Christmas Customs Worldwide Trivia Quiz

Answer: Christmas Cards

The Penny Post began in 1840 which made postage more affordable because trains could carry letters in bulk. This led to the first Christmas Cards which were sold for a shilling each. Sending cards became more popular when it became possible to send them in an unsealed envelope for a halfpenny and when printing methods gradually improved to make their production cheaper.

The new custom started to spread to the USA in the late 1840s. The Christmas Cracker was invented by Tom Smith in 1850, the Christmas Tree was brought to Britain by Prince Albert from Germany in the 1840s while the burning of the Yule Log dates back to Medieval times and was originally associated with the Winter Solstice.

Answer: Black Pete

Sinterklaas or St Nicholas arrives in a different city or town by boat each year with "Zwarte Piet" or Black Pete. All the local church bells ring when they come ashore and then Sinterklaas leads a procession in his red bishop's robes riding a white horse. St Nicholas Eve is a big day, especially for the children who leave out clogs to be filled with presents.

There are parties at which special biscuits and sweets are eaten and when, if they are lucky, children may receive further presents. Black Pete is supposed to keep a tally of each child's behaviour during the year and carries a stick to beat any naughty children. Kris Kringle is a pseudonym for Santa, the Grinch is a Dr Seuss character who hated Christmas and Ebenezer Scrooge is, of course, Dickens' main character in "A Christmas Carol".

Answer: Poland

Oplatek is a symbolic piece of bread with a holy picture pressed into it. Traditionally it is shared with friends and neighbours and as it is shared the people have to do two things. First they have to forgive any hurts that have occurred in the past year and also wish a Merry Christmas and happiness for he year to come. Carp is an important part of the Christmas food amongst many vegetarian dishes which are also traditional.

The carp is often kept alive at home in the days leading up to Christmas - sometimes in the bath!

Answer: January 7th

The date is different because the Russian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar. Advent begins on 28th November and continues until 6th January - 40 days long. The official Christmas and New Year Holiday goes from 31st December until 10th January. New Year is very important in Russia and Father Frost delivers presents to children on New Years Eve. Children make a circle around the Christmas Tree and call for him and his grandaughter who comes with him.

Answer: Christingle

The Christingle probably began in the Czech Republic where such services have been held for over 200 years. The orange represents the World, the candle is to give light like the love of God, the red ribbon is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed, the four sticks represent the four points of the compass and the four seasons and the fruit and nuts represent the fruits of the Earth nurtured by the sun and the rain.

The tradition began when a poor child's gift to the crib was an orange which was partly mouldy so she decorated it and still brought it.

The priest acknowledged it by telling the congregation how special it was for the above reasons.

Answer: Scandinavia

St Lucia was martyred for her faith in 340AD when she secretly took food to persecuted Christians in Rome. Lucia means light so it is a good name for a celebration involving a girl dressed in a white dress with a red sash and wearing a crown of candles on her head.

The crown is made of Lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolise new life. Schools, towns and villages choose a girl to play St Lucia and lead a procession where carols are sung.

Answer: Holly and ivy

Greenery was brought into house at the Winter Solstice in pre-Christian times and was continued after the adoption of Christianity. The prickles of the holly leaves were to represent Jesus' crown of thorns and the berries were the blood he shed. The ivy is to remind us that we need to cling to God for support.

It is said to be unlucky to bring either into the house before Christmas Eve. Sadly, where I live, if you leave the holly that long the birds will have eaten all of the berries!

Answer: All of these

The Poisettia is a plant or tree which has coloured bracts - a type of leaf - the flaming red one having become a traditional Christmas plant. This dates back to 16th Century Mexico when a poor girl took a handful of weeds to lay by the church altar on the instructions of an Angel.

When placed there a beautiful red flower appeared. From the 17th Century Franciscan monks in Mexico included the plant in their Christmas celebrations. Its shape represents the Star of Bethlehem while the red represents the blood shed at the Crucifixion. Noche Buena means Christmas Eve in Mexico and Flor de Pascua means "Easter Flower" in Spanish.

Answer: The Druids

The Druid priests cut down the mistletoe with a golden sickle. It was supposed to possess mystical powers and bring good luck to a household and was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe was that a berry had to be picked from the bough before a kiss could be taken and when all the berries had gone the the kissing had to stop. That's why mistletoe sprigs with lots of berries are always in demand.

Although it is seldom seen growing in England in the wild nowadays just go across to France to see massive outcrops of it growing on trees there, as it is a parasite (in the true meaning of the word).

Answer: Norway

The tree has been donated every year since 1947 from the city of Oslo in Norway. It is in gratitude for British support of Norway during the Second World War. The tree is cut sometime in November in a ceremony attended by the British Ambassador, the Mayor of Oslo and the Lord Mayor of Westminster.

It is 50 to 6o years old and normally in excess of 20 metres tall. It is shipped to Britain by sea and decorated in traditional Norwegian style. There is a tree-lighting ceremony on the first Thursday in December which is attended by thousands and is also the focal point for different carolling groups in London.