What are some southern traditions?

Question

What are some southern traditions?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, everything I can think of has to do with food! Iced Tea, barbeque and pecan pie!  Southern Hospitality used to be but I'm not so sure that has survived with the mass migration of Yankees! HA!

Answer 2

getting the door for a lady would be one.

seriously though, you're asking for a whole heck of a lot of stereo types with this question.  US 'Southern' can indicate anything from Virginia to Georgia to Florida to Texas and they're all going to have different traditions.  Heck, we even claim Lousiana and they've got a heck of a weird set of rules to live by in certain areas there.  To be general -

foods:  collared greens (shrubbery that's been arrested for breaking the law), pecan (pie, ice cream, in the shell, etc.), peaches (you name it someone somewhere in Georgia has made it with peaches), rubarb pie (please don't ask), sun tea (magic, I swear), sweet potatoes (sometimes as a main meal even), real barbque, Coke or RC over Pepsi, moon pies, and any weird invention involving pork.  Oh, and grits, gravy and biscuts (for breakfast) and something made of chicken and/or turkey guts you don't even want to know about.

manners:  'sir' and 'ma'am' (and actually meant respectfully), getting that darn door as mentioned above, taking your hat off when inside, the flag goes by, the National anthem plays, when you're praying, and the possiblity of tipping (or at least touching the brim of it) for a lady, as well as giving up your seat for just about anyone if you're a guy (and guys - we do notice and its BIG bonus points).

words:  'ya'll', 'gonna', dropping the 'g' off of almost anything 'huntin' fishin', in Florida we pronouce 'water' with a 'd' in the middle 'wader', endearments apply to strangers 'darlin',  'sweetheart', 'fuzzysnugglebums' (okay, so mabye the last one is just me).  'Ain't' isn't used half as much as you'd think unless we're trying to make a point and want 'isn't' just isn't considered strong enough emphasis.  'Yankee' may come up too, we don't mean it insultingly, its just the same way you call your brother a 'dork'.

items:  dogs, larger plots of land, barbque grill, NASCAR, swimming pool or nearby body of water of any size, baseball hat (with brim 'broken in'), extended family you actually not only know about but talk to (I actually avoid mine - but I do know all about them), several pair of beat up jeans that were actually beat up via work not bleach and stones in the washing machine - same goes for shoes, trucks (which continues on into the tradition of 'muddin'), the higher likelihood of cows and/or horses if not on your property, somewhere nearby, and ladies that wear hats in church (A-Mazing hats, I wish I had the nerve).  

of course, for every single thing I've said I can guarantee you can find people in the North that do the same and people in the South that don't do any of them.  We're a country that watches the same thing on TV and listens to the same music.  Every reporter in the country practically has the same uninteresting blah lack of accent.  Travel and moving to a new city is so easy now that as a country we've spread and melted together a great deal more than any previous time in our history.  But its always kind of fun to get sterotypical this way.  I don't know if any of those qualify as 'traditions'.  Is Mardi Gras a 'tradition'?  But I figured I'd put in some of the fun stuff before the sarcasm started.

Answer 3

Being dumb racist crackers and drinking stupid tea and burning crosses...

Southerners are about the biggest dumbies with low IQ's.

I can't wait till Obama wins so stupid whites will be put in check!

Answer 4

It's cold and penguins live there. they go for swim and find fish and whales like orca eat seals.