Beer Bottles
Anytime I buy a bottle in a club, I peel the label off. People say it's a sign of sexual frustration... probably right, actually.
(scentless_apprentice takes two bottles into the shower!, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 11:35, Reply)

Ring Pulls
Whenever I have a can of drink I put my finger in the opening and fold the metal Ring Pull tab bit flat against the underside of the can. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember with no real point to it.

I use my little finger when dealing with smaller cans like Red Bull. I even used to do it to those old fun sized cans despite the fact it sometimes left me with minor lacerations.
(Minty Hit, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 11:11, Reply)

Tunnels
It is traditional for me, my brother and certain friends to hold our breath whenever we drive through a tunnel and not breathe until we come out of it again.
One time we were going to Devon on holiday and on the way there was a really huge tunnel.
We didn't realise how long it was until we started feeling light headed...
(mindpoet17, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 10:18, Reply)

no damn reason at all
Every year, near the end of December, I buy objects for family members, despite the fact that a) most of them have all the crap they will ever need b) none of us have the same taste and c) I rarely see these people and have no idea what objects they already own.

Every year, just because. Most of us aren't even Christian, but apparently the God we don't believe in will strike us down if we don't spend at least $100 per immediate family member. Stupidest goddamn thing I do all year. Most of what I get ends up donated to the thrift store, so I guess you can think of it as accidental charity.
( madrabbit is fully prepared, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 9:48, Reply)

superstition -v- tradition
not that it matters a flying fuck but i think a lot of these stories are more about superstitions than traditions.

i tried very hard and all i can think of is having to sing the latin psalm every founder's day.

that is all.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 9:33, Reply)

Birthday suits
My Boyf and his best friend have birthdays very close together - the weekend in between we push our creative boundaries and make them crap costumes which they then have to wear all night. They're remarkably good sports...

this year: blank.antville.org/stories/1171556
last year:
blank.antville.org/stories/859171
(scroll down to avoid the sober photos)
(chesty, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 9:25, Reply)

Fish food
In Hong Kong it is considered bad luck if you order fish & after picking the flesh on the upper side to turn it over to get to the other side. Turning the fish over means a fisherman will die.

Also in Hong Kong I had an uncle who worked for the Jockey club. He told me that above the entrance to the betting shops they put 12 daggers inside the wall, this stabs the punters in the back as they walk in to place a bet thus they will lose.
(Baron Greenback Still in Sunny Singapore, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 8:49, Reply)

Traditions
In my house its traditional every time you eat a slice of Mr Kiplings Granny cake to say "made with real Grannies".

Whenever me and my mates are driving on the North York moors its traditional to warn anyone getting out of the car (generally for a piss)to watch out for the panda bears. The story behind this is too long to recount.

Also during wimbledon its traditional for everyone in my house apart from my mum (who its designed to drive mad) to ask if Timbo Henbo is doing well at Wimbers. We then go on to refer to change every noun to a nounbo or nounbers. The evenings just fly by.

Finally, its traditional to at all times try to catch each other out with the following

"Dad?"
"What?"
"Stinks!" snigger

Edit: I also have a tradition of never giving the finger on the grounds its a nasty american import. I always use the V. Whenever I'm with someone who gives the finger I then feel compelled to lecture them on the history of the V sign (did you know it dates back to the battle of Agincourt in 1415? some say this is a myth but bollocks to them) at this point they generally give me the finger.
(mm123, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 4:57, Reply)

Japanese Train Drivers
Japan has lots of strange traditions.

Japanese train drivers do all sorts of wonderful hand signals while they're driving, all while wearing white gloves.

When they see a green light ahead they put their index finger straight up in front of their eye and they extend it forward to point at the light and then bring it back again.

When they pull in to a station they point to the top of the timetable and scroll it down till they get to the current stop.

ps. I'm not a Japanese train driver and haven't been forced to do it.

pps. I'm not a trainspotter either.
(toothless tiger, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 3:46, Reply)

Sunshine
Whenever I look into really bright sunlight or see something bright (when my sister is around)I have to sing "blinded by the light!" very loud. It is also traditional for her to punch me after that.

