Cool Cultural Things To Add To Your Fictional World

Worldbuilding might be my favorite part of the writing process. I always love to build places I might want to live in, and I always want to make my worlds like nothing I've ever seen before.

And I notice that a lot anymore, the worlds in the books I read are becoming more European and American, and less like the older, more regal cultures like Africans, Native Americans, and Inuits. There are some gorgeous details in these people's lives! And they can definitely be used for our worlds. So let's get some ideas!


The concept of "My homeland".
Loyalty to one's country of origin is something that people feel less and less these days. Many people have immigrated to where they live, or their roots aren't deep enough for them to really feel a special connection to where they live. But in older cultures, people were and are extremely loyal to where they live. Sure, there might be some problems, but they would defend their land until their dying breath. I think that's beautiful.

Cool wedding ceremonies.

Did you know that in India brides where purple? That in China, brides wear red? That in ancient Aztec civilization, the bride and groom had their hands tied together with a scarf, and they had to go about the rest of their day bound to one another? Even jumping the broom like slaves used to do is so very different, and because it's different, I find it beautiful. Hmm, it's been a while since I wrote a wedding. . . maybe I need another one.

Building stuff out of unaltered natural elements.

Think Stonehenge. Or cairns. I do love me a good cairn. Did you know people would leave messages in those things, buried under the stones so that the note wouldn't blow away? That's freakin' awesome. Whatever happened to building structures and buildings out of straight rocks and mud and grass? That's just awesome.

Rituals.
Rituals are another thing that's being lost to today's cultures, but they are super cool. Mesoamericans had a day every few years where they would throw away everything- clothing, bedding, even kitchen utensils- and start over. But it doesn't even have to be as elaborate as that. It could be something as simple as putting on a certain garment on a holy day or saying a certain phrase after saying a certain someone's name. There are many small rituals to choose from.

Feasts on certain days of the year.
Who doesn't love a good feast? Better yet, who doesn't love to feast and party for weeks on end with their whole village? Your people could party to celebrate a wedding, a royal birth, or even traditional holidays like Christmas or the beginning of Spring. Don't forget your bonfire dances, your garlands of beads, and the telling of stories in the form of song.

Telling where someone's from by how they dress.

Back to Mesoamerican culture! I don't know if this is still a thing they do, but I know that a long time ago, Mayan villages would each have their own unique textiles and patterns in their clothes. If a stranger came to your village, you would know where they were from just by what they were wearing.

Rulers going around and personally taking care of things.
Moana's dad had the right idea. He went around personally seeing what his people needed and fixing it himself. If they couldn't figure it out, it became his responsibility. And best of all, he knew all of them by name, and they addressed him by name. You can't beat that kind of leadership.

Hallowed places.

There were places in the Bible that the Israelites couldn't go into without lots and lots of preparation. You had to be the right person, under the right level of cleanliness, wearing the right clothes, and behaving in the right way. They had laws set up for this so that no one could do it wrong. And just the beauty of wearing your best clothes and making an effort to be able to step into such a beautiful, sacred place sounds so amazing.

Calling everyone 'aunt' and 'uncle'.
This is a thing I've picked up from various ancient cultures. You know everyone in your village, and you call them 'aunt' this and 'uncle' that. Even strangers who arrive become your aunts and uncles because that is how you show them your welcome and respect. People your age are 'cousins'. Older people are 'grandfather' and 'grandmother'. I just find this so homey and sweet.

Movable homes.

It's very important to me that you know some people still live in these wicked awesome things.

YAS QUEEN! TEEPEES!! But not just teepees either. The Native Americans also had the really big meeting tents and everything that they had to roll up and pack onto horses before moving on. And more cultures than just Native Americans had movable homes. Some homes, like the ones made out of rough branches or ice, are disposable. Just pack up your stuff and find a new and interesting area to live in. And there's so much subtext that goes with this that you can use to build your world. Moving around constantly with no land belonging to anyone could mean one of two things: 1) Everyone around here gets along and waves at each other as they trade out locations or 2) Everyone is desperately trying to avoid all the other tribes that are trying to make war with them and take their stuff.


Just imagine what these ideas would do for your fantasy world. Any of them can be tweaked and changed to fit, and I think they could fit in just about any story. For example, imagine the cool wedding ceremonies in today's world. Or the movable homes in a sci-fi novel. Imagine a modern culture where sacred places are still honored and where everyone is still an 'aunt' or an 'uncle'. These concepts are beautiful.

That's it for today! See you on Monday for another post!


Talk to me! Which cultural quirk was your favorite? Do you know any good ones I didn't mention? Tell me about it in the comments!

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