Christmas Trivia

1. Which country celebrates Christmas not by having Santa Claus visit, but with 13 mischievous trolls roaming the countryside the week before Christmas dropping off presents for the good children and leaving rotting potatoes for the bad kids?

From Quiz Phoenix Rising's Really BIG Zoom Christmas Party

Answer: Iceland

Each of the 13 'jólasveinar' (Yule Boys) has his own personality trait / job description including: Doorway-Sniffer, Spoon-Licker, Sausage-Swiper, Candle-Stealer, Curd-Gobbler, and the creepily named Window-Peeper. Each troll takes turns visiting Icelandic children who have left shoes in their bedroom window awaiting gifts. Question contributed by Phoenix Rising Team member 1nn1 who must remember to check his shoes for rotten potatoes over the festive season.

From Quiz Merry Christmas Everybody!

Answer: Norway

Norway has been gifting the Christmas tree as thanks to the UK for their assistance in WW2. This tradition was started in 1947. BillMcC

From Quiz Splash's Yuletide Potpourri

Answer: Chestnuts

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir And folks dressed up like eskimos..." Written as "The Christmas Song", this is more commonly known as "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire". The first recording was by the Nat King Cole trio in 1946. It has been widely covered since. Chestnuts are brown nuts that grow in a spiky shell on trees in forests and parks. Not all chestnuts are good eat, some are harmful. Most people buy the good kind from a shop. There are different ways of roasting them. One of the best is to wrap them in foil and put them in a medium hot fire for 15 minutes. If you do not have an open fire, you can cook them in an oven, but be sure to pierce them with a small hole first or they could explode.

From Quiz Christmas Selection Box

Answer: Tiny Tim Cratchit

Tiny Tim Cratchit first appeared in Charles Dickens' classic seasonal tale 'A Christmas Carol', which was first published in 1843. Tiny Tim is the youngest child of Bob and Mrs Cratchit and has five older siblings. Bob Cratchit is the downtrodden clerk who works for the tyrannical miser Ebenezer Scrooge. Tiny Tim is a weak and sickly child who, it is implied, may not have long to live. Although Tim only appears briefly in the novel, his plight, when revealed to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Present, is a major factor in bringing about Scrooge's change of heart. His heartstrings having been well and truly tugged by Tiny Tim's patient suffering, Scrooge brings the family a large turkey on Christmas Day, promises to be a kinder and more generous employer to Bob Cratchit, and to help the family in any way he can. Scrooge also becomes a 'second father' to Tiny Tim. Such is the enduring appeal of 'A Christmas Carol' that it has been adapted countless times for film, television, radio and the stage. My personal favourite screen adaptation of the novel is 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' in which Robin the Frog, voiced by Jerry Nelson, plays the role of Tim, with his parents played by Kermit and Miss Piggy.

From Quiz The Yule Lads

Answer: 13

The Yule Lads have been part of Icelandic folklore for hundreds of years. They are sometimes also known as Yuletide-Lads or Yulemen and their Icelandic name is Jolasveinarnir. In earlier times the number and nature of the Yule Lads often differed from region to region and the stories surrounding the Yule Lads depicted them as anything from mischievous pranksters to homicidal monsters. However, the modern incarnations of the Yule Lads, including their canonical names and personalities, can be traced back to the poem 'Jolasveinarnir' which was featured in a collection of Christmas poems by Icelandic poet Johannes Ur Kotlum in 1932.

From Quiz C Is for Christmas

Answer: Carols & carol & caroling

Another name for carols is noels. Christmas carols first appeared in English during the early 15th century. An English pastor by the name of John Awdlay is credited with one of the first carol books which he entitled "Caroles of Cristemas". Today the tradition of wassailing and caroling continues across the world as friends and family go out into the community singing these special Christmas songs.

From Quiz 9 of 10 Christmas

Answer: Mary

Most Christians believe that Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus. Catholics in particular believe that Mary was the Immaculate Conception, meaning that she was born without original sin.

From Quiz Jingle All the Way!

Answer: Fir Tree

The Christmas song "O Tannenbaum" was composed by Ernst Anschütz in 1824. Although now considered a holiday song, it was written with a different meaning. The tannenbaum or fir tree was a symbol of fidelity in those days so it was written as a chastisement for an unfaithful maiden. The custom of decorating a fir tree is believed to have started in Germany in the 19th century and spread through out the world. Sometimes you will hear it with the German "O Tannenbaum"; other times you may hear it "O Christmas Tree", the anglicized version.

From Quiz Christmas Traditions

Answer: Mistletoe

The name "mistletoe" comes from the second century Anglo-Saxon word "misteltan." "Mistel" in Old English means dung and "tan" means twig. Because the plant grows in harsh climates yet comes back faithfully every year, early Christians believed that mistletoe symbolized God's love and purpose for mankind. Scandinavian warriors would stop fighting in the middle of battle in a gesture of peace if they found themselves standing under a mistletoe-bearing tree. Those long-ago messages of peace and love have morphed into what we now celebrate as a romantic gesture of love: kissing under the mistletoe.

From Quiz Fun Christmas Quiz 2

Answer: Oakley Haldeman

Gene Autry was inspired to write the lyrics to this song in 1946 while riding his horse during the Santa Claus Lane Parade. Halderman wrote the music and Autry first recorded the song in 1947 where it would become a number 5 country song and a number 9 pop song. He also performed the song in his 1949 movie "Cowboys and Indians".

