Paper short abstract:

My research in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland showed that various actions such as annual walks, cycle competitions, memorials, football tournaments become traditional even though they may be artificially created. The same happens with renewals of previously suppressed activities such as religious customs

Paper long abstract:

My research in northern Slovakia (1970-1991), east Bohemia of Czechia (2002-2004) and the Silesian part of Poland (2006-2019) showed that various actions such as annual walks, cycle competitions, memorials, football tournaments and many more become "traditional" even though they may be artificially created. The same happens with renewals of previously suppressed activities such as some religiously inspired customs. In Poland, even an artificially created administrative unit became, after some years of existence, so internally cohesive that once it was decided by a nearby city government that it would lose part of its territory and the industrial asset in it, the previously disparate villages united under the banner of their traditional social unit and organized vigorous protest actions. The meaning of tradition is to strengthen units of people who otherwise would hardly find common interest.