How to make living traditions

tradition (n.)

late 14c., "statement, belief, or practice handed down from generation to generation," "a delivering up, a handing down". Meaning "a long-established custom" is from 1590s. The notion is of customs, ways, beliefs, doctrines, etc. "handed down" from one generation to the next.

The etymology of the word tradition reveals that it’s inextricably linked to giving, so maybe it’s not surprising that ideas of tradition and inheritance sit at the very heart of the Dohur brand.

For us, tradition is an active, living thing: it’s about the wider journey of an object, from its conception and design, through its material and making, and on to its inheritance as it is passed down among friends and family.

Although old traditions can be very specific to place – our Dorte calendar, for example, follows a Danish custom – newer traditions need not be limited by geography. We work with artisans and ideas from all over the world, but what we share is our likemindedness, our interest in keeping craft, inheritance and ways of giving alive.

This of course means slowing down the process of making, ensuring that we are conscious and informed the impacts of every step we make, so that traditional social and cultural traditions are not lost in the creation of new ones. We’re proud to be unhurried, because it makes the final product better.

We hope that everyone who receives a Dohur object recognises its heart and soul, and inherits with it the traditions of all those involved in its journey.