Test Your Holiday I.Q.

1. Americans see the Jewish Festival of Lights spelt as both Hanukkah and Chanukah largely because
(a) One spelling is used publicly, and the other is reserved in religious settings.
(b) The first consonant sound of the word is found in classical Hebrew, but not modern Hebrew or modern English.
(c) One spelling is used before and after the celebration, the other is reserved for the celebration itself.

2. Santa Claus is commonly identified with Saint Nicholas, a Christian saint, who had a reputation for
(a) Secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.
(b) Praying separately for a list of children with good behavior and a list of children with bad behavior.
(c) Riding through town in a sleigh, pronouncing the Gospels in song.

3. The wrapping of gifts in paper for Christmas is believed to have flourished
(a) Shortly after 105 CE, when paper is believed to have been invented.
(b) During the Victorian period, when giving Christmas gifts was considered a privilege for the wealthy.
(c) After a letter to the editor exposed the idea to the general public during the 1920’s.

4. Some people maintain that the dreidel game, popular during Hanukkah, goes back to the time of the Greek-Syrians when
(a) Jews, prohibited from studying the Torah, would use a similar spinning top to hide their studying whenever Greek-Syrians came by.
(b) Jews—often as a community—would play games after worship service.
(c) Prayers were inscribed on a similar spinning top.

5. The first New Year’s Eve in Times Square celebration occurred in 1904 partially to
(a) Draw people from rural areas into the city and give a small boost the economy.
(b) Commemorate the official opening of the new headquarters of The New York Times.
(c) Boost attendance for the inauguration of a disliked, but newly-elected mayor.

6. Why is Christmas abbreviated “Xmas”?
(a) Because the Greek letter “x” is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos.
(b) The letter X is similar to the shape of a cross which is symbol that relates to Christ.
(c) It was a slogan used in an add campaign during the early 90’s for a clothing company and has stuck with the holiday ever since.

7. Why do we decorate trees for Christmas?
(a) Because an evergreen tree is a symbol for eternal life. Jesus represents life after death.
(b) The Scandinavians thought that an evergreen tree scared away the devil.
(c) They were first decorated during the middle ages in Europe due to the fact that their were so many of them and they kept rooms from smelling bad.

8. Why is it a custom to kiss under the mistletoe?
(a) Frigga, the goddess of love in Norse mythology is strongly related to mistletoe.
(b) Mistletoe is associated with many pagan rituals and was outlawed by the church. During the 16th century, kissing in public was looked down upon and therefore the plant became associated with it.
(c) Mistletoe became associated with Christmas during the middle ages because the white buds on the plant represented purity to the Church.

Quiz Answers:
1. B 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. B 6. A 7. B 8. A

Photo's courtesy of the following Flickr users: skippy, vintagehalloweencollector, compex, wwworks, hgruber, laffy4k, rcktmanil, and steve willis.