Category / Tradition
-
![]()
A Year of Cicadas
I was born in the late springtime 19 years ago, along with the cicadas. As my eyes were opened and I cried and was washed and wrapped in new linens, insects were crushing through their thin encasings and clawing through roots and rocks to see light for the first time, refracted in the zillion tiny…
-
![]()
Discontinue The Painful Traditions of The Past
The Supreme Court justices who voted against the legalization of same-sex marriage earlier this year had some strong things to say about the United States’ traditions. Chief Justice John Roberts, for one, described what he saw as the majority’s fundamental error: “The Court today not only overlooks our country’s entire history and tradition but actively…
-
![]()
Hiking Home
Christmas Day in the Sears-Wang family wouldn’t be complete without a grueling, six mile hike. Every year after presents and breakfast, my mom, stepdad, and myself—and, if we have any, our guests—head out to the nearby mountains. In a place like my hometown, Las Vegas, where temperatures rarely drop below mildly chilly, the brisk winter…
-
![]()
The Electoral College: An Archaic Tradition
The people do not elect the president of the United States. This statement would likely spark outrage in most Americans but for better or for worse, it is true. The people do not elect the president. Well then, who does? The answer to this question came to the forefront of American political discourse after the…
-
![]()
The Fall of Traditional Faith
Our relationship with religion in the United States is quickly changing. The US is a country that prides itself on freedom of religion. This has been a central theme of our identity as a nation. People in the US are more than three times as likely to say that religion is very important in their…
-
![]()
Transcending Traditionalism
As I descend from El Prado to Plaza Camacho, rhythms of the morenada ring from below, signaling a folkloric celebration. The 2015 election of the Cholita Paceña Zona Central beauty pageant has just begun, and ten young women stand anxiously beside the stage. These women have prepared for months in anticipation of this night by…
