A tradition is defined as “a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past” (Merriam-Webster). So what personal connection do I have with a tradition, and what does it mean to me? Well, each year around Christmas time my family and I bake Jamaican Black Cake. This tradition has been going on as far back as I can remember; all I know is since four years old I’ve been helping to mix the cake batter. Though, unlike baking regular cakes, preparation to bake Black Cake takes some time; you have to combine all the ingredients to make the cake two days in advanced and let it sit in order to let some ingredients lose their strong flavor and make it more appealing to taste. Even though the wait is two days, it seems as if it’s eternity.
This certain tradition is special and meaningful to me because it’s one of the rare times out of the year that I get to spend with my family and bond together. A total of three days spent with them making the cake is incomparable to the other 362 days of the year that I see them because within those three days it’s as if we’ve all caught up on each other’s lives and what we missed out on. With all our busy schedules within the week, it’s really hard to find time to sit down and have a good, decent conversation with one another because if it’s not one thing, it’s another. “Work, school, extracurricular activities, and numerous business trips,” these are just a few