My family always names our cars, for example, when we got a new... err 20 year old mustard colored volvo we took a vote to decide what the name would be. I personally favored a name like "mustard", but my sister, who happened to be 3 years old and very cute, provided the name "sunshine" and it stuck.
(celestie d'etoile, Tue 2 Aug 2005, 2:42, Reply)

Air Farce
According to a sad mate, it's an Air Force tradition to say "Marion" when you burp. If you don't, or someone else says "Marion" first, you have to touch a door handle before you get hit.

And my kids started saying "aaaaahhhhhhh" when driving over any bumpy surface, or riding in a shopping trolley, or riding on my Missus' lap in her wheelchair. We got some funny looks - one adult and two kids being pushed by me over rough pavement, all yelling "aaaaaahhhhhh"...

Sorry. Don't know why.
(zarf, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 23:37, Reply)

I have a netMD it rocks...
After ive turned on my pc i have to play and win a game of spider solitare, solitare and freecell before i can do anything if i dont then i cant seem to concentrate, oh also have to do it before i turn of the pc aswell otherwise i cant sleep and it bugs me lyk hell, err sorry just realised its not really a tradition but my weirdo thingy...

screw the length

PEace
(Bhougal...hang me upside down from a banana tree and call me BERTTIE BHOUGAL>>>Oh Yeah...!!, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 23:02, Reply)

shrove tuesday tradition
Every year i stock up with bandges and plasters ready to take part in the Atherstone ball game
Every Pancake Day, windows in Atherstone are boarded up and shoppers dive for cover. Why? It's time for the famous ball game
Hundreds of people gathering to knock seven bells out of one another in an attempt to grab hold of a heavy leather ball - and run the risk of being dismembered in the process.
A complete free-for-all played along the main street of Atherstone town. The ball is decorated with red, white and blue ribbons and is filled with water to make it too heavy to kick far. The match starts at 3pm when the ball is thrown from a window of the Three Tuns Inn and continues until about 5pm. However the ball may legitimately be deflated or hidden after 4.30pm. There are no teams and no goals, though in the last century the match was played between a team from Warwickshire and one from Leicestershire! Whoever is able to hang onto the ball at the end of the game not only wins the game but is allowed to keep the ball as well
This traditional Shrove Tuesday 'ball game' has been held annually since the early 12th Century and is one of Atherstone's claims to fame. The origin of the game, in the reign of King John, is thought to have been a "Match of Gold that was played between the Warwickshire Lads and the Leicestershire Lads on Shrove Tuesday".
The 'ball' used is specially made each year by Gilbert of Rugby, who are world famous for their rugby balls.
It is 27 inches in diameter and weighs four pounds.
(funkie, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 21:56, Reply)

Heh
Driving around the country side, every time we pass a graveyard i HAVE to point and say 'thats the dead centre of '. Aggrivates my wife something wicked. Confuses small children too.
(deffuse, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 21:52, Reply)

I have a tradition.
Whenever I see a trailer I think "OMGZ tahts is da b0mbz!!1". I go to see the film. I cry. I tell everyone that the film was terrible, and to never let me choose what film to watch ever again. Then, about a week later, I see another trailer. AND THE CYCLE BEGINS AGAIN.

I need to have some of restriction put on me so that I don't see trailers.
( Lightguy hail satan, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 20:32, Reply)

I have a few strange ones
firstly, whenever I hear the name Delia Smith mentioned, i shake my head n say 'rest her soul' or if something happens related to food ie, dropping a plate of food, i say 'Delia would turn in her grave!' I understand she is not dead, but i still do it.
I also cannot walk up stairs, or go up when someone is behind me, i have to run up in 2s. I also have to eat everything in 2s, biscuits etc, difficult when its cake or something, then i have to take an even number of mouthfulls. Thats why i cant eat rice crispies.
Burping must always resemble the word 'Bollocks'.
And finally (for now) When on the last stretch of road leading to the ferry port in dover, we all look out for Ice cream vans, if we do see one, my mother will lean out of the window shouting the names of every ice cream she can remember whilst trying to get the van man to take her 50p coin.

