preserved but also compounded with love and care.
I enjoy watching classic musical films and Fiddler on the Roof, a 1971 film, is one of my favorites. The fiddler on the roof, the movie title, is a symbol of the traditions that the poor milkman, Reb Tevye, tries to hold on to in his changing world.The film begins with Tevye, explaining to the audience that what keeps them, the Jews of Anatevka, going is the balance they achieve through following their ancient traditions:
“A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition! Because of our traditions, We've kept our balance for many many years.”
When I hear the word tradition, I think of practices passed down to us by our ancestors. When I think of our traditions here in the Philippines, it is the “Mano Po” that first comes to my mind. We say “mano po” to our elders as we take their right hand and touch the back of their hand lightly on our forehead. We do this as our most respectful form of greeting and saying goodbye to elders, and also as a way of asking and accepting their blessing. Today, more and more Filipinos no longer practice “mano po”. The respect is still there but many have replaced “mano po” with a hug or a peck on the cheek. I still practice “mano po” with distant relatives and other elders but I prefer to hug and kiss my parents and first degree aunts and uncles, to show not only respect but also love.
Tevye's traditions are very pervasive of their way of life. He says: “Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything. How to sleep, how to eat, how to work, how to wear clothes.” Their traditions relieves them the trouble of thinking about their daily activities. He continued to say: “You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you. I don't know, but it is a tradition and because of our tradition, everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” Tevye's traditions tell them what they are expected to do. Traditions are their deciding factor. To them, they know that they are doing the right thing for as long as they follow their traditions – the way that they have always done things – even though they don't know how these traditions got started.
Tevye has five daughters. One by one, Tevye's daughters started challenging his traditions. To him, these were “Unthinkable. Unheard of. Absurd.” But considering what are essential such as the happiness of his daughters, he began to think and reason, “but on the other hand …”
What if we change tradition? What if we start to question how things have always been?
In the film Fiddler on the Roof, the song about tradition goes:
“Who, day and night, must scramble for a living, feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers? And who has the right, as master of the house, to have the final word at home? The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.
Who must know the way to make a proper home, a quiet home, a kosher home? Who must raise the family and run the home, so Papa's free to read the holy book? The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!”
Like the Jewish families in Anatevka, the Filipino family is also patriarchal where the father, as head of the family, is expected to be the breadwinner and has the final say in making decisions, and the mother is expected to take care of the house and children and to submit to the decisions of her husband.
Tevye's third daughter, Chava told Tevye: “The world is changing, Papa.” What if a tradition is no longer practical? While Tevye claims to keep their balance by following their traditions, change has to be balanced by flexibility that may involve changing our traditions. Various aspects our changing society became threatening to the stability of the patriarchal arrangement between husband and wife. It became practical for married women to take paying jobs in the workforce. Having shared the breadwinning role with their wives, husbands began to take their share of taking care of the kids and doing household chores. Men seen washing dishes were, at first, ridiculed. Tevye would have said “absurd!” When decisions began to be discussed by husbands and wives, sometimes even employing the opinions of their children, the old-fashioned criticized the idea. Changing traditions is likely to be frowned at, ridiculed, or criticized. If we change traditions, we decide, make a choice, and accept the responsibility for acting or behaving in a way that departs from how things have always been.
If we are to change traditions, we must think of what truly matters. With both parents working, it should not be forgotten why they are doing what they do it. Some parents claim to work for the welfare of their family but tend to prioritize their career or their business over their children's needs. If we change traditions, it should be with the intention of moving things to higher level. Timeless values, like kindness and honesty, must be preserved. It is good to replace “mano po” with a hug or a kiss because respect was not only preserved but also compounded with love and care.
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