Holiday Quiz

Home

ID Parade

Quizzes

Competitions

Shop

F.A.Q.

Guestbook

Links

Contact Us

How good is your Christmas knowledge?
Do you know more about it than even Santa?
Or less than a still warm piece of reindeer dung?
Put your knowledge to the test in the B.I.S. Holiday Quiz!!

The 26th of December is known as Boxing Day in Britain. Why?

	All the boxes from the presents are thrown away.
	The All-England boxing championships traditionally take place then.
	The money collected in alms-boxes in churches over the festive period is given to the poor and needy.
	Often too much alcohol is drunk on Christmas Day, a Welsh expression for the ensuing hangover is: 'having a head like a fur-lined hat box'.

Why is Xmas the common abbreviation for Christmas?

	X is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the Greek alphabet.
	The X represents Christ's crucifiction.
	Christ was illiterate, he wrote his name as 'X'.
	X was once the last letter of the alphabet, so Xmas signified the last feast of the year.

The European tradition of burning a Yule Log excluded certain people from the watching the burning of the log. These people were....

	Children, animals and wives.
	Estate agents, lawyers and journalists.
	Beggars, peddlars and bald people.
	People with squints, bare-foot women and people with flat-feet.

Which American state became the first to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836?

	Alabama.
	Missippi.
	Oklahoma.
	Texas.

Which American state became the last to declare Christmas a legal holiday, in 1907?

	Alabama.
	Missippi.
	Oklahoma.
	Texas.

In 1647, what was abolished by the British Parliament?

	Mulled wine.
	Mince Pies.
	Christmas.
	The Teletubbies' first Christmas Number 1 hit.

In 1937, Austria was responsible for which Christmas first?

	The first Christmas commemorative stamp.
	The first Christmas special radio show where long-lost relatives where reunited.
	The first musical Christmas card.
	The first version of the film, 'White Christmas'.

Which of these people was NOT born on 25th December?

	W C Field.
	Charlie Chaplin.
	Alice Cooper.
	Christ.

In Syria, who is said to distribute the Christmas gifts?

	The largest of the Wise Men's camels.
	The smallest of the Wise Men's camels.
	The smartest of the Wise Men's camels.
	The best-looking of the Wise Men's camels.

On Christmas Day, 1643, which of these islands was discovered?

	Easter Island.
	Long Island.
	Christmas Island.
	The Isle of Axholme.

In Devon, England, instead of burning a Yule Log, what would traditionally be burned?

	The Christmas TV listings.
	An ashen faggot.
	An oak chair.
	The Teletubbies Christmas number 1 hit.

St Nicholas (a.k.a. Santa Claus) has NEVER been the patron saint of which of these?

	Children.
	Wolves.
	Politicians.
	Prisoners.

Why is mistletoe traditionally hung over doors?

	To ward away evil spirits.
	To show you wish goodwill to all, even your enemies. This evolved into the present day tradition of kissing under the mistletoe.
	In 17th century Britain the number of berries on the mistletoe equated to the number of guests invited to Christmas dinner, it became a status symbol to show one's hospitality.
	The white berries symbolise the star of Bethlehem.

The brave Celtic men and boys of south-western Britain would set forth on St Stephen's day (26th Decemeber) to carry out the tradition of 'hunting the wren'. When they had found and killed the smallest bird in Britain they would carry it's body on a pole in a procession. Any of the attending 'Wren Boys' could buy one of its feathers at the funeral for good luck.

	True.
	False.

Which of these means 'Merry Christmas' in the language of the Basques?

	Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
	Vesele Vanoce
	Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
	Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

In Iceland it was believed that if you were lazy and didn't finish working the Autumn wool by Yule, not only would you not receive a new item of clothing, but you would be eaten, but eaten by what?

	The Yule Dog.
	The Yule Cat.
	The Yule Ferret.
	The Yule Rat.

Christmas 2000 in the U.K. saw how many turkeys eaten?

	2 million.
	7.5 million.
	10 million.
	14 million.

The Christmas Day dinner in Poland consists of 12 dishes, one for each day until Epiphany (twelth night), none of which contain meat, instead they are made from such things as pike, carp, sauerkraut, peas and filled dumplings.

	True.
	False.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was created by which department store?

	Harrods.
	Walmart.
	Montgomery-Ward.
	Sears.

Before settling on 'Tiny Tim' for the character's name in 'A Christmas Carol', Charles Dickens considered alternate names. Which one of these was NOT one those considered?

	Weak Willie.
	Puny Pete.
	Small Sam.
	Little Larry.