Both of them are interrelated and go hand in hand with one another. Culture is the way people live their life, their beliefs, practices and their normal way of life. It varies from people to people, country to country, state to state, region to region and group to group. There are various forms and aspects of culture. People belonging to one region may have similar culture even if they belong to different religions or ethnic groups. For example all Indian have a common Indian culture even though they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs etc. Again Hindus might have their own culture which is different from other religious groups and it’s the same with other religious groups as well. Culture is deeply rooted in one’s life and plays a major role in determining one’s lifestyle. It defines a person and the group he or she belongs to. It distinguishes one person from the other and also beings commonality among a group of people. `Culture is as old as human civilization, for it relates to all the practices and acts of humans.
Tradition is usually a belief or a practice that has been passed down from one generation to another. It holds symbolic meaning and is considered to be socially very important. Its origins lie somewhere in the past and are an integral part of people’s life in the present. It can relate to anything like food, clothes, festivals, manners, behaviors, greetings, rituals etc. The word tradition finds its origin in the latin word ‘tradere’ or ‘traderer’ which means to transmit or to pass on, usually to keep it safe and prevent it from being extinct. Tradition can be social, political, cultural or economic and sometimes can also be new and recently invented, with a purpose of being carried forward. Sometimes traditions can be lost or discontinued due to various factors like modernization, globalization, industrialization etc. An old tradition can also be replaced by a new one. Sometimes traditions are contrasted with modernity and considered to be its rival. However embracing modernity does not necessarily mean giving away tradition, it can be complimentary and not necessarily contradictory. People express their tradition in the form of their food, clothes, songs and music, dance, language etc.
Culture and tradition is not one and the same thing. Usually culture is a larger concept and tradition is a part of it. For example people belonging to Hindu culture have a tradition of celebrating festivals like Diwali by lighting up earthen lamps. There can be many variations of this at different levels. Both of them are intricately related to each other. Specific traditions make one culture different from the other and give it its distinct identity. One completes the other and makes it a holistic concept. Everyone in this world belongs to a particular culture and follows traditions belonging to that specific culture, unless they choose to do otherwise.