Invented traditions

Invented traditions are things that people make up and pretend have been around for a really long time. It's like when you and your friends make up a secret handshake and then act like it's something people have been doing for years.

Grown-ups do this too, but with more important stuff. They might invent a new holiday or ceremony and say it's something that their ancestors did for hundreds of years, even if that's not really true. These traditions can help people feel like they belong to a certain group or culture, even if they don't have a long history there.

Sometimes people make up traditions to make something seem more special or important. For example, a school might make up a tradition of wearing matching shirts on field day, even though it's only been around for a few years. Everyone gets excited about it because it feels like a big deal.

So, invented traditions are like pretend games that grown-ups play to make things seem more important or special.