Ask people these 501 questions about traditions for storytelling.
I have interviewed hundreds of people about their experiences with customs, traditions, holidays, events, routines and heritage. Based on the answers I received in those interviews, I have compiled writing prompts and questions about traditions, customs, and routines to ask people when writing narratives. The traditions and customs series includes five categories. Use these prompts and questions to help you
- Identify events and memories you can write about
- Organize and write your narrative and story
- Develop questions to ask other people about their life’s
- Organize, research and write stories about others
- Know what type of information to include in narratives and stories
- Identify memorabilia, artifacts, photos, documents to include in stories
- Develop ideas for journaling, story starters, poetry, memoirs, and more
Writing Prompts and Questions to Ask People
The “Traditions and Customs” writing prompts and questions to ask people are part of the 28 articles, 108 category series entitled “7,500-plus Questions About Life to Ask People When Writing Narratives.” The prompts and questions are provided to help you look at customs, traditions, routines from as many angles as possible when writing narratives about yourself, your family, and others. The categories and types of topics covered include:
- Childhood Traditions (Age 0-11). Find 101 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover traditions you had as an individual, family, community, religion, culture, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Teenager Traditions (Age 11-18). Find 100 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover traditions you had as an individual, family, community, religion, culture, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Young Adult Traditions (Age 18-25). Find 100 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover traditions you had as an individual, family, community, religion, culture, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Adult Traditions (Age 25-65). Find 100 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover traditions you had as an individual, family, community, religion, culture, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Senior Adult Traditions (Age 65+). Find 100 prompts and questions. Use these prompts and questions to gather and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. These questions cover traditions you had as an individual, family, community, religion, culture, including your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Approach each topic from the point of view of the person/lives you are writing about. You don’t have to ask every question. Review the questions and determine which ones are most appropriate to ask. I would encourage you to modify and add questions as you desire.
I have prepared a couple of other resources that will provide value in interviewing for and writing individual, personal, and family narratives: “Complete Guide for Conducting Oral History Interviews” and “Complete Guide to Writing A Personal Narrative.”
Childhood Traditions (Age 0-11)
Writing Prompts and Questions About Traditions and Customs
“Childhood Traditions (Age 0-11)” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about traditions, customers and routines. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.
- What were your favorite traditions as a child?
- What type of traditions did you have as a family?
• Foods on specific days? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities as a family each week or month? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with a spouse? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with child? Thoughts and memories.
• Sunday or Saturday traditions? Thoughts and memories. - Did your family have morning wake-up or going to bed routines/traditions?
• Describe your traditions?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions did you have around birthdays?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - What personal experiences, customs, traditions do you have for your personal life that have been important for you?
- Did you have any traditions related to turning a specific age?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions/customers do you have with your culture that are important to you?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you misunderstand when you were younger and grew to appreciate as you become older?
- Do you have favorite stories or folklore that is passed down from generation to generation?
• Take time to recount the stories and folklore. If it takes more than one interview session to learn and hear these stories, then take time to listen and learn these stories. - Did you have traditions for national, state, or religious holidays?
• Which holidays? Such as New Years’, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
• What did you do on each holiday? Include food, activities, gatherings, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - How did your family celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
• What did you do? Such as gathering with grandparents on Christmas eve, visiting Santa, attending the Nutcracker, Carol, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What stories were you told about Santa?
• What were your favorite and least favorite memories? - Did your family gather for family reunions?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• Who were your favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• Who were your least favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - As you grew older, were there family customs, traditions, routines that you came to dislike? Explain.
- What traditions did you have that were culturally based? Such as traditions from another country or ethnic related?
• Describe the traditions?
• What does tradition mean?
• What are the most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like or dislike?
- Do you have any emblems, statues, wall hangings, images, or other artifacts in your home that are related to a tradition or customer?
• If yes, please tell the story and meaning?
• Why or why not is that artifact important to you? - Did you take traditions from your youth and introduce them to your family as an adult?
