1. The origins of Christmas can be traced back to prehistoric celebrations of the midwinter solstice on 21 December. But what is the midwinter solstice?
A) The coldest day of the year
B) The rainiest day of the year
C) The longest day of the year, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky
D) The shortest day of the year, when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky
2. It is thought that people living in Britain before Christian times celebrated midwinter in various ways. Which of the following did they NOT do?
A) Light bonfires
B) Decorate their homes with greenery
C) Hold great feasts
D) Sing carols
3. The Romans celebrated midwinter with a series of feasts and parties that began each year on 17 December. What was the celebration called?
A) Saturnalia
B) Vinalia Rustica
C) Easter
D) Bonfire Night
4. The name Christmas (Christ’s Mass) was first recorded in England in which year?
A) 1038
B) 1512
C) 1843
D) 1990
5. What did people decorate their houses with as part of the midwinter feast of Yule?
A) Flowers
B) Baubles
C) Evergreens
D) Tinsel
6. When did medieval people exchange presents?
A) Christmas Day (25 December)
B) Boxing Day (26 December)
C) New Year’s Day (1 January)
D) Twelfth Night (5 January)
7. Which Tudor royal wrote the Christmas song Green Groweth the Holly?
A) Queen Elizabeth I
B) King Henry VIII
C) Queen Mary I
D) King Edward VI
8. Father Christmas was first mentioned in 1616, by which writer?
A) William Shakespeare
B) JK Rowling
C) Ben Jonson
D) Charles Dickens
9. Which Christmas tradition was made famous in England by Prince Albert in the middle of the 1800s?
A) Writing a letter to Santa
B) Kissing under the mistletoe
C) Watching the film Home Alone
D) Having a Christmas tree
10. The first Christmas card was sent in 1843 by a civil servant called Henry Cole. What was pictured on the front of the card?
A) A snowman
B) Cole’s family seated together
C) A carol service
D) A penguin wearing a bobble hat
11. Before the custom of eating turkey at Christmas started in the Victorian period, what was it traditional to eat for Christmas dinner?
A) Goose
B) Duck
C) Pigeon
D) Swan
12. What did the Franciscan order of friars invent in the 14th century?
A) Christmas cake
B) Christmas jumpers
C) Party poppers
D) Carols
13. Today, a yule log is a log-shaped chocolate cake. But what was a yule log originally?
A) A huge piece of marzipan
B) Something that people would stand on to make speeches
C) A large log burnt in the hearth
D) A massive sausage roll
14. Wrest Park in Bedfordshire is home to what is thought to be Britain’s oldest living Christmas tree, a 30-metre tall Wellingtonia. How old is it?
A) 25 years
B) 165 years
C) 470 years
D) 800 years
15. The recipe for Christmas pudding can be traced back to plum porridge. Which of the following ingredients would you NOT find in plum porridge?
A) Raisins
B) Sprouts
C) Beef
D) Prunes
16. What did the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551 say that every citizen had to do on Christmas Day?
A) Go to church
B) Give presents to their family
C) Watch the Queen’s Christmas speech
D) Leave a mince pie out for Father Christmas
17. Can you unscramble the name of this well-known Christmas carol?
TILTING HENS
18. What did the English sweet maker Tom Smith invent in the 1840s?
A) Advent wreaths
B) Turkey sandwiches
C) Fairy lights
D) Christmas crackers
19. Which item did Victorians hide in their Christmas pudding mixture?
A) A raw onion
B) A silly joke
C) A silver coin
D) A paper hat
20. Since 1947, which country has given a large Christmas tree to Britain every year, which is displayed in Trafalgar Square, London?
A) Iceland
B) Norway
C) Finland
D) Greenland