Merry Christmas Match! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mistletoe

It is believed that the ancient Druids would hang mistletoe in their homes to bring good luck and keep away evil spirits. The Norsemen also used mistletoe as a symbol of love and friendship - that is probably where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began!

Answer: Candy Cane

A choirmaster sometime around 1670 is believed to have made the candy canes so that his young singers would stay quiet during a long Christmas service. It is said that he made the canes the shape of a shepherd's crook to remind them of the shepherds who attended the birth of Jesus. The canes were not colored red, nor were they peppermint-flavored until the early 1900s.

Answer: Christingle

The Christingle has been further modified since its original appearance in 1747. Nowadays the candle is placed in a orange, which symbolizes the world, and the ribbon is placed around the orange to represent the blood of Jesus that was shed for us all. Four toothpicks are arranged in the orange to stand for the four seasons, and many times candy or other treats are placed on the toothpicks to represent the fruits of the earth.

Answer: Cracker

Crackers were originally made in England in the 1840s to serve as a pretty confectionery to compare to French bon bons. When they didn't sell very well, it was decided to add some extra fun and a bit of noise when they were pulled in half. Today crackers are made for many different types of special occasions, but it is a tradition to include one at each setting of a Christmas table in the UK.

Answer: Plum Pudding

In the 14th century, frumenty was a kind of porridge or soup, made with meat, raisins, and spices. By the early 1600s, frumenty had been thickened with bread crumbs, eggs, and dried fruit, and flavored with alcoholic spirits. There is a legend that a "real" plum pudding has to be made with thirteen ingredients to symbolize Jesus and the Twelve Disciples, and that each member of the family should take a turn stirring the pudding with a wooden spoon from east to west to honor the Three Wise Men.

Answer: Jesse Tree

The name of the Jesse Tree comes from Jesse, who was the father of King David; Jesus was descended from the lineage of King David. While the original Jesse Trees, used during the Middle Ages, were used to teach stories from the Bible, today they are more used as an Advent calendar; a special decoration is added either each day during Advent or on each of the four Sundays before Christmas that tells a Biblical story.

Answer: Christmas Pickle

The tradition of the Christmas Pickle seems to have originated with the store Woolworth's, who sold glass ornaments from Germany in the 1880s that included some in shapes of fruits and vegetables. A story came with the pickle that it was the last ornament hung on the tree, and the child who found it on Christmas morning would receive an extra present. Apparently, this was a good story, but in Germany it is said that there is NO such thing as a Christmas pickle custom!

Answer: Star of Bethlehem

Many scientists have attempted to explain exactly what the Star of Bethlehem might have been. The Bible says the Wise Men saw it shining in the east and followed the star to the place of the birth of Jesus. Was it a comet? A supernova? A dancing planet? Or perhaps it was a special sign that came from God to mark the place of Christ's birth.

Answer: Yule Log

In Scandinavia a winter solstice festival called the "Yule" was held. The Yule log was actually an entire tree that was taken inside the home and burned in the hearth over several days. Care was taken to save part of the log from the previous year to start the new fire for each Yule celebration.

Answer: Mince Pies

Although the pies were originally filled with meat, today they are filled with a dried fruit mix. The oval shape of the mince pie represents the manger in which Jesus was placed after his birth; the layer of pastry on the top represents his swaddling clothes.