Sentence:  The banded ones were all dressed in white gowns — a gay <WSD>survival</WSD> from Old Style days, when cheerfulness and May-time were synonyms — days before the habit of taking long views had reduced emotions to a monotonous average. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A custom or belief that persists in folklore from earlier times, when the rationale behind it is forgotten.