customs
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customs
The entirety of the customs, habits, and rituals passed down within a community and regularly practiced. It is an important part of regional or national culture.
Das Erntedankfest ist ein fester Bestandteil des ländlichen Brauchtums.
Thanksgiving is an established part of rural customs.
The word consists of the noun 'der Brauch' (custom, habit) and the suffix '-tum'. This suffix forms abstract collective terms, so 'Brauchtum' refers to the entirety of all customs of a culture.
In Bayern hat das Brauchtum einen hohen Stellenwert.
In Bavaria, customs have a high status.
'Brauchtum' (customs) is a collective term and is used almost exclusively in the singular. It describes the concept of traditions as a whole, not individual countable customs.
Das Museum dokumentiert das bäuerliche Brauchtum der Region.
The museum documents the rural customs of the region.
In connection with 'Brauchtum' (customs), the verbs 'pflegen' (to maintain/cultivate) and 'erhalten' (to preserve) are often used. They express that people are actively making an effort to continue traditions.
Viele Vereine engagieren sich dafür, das lokale Brauchtum zu pflegen.
Many associations are committed to maintaining local customs.
tradition
'die Tradition' and 'das Brauchtum' both have to do with habits or customs that people pass down over a long time. 'die Tradition' can be a single custom, a fixed action, or also a general way of doing something as it was done in the past. 'das Brauchtum' more often means the entirety of many customs in a community, often in a region or culture. Learners may confuse the words because both appear in contexts involving festivals, celebrations, and old customs. For a single custom, 'Tradition' usually fits best. When talking about many traditional customs of a group, 'Brauchtum' sounds more natural.
Im Sommer zeigt das Museum altes Brauchtum aus der Region.
In the summer, the museum shows old customs from the region.
In meiner Familie ist es Tradition, am ersten Januar zusammen zu essen.
In my family, it is a tradition to eat together on January first.