Worldbuilding 101: Holidays

June 23, 2009 1 comment

The following are some guidelines on creating fictional holidays for your roleplaying game setting.

Scope of the Holiday
Is the holiday something everyone in the world (or universe celebrates, is it national or even regional? Is it an ethnic or religious celebration, or did it start that way and cross over into the mainstream?

Origin of the Holiday
How did the holiday start? Does is commemorate a person, a group of persons, or historical event?

Traditions
How is the holiday celebrated? What types of food, activities and decorations are unique to this holiday? Have those always been te traditions, or have they evolved over time, or incorporated traditions from similar holidays?

Importance
Does everything come to a halt for the holiday, shutting down business and government, or is it obscure or merely acknowledged but not truly celebrated?

The Downside
Are there any negative reactions or effects to the holiday? Financial burdens caused by the cost of celebrating? Depression of those who feel left out or marginalized? Intolerance swelled by national or religious observances? Protests against the people or events being recognized? Any unintended consequences?

Roleplaying Hooks
Once you’re familiar with your fictional holiday, you’ll see where the story hooks fall. All holidays cause some sort of conflict, whether it’s at the family level, an ideological level, or violent behavior cause by alcohol or mob mentalities. Holidays can also be used as complications in your game, by forcing characters to deal with obligations of family, country, and faith.

Actual Obscure Holidays
The calendar is full of bizarre holidays people have invented to promote something or another. Look to those to see how it could be elevated to a major holiday in your game setting. For an example of an obscure holiday used this way, see the article on Let It Go Day at Examiner.com.