It may not be so for everyone, but Easter has always been well celebrated in my family. For me it’s one of the big ones- not for any grand religious reasons, but simply because it’s one of the annual dates with my family. Year after year, without exception, whoever is able finds their way to my grandparents’ house, my grandmother cooks a huge feast centered around her amazingly tender lamb roast, topped with a perfect dollop of mint jelly (my grandmother is 100% Greek, so we do it right). There’s no exception, no need for confirmation. Every year we know the plan. It’s a tradition and an excuse to be around people I love and tell my stomach ‘you can take it- I’m going back for thirds.’

Regardless of if it’s easter or thanksgiving, christmas or passover, the thought remains the same- sure there’s meaning and history, but the truth is the value is more in the modern tradition than the historical purposes and celebrations. We celebrate what is relevant in our lives. I’ve long referred to myself as an optimistic cynic- would I argue for celebrating the circumstances surrounding the original American Thanksgiving? Let’s just say it’s better I stay out of that one. What’s important is that in spite of the history, I do love Thanksgiving. For what it means in my life; for the opportunity to spend time with those few who will support me year after year, no matter who I become.

Of course this is part of why we love traveling- to disrupt the norm and traditions; to keep learning and gaining new experiences- but it’s also why we occasionally find ourselves homesick and yearning for those traditions of comfort and warmth (and food- let’s face it, the diet of cereal and pasta many of us are surviving off isn’t exactly a complete substitute for our grandmother’s home cooked feasts).

So we do our best, and we try to bring our traditions, our cultures, our warmth, our food and our hospitality wherever we go. To celebrate as often as we can so that even if we miss the traditions and family of our childhood we can occupy some of that space of yearning with new friends, new family and new traditions.

I’m proud to say this year I helped bring some of my tradition and family to my newly adopted family of backpackers and spring-breakers. It may have been my first time cooking lamb in my life, it may have been my first time cooking for more than five people and I’m not saying the feast we put together rivaled my grandmother’s sixty-something years of experience. But we had five or so strangers cooperating to cook for thirty travelers from around the world. And that’s what’s important. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can certainly say that for me easter could have easily passed with nothing but a tug to see family.

As corny as it may sound, holidays aren’t just about eating your weight and gift giving, and they’re not about long forgotten celebrations of events that hold little to no bearing on our current lives, they’re about- get ready for the big hallmark moment- bringing people together. As travelers we need these traditions, the motivation to adopt those with drastically different cultures and histories we’ve only known for days or hours into our family. We need a reminder that no matter how far we are from our traditional families and childhood friends, no matter how misplaced we are in a foreign culture, there will always be friendly faces to (not just party, but) celebrate with.

I hope that wherever you were you felt at home.