It seems that every church manages to elevate certain practices from the routine to sacred traditions. Church growth specialist Bill Easum once wrote about book about this phenomenon. He called it Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers. Churches that grow have to find a way to eat those sacred cows. But not all traditions are bad.
Some traditions are important.
They can be a valuable aid in communicating to us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves. On The Roof cannot help but remember the wonderful scene in which Tevya sings the theme song, Tradition. As he sings that song, he explains to the audience the value of tradition as he sees it. At one point he says, Our tradition tells us who God is and who we are. When tradition can do that, it is a good tradition.