• Describe the traditions?
• Did you keep the traditions the same, or did you modify the tradition? Explain. - What traditions did you adopt from your spouse’s family?
- What traditions did you create for your family?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did the tradition evolve?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you adopt from friends and neighbors’ families?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions did you have but then stopped?
• What is the tradition?
• Why did the tradition stop? Such as moved away, death in the family.
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - Did you parents or grandparent tell you about traditions they had in their families, culture, communities, countries?
• Describe the traditions and memories shared? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions you follow for teams you belonged to?
• Describe the tradition.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you follow for sports teams?
• Describe the team tradition?
• Describe your tradition for sports or game day?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you wish you had kept or started?
• Explain. - What traditions/routines were necessary for your parents but not for you? Explain.
- Does your family have traditions that pass through generations? Such as joining the military, belonging to an organization, earning awards like Eagle scout, religion-related, cultural-related.
• Describe the tradition and why it is essential?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - Are they any particular days, events, or traditions that seem to be forgotten by the current generation?
- Did your family have traditions, customs, routines around activities like…
• Watching TV? Listening to Radio? Movies?
• County/state fairs? Sporting events?
• Games? Singing? Eating? Hobbies?
• Vacation and camping? Treats and deserts?
• Evening walks? Reading stories?
• Volunteering? Watch sunrise/sunset?
• Staying with grandparents, cousins?
• Hikes? Canning? Fitness?
• Baby showers? Weddings? Baptisms?
Click Here to return to the writing prompts and questions about traditions and customs.
Teenager Traditions (Age 11-18)
Writing Prompts and Questions About Traditions and Customs
“Teenager Traditions (Age 11-18)” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about traditions, customers and routines. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.
- What were your favorite traditions as a teenager?
- What type of traditions did you have as a family?
• Foods on specific days? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities as a family each week or month? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with a spouse? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with child? Thoughts and memories.
• Sunday or Saturday traditions? Thoughts and memories. - Did your family have morning wake-up or going to bed routines/traditions?
• Describe your traditions?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions did you have around birthdays?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - What personal experiences, customs, traditions do you have for your personal life that have been important for you?
- Did you have any traditions related to turning a specific age?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions/customers do you have with your culture that are important to you?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike?
8. What traditions did you misunderstand when you were younger and grew to appreciate as you become older?
9. Do you have favorite stories or folklore that is passed down from generation to generation?
• Take time to recount the stories and folklore. If it takes more than one interview session to learn and hear these stories, then take time to listen and learn these stories. - Did you have traditions for national, state, or religious holidays?
• Which holidays? Such as New Years’, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
• What did you do on each holiday? Include food, activities, gatherings, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - How did your family celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
• What did you do? Such as gathering with grandparents on Christmas eve, visiting Santa, attending the Nutcracker, Carol, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What were your favorite and least favorite memories? - Did your family gather for family reunions?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• Who were your favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• Who were your least favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - As you grew older, were there family customs, traditions, routines that you came to dislike? Explain.
- What traditions did you have that were culturally based? Such as traditions from another country or ethnic related?
• Describe the traditions?
• What does tradition mean?
• What are the most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like or dislike?
- Do you have any emblems, statues, wall hangings, images, or other artifacts in your home that are related to a tradition or customer?
• If yes, please tell the story and meaning?
• Why or why not is that artifact important to you? - Did you take traditions from your youth and introduce them to your family as an adult?
• Describe the traditions?
• Did you keep the traditions the same, or did you modify the tradition? Explain. - What traditions did you adopt from your spouse’s family?
- What traditions did you create for your family?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did the tradition evolve?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you adopt from friends and neighbors’ families?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions did you have but then stopped?
• What is the tradition?
• Why did the tradition stop? Such as moved away, death in the family.
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - Did you parents or grandparent tell you about traditions they had in their families, culture, communities, countries?
