12 Days Of Christmas Traditions 2023
15th December 2023 by Teresa W
Christmas And Its Traditions Around The World - How Much Do You Know About How Others Celebrate This Festive Time Of The Year?
Christmas General Knowledge Quiz
Fancy a few minutes break? Once again we're delving in to trivia of Christmas traditions around the world. Why not see how many correct answers you and your friends/colleagues can find tucked away in the back of your mind?
If you like this, you can still play my 2023 Christmas themed quiz.
Quiz: 12 Days of Christmas Traditions 2023
Day 1
Question: Which Christmas number 1 is celebrating its diamond anniversary this year?
- When a Child is Born
- Merry Christmas Everybody
- Mistletoe and Wine
Answer: B. Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ was the Christmas number 1 in 1973, cowritten by Jim Lea and partly based on a song written by Noddy Holder in the 1960s. The song was recorded in the summer in a studio next door to John Lennon recording his 'Mind Games' album.
Day 2
Question: Italian Panettone is a popular cake to eat at Christmas. Which city does it come from?
- Milan
- Rome
- Pisa
Answer: A. Milan. A rich bread based cake apparently created as a result of an accidentally burnt desert and a rushed brioche bread, flavoured with raisins and candied peel and served instead. Toni was the name of the young chef that came up with the new brioche bread and it was called 'Pane di Toni'.
Day 3
Question: In Spain, what is the name of the big lottery draw on 22 December?
- El Grande
- El Gordo
- El Enorme
Answer: B. El Gordo. It means 'the Fat One' and is watched by 75% of the Spanish population. First run in 1812 and used to raise money for an army fighting Napoleon's army. In those days, the top prize was the equivalent of 50 euros and now it's much, much more 4,000,000 million euros.
Day 4
Question: Catalonian children have a Christmas log called Tio de Nadal, Finish children have a Christmas goat called Joulupukki, what do Icelandic children have?
- Yule girls
- Yule lads
- Yule mums
Answer: B. Yule lads. On the run up to Christmas, 13 naughty Yule Lads with names like Spoon Licker, Window Peeper, Door Sniffer to reek havoc on the population. And nowadays they give out presents as well, in return for a little treat for themselves of course.
Day 5
Question: Hark how all the welkin rings, Glorious the king of kings’ are the original words that started which carol?
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Good King Wenceslas
Answer: A. Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Originally written by Charles Wesley, who later went on to set up the Methodist church, wrote Hark the Herald Angels Sing as a poem inspired by the sounds made by London's church bells.
Day 6
Question: Where was the first carol service held?
- Bristol Cathedral
- Truro Cathedral
- Canterbury Cathedral
Answer: B. Truro Cathedral, Cornwall organised by Bishop Benson. In medieval times, carols were sung at different times of the year by Waits to celebrate things like births, deaths and marriages but the first service featuring carols is believed to have been held in Truro Cathedral.
Day 7
Question: What was the date of the 2023 Christmas Jumper Day?
- 1 December
- 5 December
- 7 December
Answer: C. 7th December, held on behalf of Save the Children. It started in 2012 and has raised £35 million to support children all around the world. In 2022, 24,000 workplaces and 2 million children supported the day.
Day 8
Question: In which European country do you have to hide your broom on Christmas Eve?
- Portugal
- Norway
- Belgium
Answer: B. Norway, because the evil spirits might steal them. The evil spirits steal them to ride across the country. I don't know if they take vacuum cleaners as well.
Day 9
Question: In which capital city do they have the tradition of roller skating to church for Christmas Mass?
- Caracas
- Brasilia
- Guatemala City
Answer: A. Caracas. This unusual Christmas tradition is held between 16 and 24 December and crowds roller skate to make them safe and with Mass over, the skaters return home to eat, dance, sing and enjoy each other's company.
Day 10
Question: Which Christmas song was the best selling one of all time?
- Bing Crosby's version of 'White Christmas'
- Maria Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'
- Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'
Answer: A. Bing Crosby’s version of White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin. It's also supposed to the best selling single ever, according to Guiness World Records. It was written for a musical which became Holiday Inn and won an Academy Award for the song.
Day 11
Question: Which European country decorates its Christmas trees with spiders webs or spider ornaments?
- Liechtenstein
- Denmark
- Ukraine
Answer: C. Ukraine. According to legend, a poor family was visited by a spider seeking warmth and it spins beautiful webs because they didn't have the money for decorations. In the morning, the webs had turned to silver and the poor family could use this to buy food and presents. Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees and everything else with spiders' webs.
Day 12
Question: How many people watched King Charles' first Christmas message in 2022?
- 10.6 million
- 8.96 million
- 5.44 million
Answer: A. 10.6 million. It was shown on BBC 1, 2, ITV 1, 3, Sky News and GB News. During the speech he paid tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II and he spoke about the cost of living, the disadvantaged, the importance of public service and supporting all faiths.
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