pagan tradition
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˈpeɪɡən trəˈdɪʃən/
:
tradición pagana
- It is predominantly a syncretic tradition that grew out of Judaism, combined with Hellenism, and eventually incorporated pagan traditions.
- ancient pagan traditions
Examples
-
According to ancient pagan tradition, people living north of the Arctic Circle bow to the sun when she appears again at the end of January as a sign to welcome her back.
Academic text (2000) -
Many modern holidays include customs that originate from ancient pagan traditions.
-
Though their ancestors had embraced Christianity, old pagan traditions
Fiction book (2002) -
As Christianity spread, certain oral pagan traditions were recorded by literate Christian clerics.
Academic text (2000) -
As it happens, the best evidence of actual exhumations is from Eastern Europe, where the Eastern Orthodox Church showed a greater tolerance for pagan traditions than the Catholic Church in Western Europe.
Academic text (1990) -
This great pagan tradition has been obscured, denigrated, and violently suppressed by the Judeo-Christian tradition, which is responsible for most of our current problems.
Academic text (1993) -
In rural areas, people often celebrate pagan traditions that have been passed down through generations.
-
Some artists draw inspiration from pagan traditions in their work, depicting ancient rituals and beliefs.
Synonyms
7
7.9
Religious beliefs and practices that are not part of major world religions, often old or local traditions
1
7.2
A set of beliefs and actions that worship many gods or nature
Antonyms
How Traditional
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pagan' (religious practices outside the major world religions) with 'tradition' (customs or beliefs handed down), so a learner who knows both words will readily infer it refers to customs/beliefs of paganism. This adjective+noun composition is a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, making the phrase predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Pagan tradition comes from old local beliefs and rituals that were outside the big religions. The word pagan once meant people from the countryside who kept these older customs, and tradition means a way of doing things, so today the phrase describes spiritual customs 'not part of major religions'.