Halevai
Agreed!
See the thread I started as an offshoot of this, based on your very point (link in my last post).
I do find it interesting watching new “minhagim” pop up and imagining this very conversation between my grandchildren and Joseph’s.
In a Generation or so you can copy paste the entire above conversation just substitute “Shlissel Chalah” with “Chanuka presents”. I can hear it now
Joseph’s Grandchild : “Chanuka presents are a very old minhag”
My grandchild: “Actually it is a recent innovation based on Goyim’s presents, thats why it isnt mentioned in early sources”
Joseph’s Grandchild: “You don’t know the dating of the minhag. Minhagim were frequently not recorded in seforim and were only passed down via mesorah. So the earliest written record of it is in no way indicative of how early the minhag is.”
As I mentioned on an earlier thread I heard a magid shiur give a reason for the minhag of saying ka’eileh together on Pesachs’ maftir. It is only a matter of time until Siddurim are printed with instructins that “Yesh nohagim lomar hamilah ka’eileh bkol ram”. As someonne mentioned on that thread “ka’eileh” has the same letters as “a Kalah” And what more auspicous time to have a segula for a kalah than yetzias mitzrayim and birchas Tal!
Ive also heard reasons given for the minhag of themes on Purim. (the reasons are actually better and more believable than shlisel chalah)
Another new minhag which is close to becoming an old part of mesora is singing Im Eshkochaich at the Chupa.
These are examples which (I think) we can all agree on are recent innovations, yet we actively see them becoming part of our Mesora.
None of these are bad per se. Though I agree with you “This waters down the whole concept of Minhag and Mesorah.”
Plus I find it all fascinating.