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Old English Customs Trivia Quiz

Strange customs survive in the English countryside. Here are some, many of which I have known my parents and grandparents to enact.

A multiple-choice quiz by Toeknee448. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Toeknee448

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
360,464

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
595

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What did my grandfather sprinkle on the roots of his apple trees at Christmas to ensure a good crop next year? Hint

Cold tea

Sour milk

Used bath water

Cider

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Question 2 of 10

2. It is a well-known custom to put flowers around the village wells in Derbyshire each summer in thanks for their pure water. What is that custom called? Hint

Well dressing

Presenting the well-bouquets

Thanks to the wells

Remembering the wells

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Question 3 of 10

3. According to English superstitions, why would someone break the shell of a boiled egg after it has been eaten? Hint

To prevent a witch from using it as a boat

To prepare it for the hens to eat as a calcium supplement

Just to make a mess and enjoy the sound

So that no imp will use it for a cradle

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of these strangely charming customs, performed by a man in a purple robe (note that) was claimed to be true when it was described on Radio 3 on 12th June 2013?

Hint

Plum charming

Pear counting

Strawberry treading

Apple football

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Question 5 of 10

5. There are various places, such as Olney in Buckinghamshire, where a unique type of race takes place annually in early spring. What do the contestants throw and catch repeatedly? Hint

A baby doll

A bunch of flowers

A dead rabbit

A pancake

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Question 6 of 10

6. If you want to know who you will marry, which of these English divinations should you do at bedtime to ensure you dream of him/her? Hint

Turn round three times widdershins (anti clockwise)

Bow three times to a new moon

Jump over your hairbrush

Eat a plate of raw meat

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Watering the roots of apple trees is a well-known event done at Christmas, called wassailing. Apart from trying to ensure a good crop, what other reason is there? Hint

Insects dislike the smell and will stay away

To call the pagan gods to bless the trees

To drive away evil spirits

To provide some nourishment for the roots

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Question 8 of 10

8. Beekeepers used to believe it was important to keep their bees informed of important local events. What did my grandparents do at Christmas to keep the bees informed? Hint

Fired a shotgun over the hives

Put an angel doll on the hives

Sang a Christmas carol to their hives

Drank a toast to the New Year beside the hives

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Why did English fishermen in olden days like to paint their boats a new color at midsummer? Hint

A new fishing season requires a fresh coat of paint

Dry summer days make painting easier

To disguise them from evil spirits

The days are longer, so the boat dries in one day

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Question 10 of 10

10. What do children sometimes hold to ward off evil when they see an ambulance? Hint

Their breath (till it is out of sight)

Their collar

A dandelion leaf

Hands with one another in a ring

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What did my grandfather sprinkle on the roots of his apple trees at Christmas to ensure a good crop next year?

Answer: Cider

Have you ever seen a drunken worm? Neither have I, but I am sure there were plenty that went to sleep happy that night. Sprinkling cider (or tossing a bowl of cider) on a tree's roots has long been a common superstition to guarantee a good crop.

2. It is a well-known custom to put flowers around the village wells in Derbyshire each summer in thanks for their pure water. What is that custom called?

Answer: Well dressing

There is usually at least one village with its wells dressed each summer weekend. They are well (sorry!) worth a visit. Huge boards are soaked; then they are spread thick with clay and pictures made of flower petals pressed into the mud, like mosaic tiles.

The resultant pictures, sometimes ten or twelve feet high, are used as frames for the wells. As many as five or six may be seen in one village.

3. According to English superstitions, why would someone break the shell of a boiled egg after it has been eaten?

Answer: To prevent a witch from using it as a boat

There's a popular saying that a witch can only cross running water in an eggshell, so if you are ever chased by a witch, you can escape by wading or swimming across a stream.

4. Which of these strangely charming customs, performed by a man in a purple robe (note that) was claimed to be true when it was described on Radio 3 on 12th June 2013?

Answer: Plum charming

Plum charming was described on Radio 3 on 12th June 2013, when announcers insisted it was real. Apparently a musician walks among the plum trees in Pershore, Worcestershire, wearing those purple robes and playing music. The reason could be based on fact. If the music hits the right notes it apparently causes the moisture in the fruit to vibrate and encourages the ripening process.
The other ideas I have invented.

5. There are various places, such as Olney in Buckinghamshire, where a unique type of race takes place annually in early spring. What do the contestants throw and catch repeatedly?

Answer: A pancake

This happens every Shrove Tuesday, which is the last day before Lent. During Lent, some strict Christians do not eat eggs or meat or any sort of fat, so Pancake Tuesday came into being as a way to use up the plentiful supply of spring eggs and all the fat left in the larder. Most people enjoy them without the race, though.

6. If you want to know who you will marry, which of these English divinations should you do at bedtime to ensure you dream of him/her?

Answer: Eat a plate of raw meat

I have no idea why, nor do I know how big a plateful you need. There are other ways to foretell your future spouse which would be nicer. I have not described any of the other ways. Perhaps I will use them in another quiz.

7. Watering the roots of apple trees is a well-known event done at Christmas, called wassailing. Apart from trying to ensure a good crop, what other reason is there?

Answer: To drive away evil spirits

Wassailing is often accompanied by singing a carol. There are several carols which use the word wassail. By doing this, the farmers believed they were driving out the non-Christian spirits and appeasing the Christian believers.

8. Beekeepers used to believe it was important to keep their bees informed of important local events. What did my grandparents do at Christmas to keep the bees informed?

Answer: Sang a Christmas carol to their hives

A doll was put on the pig sties, the shotgun was fired through the orchard to warn off the demons that might take up residence there and the toast was drunk to the sun, the moon and the stars (and anything else that would provide an excuse). None of these had anything to do with the bees.

9. Why did English fishermen in olden days like to paint their boats a new color at midsummer?

Answer: To disguise them from evil spirits

Fishermen felt that by taking fish they had stolen them from the spirits of the sea. They believed that a newly painted boat with a changed appearance would not be recognized by those spirits when the next season began.

10. What do children sometimes hold to ward off evil when they see an ambulance?

Answer: Their collar

I have no idea why. Nor can I discover how this custom began, but having taught in schools in five different English counties, I have found the children doing it in each. Similar superstitions include children holding their collars when they see a hearse or funeral procession going by.

Source: Author Toeknee448

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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