• Describe the traditions and memories shared? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions you follow for teams you belonged to?
• Describe the tradition.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you follow for sports teams?
• Describe the team tradition?
• Describe your tradition for sports or game day?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you wish you had kept or started?
• Explain. - What traditions/routines were necessary for your parents but not for you? Explain.
- Does your family have traditions that pass through generations? Such as joining the military, belonging to an organization, earning awards like Eagle scout, religion-related, cultural-related.
• Describe the tradition and why it is essential?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - Are they any particular days, events, or traditions that seem to be forgotten by the current generation?
- Did your family have traditions, customs, routines around activities like…
• Watching TV? Listening to Radio? Movies?
• County/state fairs? Sporting events?
• Games? Singing? Eating? Hobbies?
• Vacation and camping? Treats and deserts?
• Evening walks? Reading stories?
• Volunteering? Watch sunrise/sunset?
• Staying with grandparents, cousins?
• Hikes? Canning? Fitness?
• Baby showers? Weddings? Baptisms?
Click Here to return to the writing prompts and questions about traditions and customs.
Young Adult Traditions (Age 18-25)
Writing Prompts and Questions About Traditions and Customs
“Early Adult Traditions (Age 18-25)” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about traditions, customers and routines. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.
- What were your favorite traditions as a child?
- What type of traditions did you have as a family?
• Foods on specific days? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities as a family each week or month? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with a spouse? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with child? Thoughts and memories.
• Sunday or Saturday traditions? Thoughts and memories. - Did your family have morning wake-up or going to bed routines/traditions?
• Describe your traditions?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions did you have around birthdays?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - What personal experiences, customs, traditions do you have for your personal life that have been important for you?
- Did you have any traditions related to turning a specific age?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions/customers do you have with your culture that are important to you?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you misunderstand when you were younger and grew to appreciate as you become older?
- Do you have favorite stories or folklore that is passed down from generation to generation?
• Take time to recount the stories and folklore. If it takes more than one interview session to learn and hear these stories, then take time to listen and learn these stories. - Did you have traditions for national, state, or religious holidays?
• Which holidays? Such as New Years’, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
• What did you do on each holiday? Include food, activities, gatherings, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - How did your family celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
• What did you do? Such as gathering with grandparents on Christmas eve, visiting Santa, attending the Nutcracker, Carol, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What were your favorite and least favorite memories? - Did your family gather for family reunions?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• Who were your favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• Who were your least favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - As you grew older, were there family customs, traditions, routines that you came to dislike? Explain.
- What traditions did you have that were culturally based? Such as traditions from another country or ethnic related?
• Describe the traditions?
• What does tradition mean?
• What are the most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like or dislike?
- Do you have any emblems, statues, wall hangings, images, or other artifacts in your home that are related to a tradition or customer?
• If yes, please tell the story and meaning?
• Why or why not is that artifact important to you? - Did you take traditions from your youth and introduce them to your family as an adult?
• Describe the traditions?
• Did you keep the traditions the same, or did you modify the tradition? Explain. - What traditions did you adopt from your spouse’s family?
- What traditions did you create for your family?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did the tradition evolve?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you adopt from friends and neighbors’ families?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions did you have but then stopped?
• What is the tradition?
• Why did the tradition stop? Such as moved away, death in the family.
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - Did you parents or grandparent tell you about traditions they had in their families, culture, communities, countries?
• Describe the traditions and memories shared? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions you follow for teams you belonged to?
• Describe the tradition.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you follow for sports teams?
• Describe the team tradition?
• Describe your tradition for sports or game day?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you wish you had kept or started?
• Explain. - What traditions/routines were necessary for your parents but not for you? Explain.
- Does your family have traditions that pass through generations? Such as joining the military, belonging to an organization, earning awards like Eagle scout, religion-related, cultural-related.
• Describe the tradition and why it is essential?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - Are they any particular days, events, or traditions that seem to be forgotten by the current generation?
