Christmas History and Traditions Trivia: 40 Questions

This Christmas history and traditions trivia takes you from ancient Rome to Santa’s mailbox in Canada. The 40 questions below include answers and work well for families and classrooms.

How to Play Christmas Trivia

1. Pick a host to read the questions and check the answers.
2. Make teams. Each team gets paper and a pen.
3. Read each question twice. Teams have 20 seconds to write an answer.
4. Score 1 point for each right answer. Give a half point if a team is close.
5. The team with the most points after question 40 wins.

Origins and Early History

1. The word “Christmas” comes from an old English phrase meaning what? Answer: “Christ’s Mass”
2. In which century is Christmas first recorded as celebrated on December 25 in Rome? Answer: The 4th century (by the year 336)
3. Which ancient Roman winter festival, full of gift giving and feasting, is often linked to Christmas customs? Answer: Saturnalia
4. The Roman festival Saturnalia honored which god? Answer: Saturn
5. What is the name of the old Germanic midwinter festival that gave us the word “Yule”? Answer: Yule (Jól)
6. Which king was crowned on Christmas Day in the year 1066? Answer: William the Conqueror
7. In 1659, which American colony made celebrating Christmas illegal and fined people for it? Answer: The Massachusetts Bay Colony
8. In which year did Christmas become an official US federal holiday? Answer: 1870
9. Which US state was the first to make Christmas an official holiday, in 1836? Answer: Alabama
10. Which famous author published “A Christmas Carol” in 1843? Answer: Charles Dickens

Santa, Trees and Cards

11. The real Saint Nicholas, who inspired Santa Claus, was a bishop in what is now which country? Answer: Turkey (in the city of Myra)
12. According to legend, Saint Nicholas dropped gold coins into what that were drying by a fire? Answer: Stockings
13. The Dutch name “Sinterklaas” helped give us which English name? Answer: Santa Claus
14. Which cartoonist’s drawings in Harper’s Weekly in the 1800s helped shape Santa’s look? Answer: Thomas Nast
15. Which 1823 poem begins “‘Twas the night before Christmas”? Answer: “A Visit from St. Nicholas”
16. Which country is credited with starting the tradition of decorated Christmas trees? Answer: Germany
17. Which German-born prince helped make Christmas trees popular in Britain? Answer: Prince Albert
18. Who sent the first commercial Christmas card in London in 1843? Answer: Sir Henry Cole
19. Which London inventor created the Christmas cracker in the 1840s? Answer: Tom Smith
20. Which US ambassador to Mexico introduced the poinsettia to the United States? Answer: Joel Poinsett
21. In which New York City location has a giant Christmas tree been put up since 1931? Answer: Rockefeller Center
22. Which US president lit the first National Christmas Tree near the White House in 1923? Answer: Calvin Coolidge

Around the World

23. What nine-night Mexican celebration reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter? Answer: Las Posadas
24. In Sweden, which holiday on December 13 features a girl wearing a crown of candles? Answer: St. Lucia Day
25. How many Yule Lads visit children in Iceland during the 13 nights before Christmas? Answer: Thirteen
26. In the Netherlands, what do children put out for Sinterklaas to fill with treats? Answer: Their shoes
27. In Italy, which kind witch brings gifts to children on January 5 and 6? Answer: La Befana
28. In Austria and parts of Germany, which horned creature goes with Saint Nicholas to scare naughty children? Answer: Krampus
29. Which food chain’s fried chicken became a Christmas tradition in Japan after a 1970s ad campaign? Answer: KFC
30. In the Philippines, what star-shaped lantern decorates homes at Christmas? Answer: The parol
31. In Caracas, Venezuela, how do many people travel to early morning Christmas Mass? Answer: On roller skates
32. In Norway, what household item do families traditionally hide on Christmas Eve? Answer: Brooms
33. Why is Christmas a summer holiday in Australia? Answer: It is in the Southern Hemisphere, where December is summer
34. In Ukraine, spider webs are a lucky decoration on trees. What do they stand for in the folk story? Answer: Good luck and the webs that turn into shining decorations
35. What is the postal code for letters to Santa in Canada? Answer: H0H 0H0
36. On what date do many Eastern Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas? Answer: January 7

Seasons and Special Days

37. How many Sundays are in the season of Advent? Answer: Four
38. What day is Boxing Day, celebrated in Canada and the United Kingdom? Answer: December 26
39. Kwanzaa, created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, runs from December 26 to which date? Answer: January 1
40. What agency begins tracking Santa’s sleigh every year, a tradition that started in 1955 with a misprinted phone number? Answer: NORAD (first called CONAD)

Tips for a Fun Trivia Night

• Put a world map on the wall and point to where each tradition happens.
• Ask a grandparent to share a family tradition between rounds.
• Keep rounds short. Take a cookie break after question 20.
• Let younger players team up with an adult.
• After the game, pick one new tradition from another country to try next year.