My dear old dad is a daft old man
Every Christmas, my dad has to watch the following (as far as I know completely non-Christmasy) movies:

The Third Man (with Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten)

The List of Adrian Messenger (good flick)

and THREE (YES, COUNT THEM, THREE!) different versions of the Mystery of Edwin Drood. (!!!)
( setimret likes his metaphors mixed, not stirred, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 22:09, Reply)

Traditionally...
To me, anyting's "tradition" if it happends three years in a row...

As a kid, Monday was always steak night and Thursday was always fried chicken or spagetti night (the leftover chicken/spagetti would be my school lunch, you see).

When my friend Bonnie spends the night at my apartment, her car gets towed away (unauthorized parking spaces; car accident). We were trying to start a tradition of a Halloween horror-movie night, followed the next night by a freaky maze fest.

When I went to Disneyland with my friend Kelli and her family, the first ride we'd always go on was Star Tours. Also, when at a big theme park I'd usually get lost for a while (this hasn't happened recently, thank goodness).

When I go to a cousin's wedding, my dad gets sick or hurt and I get into a small fight with my parents right before the ceremony.

NOT watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and NOT watching the Rose Parade on New Year's day.

NOT getting to church on time on New Year's day (we actually got there on time this year; I was shocked).
(Kitsune-chan I'm not a bunny I'm a grownup girl, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 22:08, Reply)

we have a song for our cat
and once someone starts it, we MUST finish it regardless of what we're doing. The song just involves chanting the cat's name and, for no reason, ending with shouting "OLÉ!" It started out as a family joke but evoled to this odd tradition that must NEVER be broken!
( Edd: The Unfunny Try-Hard Edgelord, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 22:04, Reply)

Medical school
We have the oldest medical school society in the country at Liverpool and tradition is basically the whole point.
For example,
The secretary has to read the minutes from the last meeting inaudibly, wearing a charity shop dress while everyone hollers "garter" at her (this one leaves me feeling dirty).
If the treasurer speaks he (and it is always a he) has to wear a specially stolen 1st world war helmet and the audience is obliged to bombard him with lose change at a rate that would be pretty hazerdous without the protective head gear.
Ladies with particulaly high voices wishing to make a point at the meetings generally shouldn't cos the whole crowd will sing "mee mee mee mee mee" at an equivelent pitch.
The president is contractually obliged to get naked in front of several hundred people at the initiation party as part of a nicely choreographed full monty routine (which explains why presidents are rarely shrinking violets)
...Oh and countless other amusing mysogynist shenanigans which have all been going on since time began.
(donksta, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 22:04, Reply)

traditions
[1] My evil twisted boss managed to get me counting the number of cars on car transporters. To this day, I can count the cars within 3 seconds and feel obliged to tell anyone I am with.

[2] On spying a man with a mullet, I seem compelled to shout "MULLET" and if possible point, but only if there is no serious chance of bodily harm.

[3] During serious converstations in public places [with boss, colleague, passer by], if I get bored, I point to the most elderly, over weight, prolapsed granny I can see and shout "TIGER IN THE SACK"! Stops everything in its tracks for 5 seconds. I reckon most people just filter out what I have said as the rantings of some Scoper.
( Fire & Forget it's the only way to be sure, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:43, Reply)

Every Christmas, after we have opened presents, my dad puts on "Fairytale in New York" by The Pogues.
I never talk while going past a monkey puzzle tree. It's bad luck.
EDIT: Badgirlactsgood: I still do that. With dragons, instead of horses.
( spangolin - the odds are good but the goods are odd, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:35, Reply)

Yellow car & Punch Buggy *colour*
Didnt say it was interesting, but you read it anyway didnt you?
( Insane Maniac musically inclined (about 45°), Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:28, Reply)

On any long car journey...
we always play "'brand of car' I-spot". Such as "Mini I-Spot." The first person to see the car can claim it with a "Mini I-Spot!" and a point is added to their tally!
( mike woz ere 7442200 & 7696970 getter, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:24, Reply)

Camp Morning Star Traditions
I went to a week-long summer camp as a kid and I can recall a few odd traditions...