- Did your family have traditions, customs, routines around activities like…
• Watching TV? Listening to Radio? Movies?
• County/state fairs? Sporting events?
• Games? Singing? Eating? Hobbies?
• Vacation and camping? Treats and deserts?
• Evening walks? Reading stories?
• Volunteering? Watch sunrise/sunset?
• Staying with grandparents, cousins?
• Hikes? Canning? Fitness?
• Baby showers? Weddings? Baptisms?
Click Here to return to the writing prompts and questions about traditions and customs.
Adult Traditions (Age 25-65)
Writing Prompts and Questions About Traditions and Customs
“Adult Traditions (Age 25-65)” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about traditions, customers and routines. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.
- What were your favorite traditions as an Adult?
- What type of traditions did you have as a family?
• Foods on specific days? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities as a family each week or month? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with a spouse? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with child? Thoughts and memories.
• Sunday or Saturday traditions? Thoughts and memories. - Did your family have morning wake-up or going to bed routines/traditions?
• Describe your traditions?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions did you have around birthdays?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - What personal experiences, customs, traditions do you have for your personal life that have been important for you?
- Did you have any traditions related to turning a specific age?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions/customers do you have with your culture that are important to you?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you misunderstand when you were younger and grew to appreciate as you become older?
- Do you have favorite stories or folklore that is passed down from generation to generation?
• Take time to recount the stories and folklore. If it takes more than one interview session to learn and hear these stories, then take time to listen and learn these stories. - Did you have traditions for national, state, or religious holidays?
• Which holidays? Such as New Years’, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
• What did you do on each holiday? Include food, activities, gatherings, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - How did your family celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
• What did you do? Such as gathering with grandparents on Christmas eve, visiting Santa, attending the Nutcracker, Carol, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What were your favorite and least favorite memories? - Did your family gather for family reunions?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• Who were your favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• Who were your least favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - As you grew older, were there family customs, traditions, routines that you came to dislike? Explain.
- Do you have any emblems, statues, wall hangings, images, or other artifacts in your home that are related to a tradition or customer?
• If yes, please tell the story and meaning?
• Why or why not is that artifact important to you?
- What traditions did you have that were culturally based? Such as traditions from another country or ethnic related?
• Describe the traditions?
• What does tradition mean?
• What are the most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like or dislike? - Did you take traditions from your youth and introduce them to your family as an adult?
• Describe the traditions?
• Did you keep the traditions the same, or did you modify the tradition? Explain. - What traditions did you adopt from your spouse’s family?
- What traditions did you create for your family?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did the tradition evolve?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you adopt from friends and neighbors’ families?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions did you have but then stopped?
• What is the tradition?
• Why did the tradition stop? Such as moved away, death in the family.
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - Did you parents or grandparent tell you about traditions they had in their families, culture, communities, countries?
• Describe the traditions and memories shared? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions you follow for teams you belonged to?
• Describe the tradition.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you follow for sports teams?
• Describe the team tradition?
• Describe your tradition for sports or game day?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you wish you had kept or started?
• Explain. - What traditions/routines were necessary for your parents but not for you? Explain.
- Does your family have traditions that pass through generations? Such as joining the military, belonging to an organization, earning awards like Eagle scout, religion-related, cultural-related.
• Describe the tradition and why it is essential?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - Are they any particular days, events, or traditions that seem to be forgotten by the current generation?
- Did your family have traditions, customs, routines around activities like…
• Watching TV? Listening to Radio? Movies?
• County/state fairs? Sporting events?
• Games? Singing? Eating? Hobbies?
• Vacation and camping? Treats and deserts?
• Evening walks? Reading stories?
• Volunteering? Watch sunrise/sunset?
• Staying with grandparents, cousins?
• Hikes? Canning? Fitness?
• Baby showers? Weddings? Baptisms?
Click Here to return to the writing prompts and questions about traditions and customs.
