What we call tradition..!

Some family tradition..

As long as I could have remember, the one tradition which never changed was to go camping at Swartvlei. The family would all gather at Hartenbos where from there everyone would travel to Swartvlei. For those who doesn’t know where Swartvlei is it is on your way to Knysna between the mountains. It’s all you can ask for, silence with the river walking just in front of your camping site and the sea being just a rock throw away. The baboons and monkeys trying to rob you at night and having fun with building sandcastles. When I got a little bit older and start going to school it became all more difficult for the whole family to travel because of school. I am the oldest on my mom’s side also the first born, and first grandchild. For my grandpa, I was his apple of his eye and had and still have everyone wrapped around my little pinkly.

Another family tradition is Chrismas time. My grandparents live in hartenbos in a security villa. We also have a house there as well as my uncle and aunt. My dad’s mom also moved there after the past away of my grandfather. Each year, the day before Christmas, actually it all started with a week before Christmas, my grandmother send a note to every house in the villa letting them know there will be a Christmas drive, instructing them if they want Santa coming to their house delivering presents all the presents must be delivered at my grandparents’ house on the 23^rd of December with the house number where this black bag of presents must be delivered. The day before Christmas, I being the oldest always were in with what was really going on and ill help my grandmother fill large bags of sweet. Summoned with a single cap truck will be the driver, dressing up as Santa’s elf. There will be a chair placed on the back where Santa (my grandfather dressing up in a Santa suite) will sit on with me as his helper as my grandmother being misses Santa! The truck will start at the first street a bell would be rang very loudly and the children would came running out. At each number we stopped the child is put on Santa’s lap and he will get his presents. So will all the streets be done with the children running after the truck and me and my grandparents throwing them sweets. Not only children were included but with each year the adults became more inventive playing practical pranks on their neighbours by delivering them a lump of charcoal or even just a piece of wood. This family tradition went on for years till this day even if it rains or very hot the tradition continues.

Smaller family traditions will include as a family on Friday night, all will sit in front of the TV and play Noot vir Noot, which is a musical game show and we will become very competitive with each other, checking who can collect the most money if they were playing the real game. December vacations changed from camping in Swartvlei to camping in Hartenbos and going from the whole family to just parents and my brother.  Mondays was the night for the Spur burger special. Friday nights was school functions and Saturdays the whole family is alongside the sport fields with me playing hockey and my brother being the rugby player. Because I’m from outshoorn and the only family also living in oudtshoorn is my aunt and uncle and their family, so it would became a tradition if it is one of the children or grandchildren’s birthday all the grandparents will come from Hartenbos and stay with the family where the birthday is.

There is not really family traditions like tea seats that’s being passed down or jewellery. We are a family who created their own little traditions. All piece I can remember is the blanket made out of different coloured block which has been knitted was given to me when I was born and so it was the same with every grandchild thereafter. I got all my art instincts from my grandmother. She was the one who taught me how to do ceramics on an age of 6, then I didn’t really know much and just keep messing around while she was busy. She taught me to paint, make jewellery, making any objects even handmade frames. She were the one who taught me to knit, making me use my hands to create products and not just go buy it. She will be my biggest inspiration behind studying design and being the artsy girl I am today.