From Quiz All These Things And More

Answer: Candy canes

In 1670, a German choirmaster had simple sugar sticks bent to resemble shepherd staffs and the sweet treats were passed out to children to quiet them during church ceremonies. And so the candy cane was born. The red and white stripes and peppermint flavor were not added to the canes until the 19th century. Candy canes are now a Christmas tradition, they come in an array of colors and flavors, with more than 1.76 billion canes made annually for the holiday season.

From Quiz Why I Hate Christmas

Answer: Belgium

Brussels sprouts are a member of the Brassica family and look like small cabbages. Their scientific name is Brassica oleracea, gemmifera group, and an early version of sprouts has been found to date back to ancient Roman times. The modern version has been confirmed to have existed in the 16th century, although they possibly originated three centuries earlier in the country now called Belgium. The unpleasant smell and taste of sprouts is caused by overcooking, which probably explains my aversion, particularly from school dinners, but I'm still not tempted to try them.

From Quiz Christmas Crackers

Answer: Charles Drummond

His card was designed for Hogmanay (which was more important than Christmas in Scotland) and depicted a cheery character proclaiming "A gude New Year, and mony o' them".

From Quiz "Oh Christmas Tree"

Answer: strips of silver

Real silver was used as tinsel for over 300 years. It was rolled out flat and sliced into thin strips. It was used over and over again and passed down through the generations. It tarnished easily and had to be polished every year by hand. In the 19th century lead was added to help the tinsel hang better, but it was removed in the 20th century because of health concerns.

From Quiz The Twelve Days Of Christmas

Answer: 1780

The printed game of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" appeared for the first time between 1780 and 1800 in two separate editions. The publication was included in an inexpensive collection of games intended not only for Christmas celebration, but for general children's entertainment.

From Quiz Guild Christmas Chestnuts

Answer: Jordan

This beautiful carol (words and music by Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)) is not well known (in the UK at least), but is very lovely. Cornelius was a pupil of Lizst.

From Quiz Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

Answer: The New York Sun

"The New York Sun" was very slow to recognize the importance of the editorial, and even though the paper got annual requests for the editorial to be republished, refused to do so for five years following the initial publication and then did it only reluctantly. It wasn't until the 1920s that "The Sun" reprinted the editorial annually until the paper went out of business in 1949.

From Quiz The Night Before Christmas - Poem

Answer: Tore open the shutters

After tearing open the shutters, he threw up the sash and admired the fresh snowfall below.

From Quiz Santa Who?

Answer: Ebenezer Scrooge

"A Christmas Carol" was written in 1843. Scrooge's last name was put into the English language as a descriptive term for a miserable person. Well, if the shoe fits...

From Quiz Christmas

Answer: O Tannenbaum

The Christmas tree plays a big part in this celebration for most people and in the past, the evergreen tree was decorated as a symbol of prosperity and ever-lasting life. The early German settlers it is said, introduced their Tannenbaum (or Christmas tree) to America.

From Quiz A Wreath of Christmas Miscellany

Answer: That's the date the Church decided on.

The Church (at a Council in the year 440) fixed December 25 as the date on which Christians would celebrate Jesus' birth. Why December 25? Because it coincides with the Winter Solstice, and that was a festival time in most cultures. The Church merely Christianized the pagan revels! Scholars suggest that the actual birth of Christ was more likely to have been in the spring, when shepherds would be much more likely to be abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night, while the new lambs were being born. Even in Israel, it gets pretty chilly on December 25!

From Quiz Christmas

Answer: The Settlement

Christmas Island was named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company when he discovered it on Christmas Day 1643. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, and although it is an Australian Territory, its closest neighbour is Java, 360km away. Murray Hill and Smith Point are both landmarks on the island, Paro is on Easter Island.

From Quiz Christmas Queries

Answer: Tesco

Many an eyebrow was raised when this was announced. Fortnum and Masons had been grocers to the royal family for so long that to change to Tesco was seen as a step downwards. It seems the reason for this is that the queen simply prefers the taste of the cheaper puddings, though she still has her mince pies delivered from Fortnum and Masons.

From Quiz General Christmas Trivia

Answer: An invisibility cloak

Harry did also get a lumpy looking jumper from Mrs. Weasley but the cloak was much more useful.

From Quiz Christmas According to the Bible

Answer: Matthew and Luke

Matthew alone includes the story of the magi, as told in chapter two of his Gospel. Luke alone includes the details of the birth of Christ's cousin, John the Baptist, and of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth during her own pregnancy. Mark begins in medias res, with Christ's ministry, and John does too, after first describing Christ as being with God in the beginning.

From Quiz Christmas Entertainment

Answer: a hat

The children placed an old silk hat on the snowman and he came to life. It was a magic hat.

From Quiz The History Of Santa Claus

Answer: 4th Century

St. Nicholas is first mentioned in the forth century. Christians believe that St. Nicholas was a Bishop from Asia Minor. He was also a Bishop in Myra and Lycia, in Turkey.

From Quiz Tough Christmas Trivia

Answer: 4th Century

It was first celebrated in the fourth Century. The Catholic church wanted to have a celebration on the same day as a pagan holiday.

From Quiz The Nutcracker Ballet

Answer: Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was perhaps the greatest Russian composer. He created the opera 'Eugene Onegin' and the ballet 'Swan Lake', but I would argue that the 'Nutcracker' was his greatest and most enduring work!

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Last Updated Nov 09 2024 5:47 AM

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