Senior Adult Traditions (Age 65+)
Writing Prompts and Questions About Traditions and Customs
“Senior Adult Traditions (Age 65+)” is part of the series for writing prompts and questions about traditions, customers and routines. Use these questions to ask, gather, and organize information to help you write narratives about yourself, your family, and others. If you are writing about a deceased person, think of the questions as if you were the person answering the questions.
- What were your favorite traditions as a Senior Adult?
- What type of traditions did you have as a family?
• Foods on specific days? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities as a family each week or month? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with a spouse? Thoughts and memories.
• Time and activities with child? Thoughts and memories.
• Sunday or Saturday traditions? Thoughts and memories. - Did your family have morning wake-up or going to bed routines/traditions?
• Describe your traditions?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions did you have around birthdays?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - What personal experiences, customs, traditions do you have for your personal life that have been important for you?
- Did you have any traditions related to turning a specific age?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions/customers do you have with your culture that are important to you?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you misunderstand when you were younger and grew to appreciate as you become older?
- Do you have favorite stories or folklore that is passed down from generation to generation?
• Take time to recount the stories and folklore. If it takes more than one interview session to learn and hear these stories, then take time to listen and learn these stories. - Did you have traditions for national, state, or religious holidays?
• Which holidays? Such as New Years’, Valentines, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
• What did you do on each holiday? Include food, activities, gatherings, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - How did your family celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
• What did you do? Such as gathering with grandparents on Christmas eve, visiting Santa, attending the Nutcracker, Carol, and more.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What were your favorite and least favorite memories? - Did your family gather for family reunions?
• Include foods, activities, people?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• Who were your favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• Who were your least favorite people at the reunion, and why?
• What did you most like and dislike at reunions? - As you grew older, were there family customs, traditions, routines that you came to dislike? Explain.
- What traditions did you have that were culturally based? Such as traditions from another country or ethnic related?
• Describe the traditions?
• What does tradition mean?
• What are the most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like or dislike?
- Do you have any emblems, statues, wall hangings, images, or other artifacts in your home that are related to a tradition or customer?
• If yes, please tell the story and meaning?
• Why or why not is that artifact important to you? - Did you take traditions from your youth and introduce them to your family as an adult?
• Describe the traditions?
• Did you keep the traditions the same, or did you modify the tradition? Explain. - What traditions did you adopt from your spouse’s family?
- What traditions did you create for your family?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did the tradition evolve?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions did you adopt from friends and neighbors’ families?
• Where did the idea come from?
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions did you have but then stopped?
• What is the tradition?
• Why did the tradition stop? Such as moved away, death in the family.
• Describe the tradition.
• How did you evolve the tradition?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines?
• What did you most like and dislike? - Did you parents or grandparent tell you about traditions they had in their families, culture, communities, countries?
• Describe the traditions and memories shared? - What traditions do you follow for your place of work?
• What are your most memorable experiences? - What traditions you follow for teams you belonged to?
• Describe the tradition.
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you follow for sports teams?
• Describe the team tradition?
• Describe your tradition for sports or game day?
• What are your most memorable experiences, customs, traditions, routines? - What traditions do you wish you had kept or started?
• Explain. - What traditions/routines were necessary for your parents but not for you? Explain.
- Does your family have traditions that pass through generations? Such as joining the military, belonging to an organization, earning awards like Eagle scout, religion-related, cultural-related.
• Describe the tradition and why it is essential? - Are they any particular days, events, or traditions that seem to be forgotten by the current generation?
- Did your family have traditions, customs, routines around activities like…
• Watching TV? Listening to Radio? Movies?
• County/state fairs? Sporting events?
• Games? Singing? Eating? Hobbies?
• Vacation and camping? Treats and deserts?
• Evening walks? Reading stories?
• Volunteering? Watch sunrise/sunset?
• Staying with grandparents, cousins?
• Hikes? Canning? Fitness?
• Baby showers? Weddings? Baptisms?
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