Any councelor spotted with their elbows on the table at mealtimes had to be subjected to "Get your elbows off the table Mr/Ms ____/Now we've seen it once or twice and it isn't very nice, get your elbows off the table Mr/Ms ____! 'Round the table you must go, you were naughty!" and run around the table, and then they were taunted with "No, no, not that way, go around the other way!" This happened at least twice a day, or more if it was the end of the week.

There's a song we sang called "I've Got six Pence" that was NEVER sung right. The chorus should go "Rolling home (rolling home)/Oh happy is the day when my cares go away" but what we actually sang was "rolling home (STUPID BOYS/GIRLS!!)/ Oh happy is the day WHEN THE BOYS/GIRLS GO AWAY!!" (shouted at the top of the appropriate genders' lungs) They never changed the printed lyrics and we never sang them, so I guess that qualifies as a tradition.

We also sang "Taps" at the end of the day, replacing "God is nigh" with "Camp goodnight" because we weren't Christian (I didn't catch on to that until I heard the "right" version at another camp in 6th grade).

All new staff people had to be caught by surprise and dunked in the (icy cold) pool.

For their last year at camp, the eldest kids had to make at least one meal and got to make tie-dye shirts.

And of course there's the usual prank war between the girls and the boys (I never got involved in that, unfortunately).

I've often wondered if Christian youth groups ever used this camp (Morningstar being another name for Satan)...
(Kitsune-chan I'm not a bunny I'm a grownup girl, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:19, Reply)

Best tradition ever...
is the so called "Clausen-Treiben". Saint Nicolas Day (Dec 6th) evening young men in our village dress up in wild costumes made of fur, animals heads and antlers, wearing large cow bells around their waist and carrying wooden sticks. After dark they start roaming the village beating up EVERYONE they see on the streets. They go from house to house, ask for a drink (which they usually get) until they are drunk (which takes quite a while). It is based on a medieval tradition meant to fight the ghosts of winter.
It is quite a shity tradition if you are the one who gets beaten up though.
To give you an idea:

( RedWine President of the S.C.U.M., Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:12, Reply)

I spent the past month in South America
don't get me started on weird traditions.

I think my favorite was when my group visited a traditional Quechua community, who lives way up in the mountains of Peru and preserve the ways of their ancestors.

When we arrived, a woman came out to greet us with a bag of confetti, and proceeded to dump a handful on each of our heads.

This is pretty cool, I thought, getting a handful of confetti dumped on my head, and watching my travelmates get the same greeting. However, they were all wearing hats, and the paper bits came off with a quick shake. I, on the other hand, chose to go bareheaded that day, and as a result, looked like this for the rest of the week:


(sponch!, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:09, Reply)

Weird tradition
At least once a week my sister, my neice and I watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

We've been doing this since we were 11 (or 10 in my neice's case), which might explain how we know every line of dialogue.

Thats weird, huh?
(PAMPAMPAM, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:03, Reply)

While on holiday
whenever a bench is spotted, the first person to see it has to shout "A species of bench!"

Can't remember why.
( in vino veritas, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:03, Reply)

usual?
just the usual, or hope others have done them?

when walking over a drains/manhole covers on a path, step on one each if theres 2, avoid groups of three.

when passing arond a light for ciggies put it out before the 2nd/3rd and re-light (alledged WW1 thing?)

as kids, 'i see the sea' getting near the coast

any girl said to have personality, gave it up, up the elephant and castle (quoting sum naff rhyming slang) that is

not really a tradition, but if in a naff pub, like the local, someone puts on house of pain - jump around, some twunt either jumps around or is blatantly miming it, same with a few others as well.

sure theres more, but cant say i'd notice
(1_not_so_careful_owner, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:53, Reply)

My Uncle
My uncle has some pretty weird sayings, which have become tradition:
1) Everytime a pea drops off the plate he says 'its an escapePEA!'
2) He says 'Donkey' I finish with 'Eee orrr woof bark'
3) We call my Aunt 'Maria Theresa Bernadette O'mara De Langhorn Stanley Gladis' Reasons: 'O'mara'= Maiden name 'Langhorn'= Married 'Stanley'= Cos in the morning her hair stands up like him out of Laurel and Hardy and 'Gladis' From 'open all hours' due to her being a auxillary nurse.

