What is the difference between Custom and Convention. For example:
- It is a custom in India to give money as a blessing on marriages.
- It is conventional in many societies that strangers being introduced handshakes.
The Wikipedia definition for a convention is A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated, or generally accepted standards, norms, social norms, or criteria, often taking the form of a custom. So can we use these words interchangeably? If so, can you provide some examples?
Best Answer
A custom is about habit, something that happens a lot. A convention is about agreement, that it is accepted, formally or informally. Obviously many things are both customary and conventional.
You might say:
OED:
Note that both words have other meanings as well.