Traditions: like the children's game of "telephone"?

When I think about it, traditions seem very much like the children's game of "telephone." There was an original message that the originators thought worthy of passing down the line. But as it was passed along, human foibles corrupt the message and eventually make it laughable.

I say this not to cast aspersions on originators or original events — these may well be worth commemorating. But the process of tradition-making is by nature a process of corruption. And the most adamant "defenders" of tradition are most likely the most corrupt of tradition-makers.