441+ ‘Tradition’ Writing Prompts
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Groundhogs Day Diplomacy
Imagine a global political situation resolved using the superstition attached with groundhog’s shadow.
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Midnight Kiss
Write about the anticipation and excitement of a New Year’s Eve midnight kiss with someone special.
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Sweeping the Old, Welcoming the New
Initiate a journal entry about a cleaning ritual in preparation for the New Year, symbolizing the removal of ill-fortune and welcoming good luck.
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Red Envelopes: The Gift of Blessings
Write about receiving your first red envelope during Chinese New Year, or imagine what it might feel like.
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Yuletide Myths Unraveled
Write about a lesser-known Christmas folklore or myth and discuss the value it adds to the festive season.
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Holiday Traditions
Write about a tradition you used to share with a loved one during the holiday season.
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Festive Reflections
Write about a particular Christmas tradition or ritual that reminds you mostly of a lost loved one.
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Harvest Festival Traditions
Write about a community or family tradition associated with the late-summer harvest.
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The Christmas We Forgot
Write a story about how Christmas got cancelled one year causing all Christmas movies to be deleted. How do people reclaim their lost Christmas spirit?
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A New Star in Bethlehem
Imagine if the Star of Bethlehem was a spacecraft. Write a Christmas story from this interesting perspective.
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Modernized Santa’s Workshop
Write about how the North Pole might look if Santa ran a high-tech operation.
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Remembering Shared Traditions
Examine a tradition or a routine you shared with a past lover, and how it affected your relationship.
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The Harbinger: A Tale of April Showers
Write a story or poem where an April shower predicts or influences the main character’s fate.
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Luck of the Irish Breakfast
Imagine making a hearty, delicious Irish breakfast to kick start St. Patrick’s Day.
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Holiday Heirlooms
Write about a recipe passed down in your family that is traditionally made in December.
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Love in the Cosmos
Imagine celebrating Valentine’s Day in outer space. How would you express love to someone in zero gravity?
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Pumpkin Carving Chronicles
Write a shared family tradition about pumpkin carving, where the pumpkin patch visit sets the stage for the upcoming family event.
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Spice of Life
Share a story about a food experience that changed your perspective towards a certain cuisine or dish.
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Lore Keeper’s Diary
Write from the perspective of a scholar who tirelessly documents the narratives and folklore of their world.
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Memorable Family Traditions
Describe a significant family tradition from your childhood.
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Granny’s Kitchen Diaries
Compose a biographical sketch of your grandmother through the lens of her kitchen.
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Hot Chocolate Memories
Write about a fond memory you have that involves drinking hot chocolate during winter time.
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My Favorite Family Tradition
First graders are asked to write and describe their favorite family tradition.
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Creating Traditions
Reflect on a tradition in your family or community and why it is significant to you.
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Veiled in Tradition
In a small town, an ancient prophecy predicts a disaster but is dismissed as folklore until eerie signs start becoming a reality.
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Unique Family Tradition
Tell us about a unique tradition your family has and why it’s special to you.
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Catalan’s Caganer
Write a mischievous tale about Catalonia’s peculiar nativity figure – the Caganer, who is traditionally depicted as a peasant, squatting with his trousers down in the act of defecation.
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Japan’s KFC Christmas
Explore a character’s first Christmas in Japan, experiencing the popular tradition of a KFC Christmas dinner.
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Christmas Goat of Sweden
Write a story about Sweden’s giant straw Christmas goat and the almost regular attempts of people destroying it.
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Language Barriers and Connections
Consider the role language plays in shaping cultural identity and relationships between cultures.
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The First Day of Scarf
In your story, the 1st of October is a day of a special tradition – The First Day of Scarf.
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Harvest Festival Tales
Imagine a local harvest festival unique to your fictional community, complete with culture, traditions, and rituals.
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Thanksgiving Coffee Connection
You make an unexpected connection with a stranger over coffee during Thanksgiving.
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The Family Teapot Heirloom
How would you keep the tradition alive if you inherited a family teapot that had been passed down through generations?
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“The Forgotten Veterans Day Parade”
In your story, a historic Veterans Day parade tradition is inexplicably canceled.
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“The Missing Thanksgiving Dinner”
Solve a case about a small town’s highly anticipated community Thanksgiving dinner that goes missing.
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Perks of a Polish November
Narrate a story based on a Polish tradition where Andrzejki (St. Andrew’s Day) is celebrated on the last night of November.
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Thanksgiving From Another’s Perspective
Imagine celebrating Thanksgiving from a non-American’s perspective.
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Dia de los Muertos Colorful Celebration
Write about a fictional Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event you attended.
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Symbols of Celebrations Past
Recall and write about a past New Year’s Eve tradition that is no longer followed.
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Family Ties on Valentine’s Day
Write about a family member’s tradition that you love and look forward to every Valentine’s day.
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Fall Festivals
Describe a fall festival you have attended, explaining why it is held and what activities are present.
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Old Year’s Night in Suriname
Relate a tale of a family in Suriname partaking in the ‘paggara estafette’ on Old Year’s Night.
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Japanese Joya No Kane Tradition
Compose a reflective piece based on the Japanese tradition of ‘Joya no Kane.’
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Latin American Suitcase Ritual
Imagine and illustrate a scene where you partake in Latin America’s suitcase ritual for New Year’s Eve.
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First-Foot Custom
Write a fictional narrative of someone being the ‘first-footer’ in a Scottish New Year’s celebration.
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Resolution Realities
Ponder on the tradition of creating New Year’s resolutions, and write about how it has affected your life.
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Scottish Hogmanay
Describe the Scottish end-of-year tradition of Hogmanay and how it may differ from your own New Year traditions.
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Reclaiming Lost Cultures
Craft a narrative about a young, modern-day Native American’s journey to reconnect with their ancestral traditions.
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Life on the Reservation
Write a narrative about a Native American teenager living on a reservation in the 1950s.
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Food Cultural Exchange
Write about a traditional meal/dish from your culture and its nutritional value.
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Easter Tale
Craft a creative fiction piece revolving around a unique Easter tradition or celebration.
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Meteor Shower Mayhem
Narrate a story about a crew of space explorers who hold a yearly ‘Meteor Shower Dodgeball’ and the hilarious consequences of this year’s tournament.
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Treasured Holiday Traditions
Write about a specific Christmas tradition from your childhood that remains vivid in your memory.
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Mysterious Outbreak
Imagine a remote village suddenly struck by an enigmatic, deadly disease that’s immune to all known treatments.
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Parading Perspectives
Write about Mardi Gras from the perspective of a first-time participant, and contrast it with the experience of a seasoned reveler.
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Unique Traditions
Tell about a unique tradition in your family that brings you joy or has made a significant impact on you.
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Spring Break Savory Experiences
Narrate your experience trying out a local delicacy during your spring break holiday.
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The Best Vacation Spot
Convince your readers that your chosen vacation spot is the best destination they could go to.
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New Year’s Eve Retrospect
Describe a New Year’s Eve tradition from your past and what it means to you now.
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Carols and Cuisine
Devise a new Christmas tradition that blends music and cooking, the universal languages of love and celebration.
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Tech-Savvy Tinsel
Contemplate a new Christmas tradition that integrates technology in a fun and festive way.
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Philanthropic Yuletide
Depict a new Christmas tradition centered around acts of charity and giving back to the community.
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Heralding a Heritage Holiday
Create and write about a new Christmas tradition that preserves elements of your cultural heritage.
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Unprecedented Adventure
Create a narrative featuring traditional fairy tale characters in a folklore setting.