Festive Quiz

Let’s get into a festive mood with a festive quiz! When you’re reading this, Christmas might be just around the corner. Even if it’s not, the Christmas spirit can last the whole year. Get ready for a round of Christmas questions and answers with our festive quiz! Do you believe you can get a high enough score to make Santa Claus happy? Will you get a beautiful gift or a lump of coal? Take the test and find out.

Christmas traditions from all over the world

It’s time for another round of Christmas trivia!

Icelandic Christmas book flood

If you’re a bookworm, this tradition will pique your interest. Jólabókaflóðið is a festive custom in Iceland that begins a few months before Christmas and culminates on Christmas Eve. Around November, every household receives a book catalog. People use it to buy books they gift to family and friends. They exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the remainder of the evening reading and sipping hot chocolate. Jólabókaflóðið sounds like a dream for every book lover.

Discover your spiritual gifts.

Saint Nicholas Day in Poland

On Saint Nicholas Day, the 6th of December, children in Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and other Eastern/Central European countries wait for presents from Santa Claus. He is supposed to put gifts under the pillows of all children who behaved well last year. Those naughty might expect to find a lump of coal or a twig instead.

What kind of Christmas villain are you?

Tortell de reis for Catalans

Tortell de reis is the typical cake Catalans (an ethnic group native to Catalonia) eat on Three Wise Man Day (the 6th day of January). It’s a sweet bread filled with marzipan or cream. It also has candied fruit on top. There’s a tiny surprise inside the cake: a bean and a figurine that represents a king. For the rest of the day, whoever finds the king is crowned. Whoever discovers the bean – next year the cake is on them!

Which classic Christmas character are you?

Carp for Christmas dinner in Czechia

The tradition of serving carp at Christmas feast is alive and well in many countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia. You can encounter this custom also in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Croatia. During the 13th century, fish for Christmas Eve dinner became a tradition. It was because Catholics deemed fish a fasting meal, and Christmas Eve was the conclusion of the Advent fast. Putting one of the fish’s scales underneath the guests’ dinner plates is thought to bring them luck and represent the festive spirit.

Christmas in Greece – basil and burning shoes

A popular Christmas custom in Greece is wrapping a cross with basil and using it to spray the household with holy water. Yet another tradition is to burn old shoes at Christmas time. These activities are supposed to ward off evil spirits and bring luck for the following year.

Bathing on the Philippines

One of the Filipino traditions states you cannot bathe on Christmas Day. Doing so will wash away the blessings of Jesus’ birthday. You also risk suffering from a strange, chronic sickness.

Examine your knowledge of Christmas.

Unusual Christmas quiz trivia

Question: what is the name of a creature from ancient German folklore who brings gifts for good children and scares naughty children with his whip?

Answer: Belsnickel! If you’ve ever watched The Office, the name might sound familiar. Belsnickel wears fur and a mask with a long tongue. He announces his presence by knocking on the doors and windows. He carries a whip or a switch to beat naughty children, but he also has pockets full of cakes, candies, and nuts for the good ones.

Question: which country has a tradition of eating whale skin and fermented seabird for Christmas?

Answer: Greenland! Mattak is what the Greenlanders call the fat and skin of beluga whales, narwhals, and bowhead whales. Typically it’s served raw. Mattak is described as having an oily texture with a nutty aftertaste. Kiviak is made from small seabirds fermented in seal skin. They are left to ferment underground for months before consumption.

Question: what is doronophobia?

Answer: doronophobia is a phobia of accepting and opening gifts. It might sound made up, but it’s a real fear. People who suffer from doronophobia experience panic attacks in situations that involve having to open gifts. Being forced to open presents in front of other people can cause them a lot of anxiety. It’s understandable – even for people without this phobia, the pressure involved in gift exchange might be a lot to handle.