The Magic of Christmas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Provence, France

These small figures made out of terracotta are called santons (little saints). They depict characters from ordinary village life like the fisherman, water carrier, scissors grinder among others. The first appearance of the santons dates back to the late 18th century.

At the time of the French Revolution, churches were forcibly closed and large displays of traditional nativity scenes were prohibited. People then started making the crèches along with these figures in their homes out of whatever material was available to them trying to keep their traditions alive as best as they could. Jean-Louis Lagnel, an artisan from Marseille started making these figurines out of clay in 1797.

The annual Santons Fair is held during early winter in Marseille. If you happen to be around, you may buy a figurine or two for your own crib back home.

Answer: Caracas

Vehicles are not allowed to ply in most parts of the city of Caracas before 8 am on Christmas morning and the roads are kept clear for people to travel to the church on roller skates. Children sometimes also tie a string to their toe and hang the loose end out of the window for the early morning roller skaters to tug on their way to church.

After mass, people gather together to drink coffee and eat tostados.

Answer: Broom

In Norwegian custom, the family has a traditional dinner on Christmas Eve after which all the presents are opened. Once this is over, all the brooms in the house are hidden. This stems from the belief that in the past witches would roam around on Christmas Eve and look to steal brooms for riding.

Answer: KFC

Japan has a very miniscule Christian population and Christmas is not a national holiday in the country. Traditional turkey meat is not available readily in Japan. When foreigners in the mid 1970s were unable to find turkey for their Christmas meals, they opted for the next best thing - fried chicken. KFC (earlier known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) seized this opportunity and launched an advertising campaign called "Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!" (Kentucky for Christmas!) in 1974.

The original meal included chicken and wine which has now become a meal of chicken, cake and champagne.

The strategy was so successful that KFC continues to register record sales on Christmas Eve with people even pre-ordering the meal months in advance.

Answer: True

While the composition of both is the same, the oplatek is not blessed by a priest and is hence not considered to be the Body of Christ unlike the Communion host and instead just serves as a reminder of it. During the family meal on Christmas Eve, an extra setting is kept for any unknown person.

This is in remembrance of Mary and Joseph not finding any room in Bethlehem and the Polish welcome strangers so that no one is left alone on this day. The eldest member of the family takes the wafer and breaks a small part of it before passing it on to someone else.

This continues till everyone has a piece of the wafer and the family members then wish one another happiness and good health for the year ahead.

Answer: Nine

The nine day celebration begins on the 16th of December and continues up to the 24th of December. The nine days signify the nine months of Mary's pregnancy. The celebration is in the form of a novena which is the traditional Roman Catholic nine day prayer ritual. Posada is a Spanish word for lodging.

The tradition was started by the Spanish Catholic priests who used it as a medium to teach the people about the birth of Jesus. A couple enact the role of Mary and Joseph and the procession heads out from the church in the evening seeking room at the 'inn' - these may be certain designated houses or a church.

At the end of the journey each evening, carols are sung and children break open piñatas to obtain their presents.

Answer: Miner

Traditionally carved out of wood, the miner's figure generally holds a candle in each of its hands. The figure is usually accompanied by that of an angel which also holds two candles. Since mining was the primary occupation in the region, the figure depicts a central part of the way of the life of people living here. Men carved these figures to represent their children with the miner for a son and the angel for a daughter.

Answer: No

It is a common misconception that the tradition of the Christmas pickle can be traced to Germany. However, this tradition is almost unknown in Germany and most probably originated in America in the 19th century. According to the tradition, after decorating the tree, the pickle is hung last on Christmas Eve and the next morning when the children gather to open their presents, the one to first spot the pickle will receive an additional present. Since St. Nick arrives to distribute presents on 5th or 6th December in Germany and the children in Germany open their Christmas presents on Christmas eve, not the next morning, it is easy to see how the belief that this tradition is German is misplaced.

Answer: Spider web

Spiders and their webs are a symbol of good luck in Ukraine. According to myth, a poor widow and her children could not afford to buy ornaments to decorate their tree for Christmas. During Christmas Eve, spiders wove their webs on the empty branches of the tree.

When the family awoke in the morning, the sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver ending the family's poverty. As a result of this, Christmas trees in Ukraine are decorated with small spider shaped ornaments. Trees are also adorned with artificial spider webs.

Answer: Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Tio de Nadal is a hollow log with recent additions being two or three stick legs on which it stands, a smiley face and a floppy red hat. It is set up on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and children feed the log with nuts and dried fruit every night and cover it with a blanket to keep it warm. On Christmas Eve or Christmas day, the children gather around the log and beat it with sticks ordering it to poop out Christmas trees and other presents.

This has also led to the log being called the Caga Tio (poop log).

There is also a traditional Caga Tio song that is sung while this activity is carried out. After the log has finished giving out all the presents, it drops (or defecates) a salt herring signaling the end. The family may then burn the log in the fireplace.