Why do traditions hold such power over us – and how can we go about creating new ones?

Birthday hikes through the hills. Kitchen discos on a Thursday night. New Year’s Day wild swimming. Hiding baby teeth for the tooth fairy. Croissants in bed on Saturday mornings. Traditions like these – rituals practised habitually with people we love, and often handed down from generation to generation – are the backbone of our lives.

The concept of tradition transcends time, class and age – you’d be hard pushed to find a demographic, historical period or civilisation that didn’t uphold rituals or customs. Often we don’t know when or how they started, but we take them as they are – engaging in traditions unquestioningly because they tend to make us feel good.