Amman — Their memories hold what books cannot preserve. In the stories they tell are small details that may seem fleeting, but are in fact an integral part of a place’s history, the character of its society, its collective memory and its heritage.
اضافة اعلان
Grandparents are no longer simply a source of affection and security in their grandchildren’s lives, or people children turn to after school while their mothers and fathers are busy. With the experiences, stories and knowledge they carry, they have become something like living encyclopedias preserving details of a bygone era.
The International Day of Older Persons, observed on October 1 each year, serves as a reminder of the importance of this group and its role in society, while also raising awareness of the challenges they face, particularly age-based discrimination, neglect and abuse.
The United Nations General Assembly established the occasion in 1990, and it was first observed the following year. It also serves as an opportunity to celebrate the contributions and accumulated experience of older people.
As societies seek to protect their identity, narratives and heritage, the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren becomes more than a source of family warmth. A gathering between a child and a grandfather or grandmother can be an indirect lesson in history, customs, proverbs, dialects and stories, as well as in the details of a life experienced by an earlier generation that is no longer lived in quite the same way today.
Passing on values, experience and memory
Recent studies indicate that the relationship between grandchildren and grandparents extends beyond the emotional dimension to include the transmission of values, experiences and memory. In a qualitative study involving 149 university students in China, collecting their grandparents’ life stories helped participants better understand their family and community history, as well as values such as perseverance and family cohesion.
Another study published in 2024, involving 25 Palestinians in the United States, found that family stories contribute to passing identity, values and collective memory from one generation to another.
In everyday life, the value of this relationship can be seen in the way grandchildren receive older people’s stories. Mustafa Qawasmi says their beauty lies in the interaction they create:
“The beautiful thing is when the people sitting with this person share the same quality. Every time he tells his story again, they interact with it as if they are hearing it for the first time. They laugh every time if it is funny and feel sad if it is sad… What could be better than that?”
According to Jamil Shibli, this relationship is inseparable from the value of the memory, experience and heritage carried by older people. He says:
“Although there are now facilities and activities for older people, such as senior homes or what are sometimes called golden homes, what is very important, as mentioned, is to care for older people and listen to them. They are the people who carry the heritage and are connected to the land and committed to protecting it and agriculture.”
A value that goes beyond remembering the past
Shibli adds that listening to older people keeps alive the connection between a generation that experienced the past and one learning about it today. He describes them as the “blessing of society,” citing the popular saying: “Whoever has no elder has no guidance.”
Hamza Yazid points out that older people’s conversations have a value that goes beyond recalling the past, saying:
“One of the beautiful things about older people’s conversations is that they are filled with phrases, expressions, wisdom and stories that bring a comforting feeling to the heart—one that is difficult to describe in words.”
A study published in 2026 on the transmission of memories between generations found that grandchildren’s memories of their grandparents were particularly associated with social aspects and identity, while grandparents viewed sharing their memories as a way to educate younger generations and maintain closeness between generations.
From a psychological perspective, senior psychiatrist Dr. Walid Sarhan says the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren gives both sides a deep sense of belonging. In the Jordanian context, he says, it extends beyond the family relationship to become a space for recalling part of society’s collective memory.
When a child listens to a grandfather’s or grandmother’s memories, they learn not only about their family history, but also gain insight into details of Jordanian life experienced by an earlier generation from customs and traditions to stories, proverbs and everyday experiences that helped shape society.
Protecting oral heritage and cultural memory
Sarhan adds that grandparents’ stories, with their experiences of joy and hardship, give grandchildren an opportunity to understand the changes society has gone through and to learn about people’s ability to adapt and overcome adversity.
At the same time, older people feel valued when they find someone willing to listen to their experiences, ask about them and document them. This reinforces their sense that their lives and experiences are part of the memory of their family and society, and that what they have learned is worth telling and preserving.
From this perspective, listening to older people and preserving their stories is not simply a family matter. It also has a broader significance in protecting oral heritage and cultural memory.
This is emphasized by heritage expert and blogger Nayef Al-Nawaisa, who believes that reaching out to older people and listening to them is highly important for field research into heritage and folklore, given their extensive knowledge of intangible cultural heritage, also known as oral heritage or “living heritage,” as described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Al-Nawaisa says older people represent a “great treasure” for passing heritage from their memories to future generations, particularly because many heritage-related words, stories and forms of knowledge remain preserved in their memories.
Ensuring the heritage is passed from generation to generation
He stresses the importance of organizing and institutionalizing this work through the bodies responsible for heritage and culture, particularly the Ministry of Culture and its affiliated cultural departments and institutions. This would help ensure access to older people across different parts of the Kingdom and document the knowledge, terminology and heritage elements they carry.
Al-Nawaisa warns that “if older people disappear, much of our heritage disappears with them,” noting that failing to document what they hold in their memories could lead to the loss of an important part of Jordanian heritage linked to cultural and civilizational identity.
He adds that there is a need to accelerate efforts to document heritage terms and elements before they disappear with those who carry them. He compares heritage to the roots of a civilizational tree, saying:
“A civilizational tree has roots, and the roots of this tree are heritage. If heritage dries up and the roots of the tree dry up, heritage disappears with the disappearance of that tree.”
Al-Nawaisa calls for seeking out older people across Jordan, reaching them, listening to their stories and documenting the heritage-related terms and knowledge they possess. He considers this part of preserving Jordan’s cultural history and ensuring that this heritage is passed from one generation to another.
A bridge between the past and present
Sociology expert Dr. Mohammad Jreibbah believes that grandfathers and grandmothers play an important role in strengthening family cohesion, serving as a bridge between the past and present. They carry social and cultural experiences accumulated over many years, along with values, customs, traditions and popular heritage passed from one generation to another.
Jreibbah points out that one of the most important roles of grandparents is transmitting values, customs and traditions to younger generations and helping children learn about the history of their families and country. He notes that they form an essential part of family and social memory through the stories, experiences and accounts they preserve.
He adds that having grandparents present in family life helps reinforce values such as respect, empathy, solidarity, maintaining family ties, staying connected with relatives and respecting older people. These values are not transmitted only through words, but also through the practices that children and grandchildren observe in their daily lives.
Experiences, stories and folk tales
At the same time, Jreibbah notes that lifestyles have undergone profound changes in recent years, affecting how generations communicate. The growing presence of technology and changing family priorities have sometimes weakened communication between grandparents and grandchildren, but this does not diminish the importance of preserving that connection.
He says grandparents represent a “bridge between the past and present” and are an essential source of knowledge about family and society, given the memories, experiences, stories and folk tales they possess, many of which contain lessons and wisdom.
Jreibbah stresses that viewing grandparents as sources of stability and collective family memory helps preserve bonds of affection and communication among family members and ensures the continued transmission of values, customs and social heritage from one generation to the next.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Taghreed Al-Saaydeh
