Traditions we have lost?

[Lydara22]

Brought on by family circumstance currently, I remembered that when I was a child, my mother always closed all of the curtains in the house as a respectful sign of mourning.
We don't do that anymore do we?

What other respectful traditions have we lost?

Interesting idea for a thread. I can't think of anything right now. I wanted to bump this thread for you though.

Maypoles

Carol singing.
I grew up way out in the country in a very traditional village. We always had Carol singers. Because we didn’t have any street lights we had real lanterns on a stick.

That has stopped but the village still have a proper harvest supper.

Penny for the Guy.

I was also thinking…

• First foot at New Year, with a piece of coal, tall and dark, first to enter the house after midnight
• Thank you cards ( and increasingly any posted cards). We were made to sit and write a card/letter for every gift received. It always had to say what it was and why we liked it/hiw we would use it - even money gifts - what we'd spend the money on

Washing your face in the early morning dew on Mayday, supposed to make your skin beautiful!
Blessing the plough still happens in my benefice but I don’t think it’s very common anymore.

The new husband carrying the bride over the threshold.

Queuing

I think it's still done in some areas in Ireland, but maybe only where it's still very localised

That still.happens

Placing a lit candle in a window for Candlemas. Which happens to be today.

First footing is not lost around here, but what I do not see is the tradition of finishing a project before the year turns. My granny would knit and knit in the days after Christmas in the fear she’d have to throw it on the fire if it wasn’t done at the bells. I know when I was younger that I knew that this could apply to all sorts of projects, not just knitting, but I don’t ever feel this now.

I have vague memories as a child of going to visit people’s houses locally with my mum to have a cup of tea and biscuits. Some sort of social visit, but she wasn’t chatty and jokey with them, they were older women, kind of semi formal. Definitely adult-centred, I had to sit there and behave. Can’t imagine my DC doing that.

I’m never sure what the general etiquette is if someone dies. Like who and when to send flowers, what type of flowers etc.

We still have a maypole and dancing on May Day. No longer a May Queen though.

People bowing their heads when a hearse drove past.
Drawing curtains as a mark of respect/mourning.

Thank you cards.

Holding doors open.

I've just made my teens do this for Xmas with the threat that if the thank you letters stop so do the presents!

i do live out in the sticks but we do still have carol singing, blessing the plough, maypoles, and lots still do the first foot of the new year.

Can’t think of any traditions we have lost but I was following a hearse the other day (empty, and by chance), thinking I wonder whether people would take their hats off and bow their heads if a hearse with a coffin inside went past. I know they always used to. A bit morbid but there we go!

Oops cross posted @YorkieTheRabbit !

Thank you cards
Christmas cards
Carol singing
Going to adult places as a child (pub, restaurant etc.) and sitting there with no iPad to keep me quiet.
Being able to just turn up at a social activity (eg. swimming) without having to pre-book.

Men/males removing their hat when entering a property as a mark of respect. My dad still does this no matter if it is his cap, his warm winter hat or a baseball cap or hat to keep the sun from his face.

More of a superstitious thing than a respectful one but I was quite touched when we had a death in the household and one of the family members who came round directly after made a point of leaving the back door open.

I was told never to eat in the street - I see people walking down the street eating all the time and I suppose it looks pretty uncivilised! Definitely think that one has died out.

Also, when we called for our friends at their houses, we'd ring the doorbell then step off the doorstep and wait for them to answer. I was taught it was rude to be standing on the doorstep when they answered the door. Not sure if that's a thing anymore these days.

Yes about the step…and we were also told it was very bad manners to stay at a friends house if they were about to eat. We always made sure we left before they sat down at the table.

As soon as I saw your thread title I thought of drawing the curtains of a house in mourning. In the days when the body was returned to the home for viewing I think it was done to stop people looking in and to make the viewing a bit easier in low light.
I remember when I went to view my mum after she died the room was lit with a weird orange light.

Chimney sweeps were common at weddings they were supposed to bring luck.

National anthem was played when the BBC ended transmission in the evening.

All wedding guests wore a buttonhole at a wedding years ago.

We used to do something for the Harvest Festival. I remember it vaguely from the 70s, but can't recall exactly what we did! Hopefully another poster will remember better than me.