Apologies 4 length etc, u luv it. But when u have OCD and a family of invalids, what do u expect!?
(Legs 11 last got some loving on, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 20:15, Reply)

An old seaside superstition
(or so I was brought up to believe) says taht every time you chime a glass aand let it ring out, a sailor drowns. I took this to heart as a young'un and tis now an obsession. have been known to get up in restaurants and walk three tables down to stop some annoying shite of a kid from killing off several fishing villages.
( same as yours, but on fire will explosively decompress on, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 19:57, Reply)

Post Dining Piss
My dog, a whacking great big Mastiff has this tradition: Every night, immediately following eating on my back porch, he just cuts loose the urine dam on my back porch. Im afraid the neighbors are going to complain. Or drown.

I dont apologize for his length.
( Citadel Because the world needs less morons, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 19:55, Reply)

Im sure i could think of more ...
...But i really cant be arsed!

1) No idea why ... But when myself or my mates are looking for something in another presence, when its found the "findee" says "There it is!" And everyone else in a stereotypical northern accent alltogether say "Riiiiight THERE!" and point ..........

2) For some reason no matter what im doing, if i eat a bar of chaocalt, biscuit, pack of crisps or the like - i just HAVE to fold the wrapper into a long, thin strip and then tie it into knots until i cant knot it any further.

3) I dont drink coffee - i much prefer a good brew ANY day! However ... When i talk to people about not being the type to drink the stuff i ALWAYS get the desire to go home and make a piping hot mug of extra sweet weak coffee ......

Did i win?
( Jaffacake, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 19:31, Reply)

A few traditions
Christmas curry! We had a curry at my mates house on christmas day 3 years ago, and again 2 years ago. We decided in order to make it a tradition it had to be done 3 times before it was official, so this year we all gathered at my mates house but by the time we ordered the curry place had closed so my mate decided to cook his own curry just so we could make it a tradition.

Also everytime I leave my mates house I have to walk down a hill with rocks on, and almost every night I need a piss so theres one rock that I climb up to and have a piss there.

Also every summer I somehow injure myself. Last year I burnt my foot on a camp fire. Nothing has happened this year but there's still time!
( bobzarkoff, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 18:36, Reply)

air drums
i play air drums (well hitting my lap) to more or less everysong i hear, its very irritating =D

i need a hobby
( m-a-t-t -- formerly mini hasn't been on here for EVER!, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 17:47, Reply)

i think i have obsessive compulsive disorder
i have to do things an even number of times (preferably 4) other wise i cant stop thinking that i didnt do it an even number of times

less of a tradition and more of an illness i guess...oh dear
( m-a-t-t -- formerly mini hasn't been on here for EVER!, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 17:44, Reply)

Scaryduck, allow me to apologise for Basildon.
It's traditional for people to be born there and then try to escape.
(underachiever, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 17:35, Reply)

theres a tradition in the pub that i work at
to say, sorry mate, we dont serve scousers


and that if you cant pronounce a drink, you cant buy it(not applicable when we* arnt working tho :( )

for instance dickheads who come in and ask for duckars, when they mean deuchars (its printed on the back of their beermat for fucks sake, in phonetic, which incidentally are winged around the pub at aforementioned people)

* we means us, as in the few who participate in this annoyance
(VashTheStampede http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 17:20, Reply)

All the ladies love my cock
because it is a massive 2.5 inches.
2.25 if you don't count the scabs.

This entry was brought to you by the letters 'can't' and 'be' and the number 'arsed'.
( baldmonkey a frothy foul-smelling vaginal discharge, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 16:48, Reply)

Fentruk
minidisc's are the shiznit.

I have owned 2 MP3 Players and 1 creative zen, they are all knackered BUT the NET-Minidisc (at nearly 3 years old) is still kicking on in style.
( Bongmaster Is a Junglist Soldier., Mon 1 Aug 2005, 16:47, Reply)

Like Goorf
When camping, if smoke is blowing in your face you must shout "rabbit" repeatedly at the smoke. the smoke will obey your command and pester someone else.

It does work. honest.
( Bongmaster Is a Junglist Soldier., Mon 1 Aug 2005, 16:26, Reply)

Whenever I sneeze...
I say "excuse me", as if I could do anything about it...
Been in the UK for over a year, still cannot understand that.
( liverbird, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 16:25, Reply)

BOLLOCKS!
Whenever I belch, which is frequently and loudly, I can't stop myself from saying 'Bollocks' at the same time. Been doing it for years and I still amuse myself.
I'm 32 and really should know better.
(Sonic promises not to spray it in her eyes next time!, Mon 1 Aug 2005, 15:55, Reply)