Beat that for weird
(purplefairy, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:46, Reply)

Drown the Witch
I grew up in Poland, where every early spring we did this . Basically, we (my classmates and I) made a giant doll out of straw and rags called 'Marzanna'. We'd dress her up, march her to a nearby river and drown the poor thing amidst songs and chants. It was, as we were told, the only way to usher out winter and bring on a full fledged spring.

The country's 98% Catholic, but there we were, every springtime, wielding a giant voodoo doll and chanting curses at her. Ah, my "Wicker Man" childhood.
(Cadavre Exquis Ms. Lully Biscuits!, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:27, Reply)

Well..
Every time a bean drops of your plate- say during a session of beans-on-toast, my mum invariably says "that's a has been!"

EVERY

FUCKING

TIME.
( Naive Amoeba Bored Cig, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:25, Reply)

Number Plates
whenever i'm with my mum in the car we always have to make phrases from the last three letters of number plates and one of the words has to be an animal name???? No idea how/when this started........
(airyfairy, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:04, Reply)

Having days designated for meals
As in Tuesday is pork night, Thursday salad night etc. Now that in itself is pretty standard as far as traditions go. It tends to get a bit weird when you are eating with your grandparents, your grandmother is cooking the food BADLY and your grandfather insists that everything NEEDS brown sauce on it including sodding curry!

I ask you!

Length? Not a sausage.
( Snapper "That's what she said" - retort of the week, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 20:02, Reply)

well
for a short while, i was sent to sunday school every week.
neither of my parents are religious. they just wanted to make my sister in peace.
(17,000, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:58, Reply)

Does anyone else do this?
When cutting a birthday cake, everyone screams when the knife touches the plate. Only for the initial slicing, of course. It would get a bit tiresome if you did it every time.

I thought everyone did this, but whenever I've mentioned it, people just look at me as if I'm mental.
(Pachey, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:52, Reply)

Rabbits Fake Ones. Hiding them thereof
We have a tradition (well, a three year old tradition) of whenever we visit daughter / son-in-laws place, or they vist us, the people visiting have to hide as many small fake rabbits in the place as possible, and then see how long it takes for others to find them.

Very disconcerting when you are having a quiet contemplative crap, seated on the toilet, to see this painted china rabbit staring at you as you try to go about your business.
(Maclir, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:49, Reply)

Waving at planes
when i was at primary school, whenever a plane flew over the playground at breaktime, everyone had to stop and look up and wave at the plane flying overhead. no-one swaid a word, just looked up, waved, and then carried on playing

also when you see a magpie you have to say
"hello mr magpie, hows your wife and family? touch green never seen" then have to touch something green really quick..

also an older family member once told me when they were very drunk to never walk on the cracks in the pavement or i would have a black baby and my dad wouldn't be happy... never looked at my relative in the same way since. I was only 12 at the time..
(monkeybadger, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:34, Reply)

milk lorries painted like heiffers
When spotted, one must cry "A HUGE MECHANICAL COW! WE'LL ALL BE KILLED!"

Best shouted from the backseat of a car when the driver ain't in on the joke.
(FiftyFour, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:26, Reply)

Apolgies m'dears
That was evil....ah, but so satisfying

*grins widely
( Hampster Squared has stuff at www.tilla.co.uk, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:24, Reply)

BOLLOCKS!
/reading
(mr ruffles, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:22, Reply)

Hampster Squared
I've been playing 'the Game' ever since you posted this in a previous QOTW.

Now you reminded me, I've just lost the game too.
(Pachey, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:20, Reply)

The Game
Crap. I just remembered I'm playing The Game.
(Ariaxen, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 19:20, Reply)