Nowadays, many people, especially in the U.S., do not show their ethnic identity and pride daily, and such an occasional display is known as symbolic ethnicity. Primarily, this concept describes citizens who demonstrate their ethnic pride in a rather expressive way during religious or national celebrations or by using bumper stickers and other items. I find this term very interesting because I have never heard of it, and I did not know that this is defined and studied by sociologists and anthropologists (Brown et al., 2020). Generally, it is possible to say that symbolic ethnicity is not a negative concept; on the contrary, it allows people to focus on their daily responsibilities and tasks but also occasionally show their ethnic pride and love. I think that this concept is more popular and common nowadays because more and more people find it difficult to honor their traditions every day. Additionally, in the U.S., there are many descendants of numerous European immigrant groups, and since they have forgotten many of their cultural customs, they can only display their ethnic pride occasionally or symbolically.
Reference
Brown, N., McIlwraith, T., & Tubelle de González, L. (2020). Perspectives: An open introduction to cultural anthropology (2nd ed.). American Anthropological Association