To kick off our studies of the Winter Solstice, I have created this quiz with various questions related to the celebration of the holidays. See how many of the answers you know … No cheating and looking up the answers!
Don’t feel bad if you do not do so well on this quiz… we will be studying these various subjects over the next few weeks, and you will learn the answers as we go along!
1.) From what Latin phrase does the word “solstice” come from, and what does the phrase mean?
2.) Who is the Cailleach?
3.) What was the name of the ancient Roman festival from which many of our current holiday traditions come from?
4.) What was the name given to the plays or dances often performed in Britain and in some parts of the United States around the holiday season, which are based on ancient folk customs of enacting the rebirth of the year? (They are known by two different names, either one is acceptable)
5.) What was the name of the two ancient Pagan “kings” who fight each other at the Winter Solstice? Which one wins?
6.) What was the name of the three wise men who came to visit the Christ Child?
7.) What Greek sun god’s birth was celebrated at the time of the Winter Solstice, many years before the birth of Christ?
8.) What royal monarch is credited with helping to popularize the tradition of the Christmas Tree?
9.) A sprig from what type of tree which flowers around the Winter Solstice is traditionally placed on the breakfast table of the Queen of England every Christmas morning?
10.) What are the three sacred plants of the Winter Solstice?
11.) What “colorful” name is given to the Pagan character which is symbolic of the emergence from the death of Winter to the birth of new life in the Spring?
12.) What name is given to the item that is traditionally burned at the Winter solstice to honor the return of the sun, and as a reminder of the importance of fire and light?
13.) Who is the saint from which the character of Santa Claus is derived?
14.) What was the name of the little girl who asked if there really is a Santa Claus?
15.) What two birds represent the battle of light and dark which is one of the themes of the Winter Solstice, and which one gives its name to a group of young males, a “barbaric” custom, and a special day that symbolizes this ancient theme?
16.) What are the names of Santa’s reindeer?
17.) What is the official name for the Twelfth Night, which traditionally ends the Christmas season?
18.) Name the twelve gifts which are given in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
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Um Ya. I know about 2 of those?
Good quiz, Osh.
I was able to answer many of the questions, although there were a few for which I have no clue.
Being an old man who can’t remember shit, I’ll be damned if I can name all of Santa’s reindeer. About the only one I recall is Rudolph with his shiny red blinking nose.
The same thing goes for all those presents in the Twelve Days of Christmas – about all I remember is the Partridge in a Pear Tree and the Five Golden Rings…
I won’t spoil it for the rest of you who try to answer this quiz, but I wish you good luck and may you do better than I did!
The one thing I do remember –
“Yes, Virginia…there is a Santa Claus!”
😉
Okay, l will give that final question a try and see what I remember….
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids milking
Seven swans swimming
Six geese laying
Five Golden Rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves…
And a partridge in a pear tree!
Never gonna get all these right! Fun quiz though. Here are the answers that I’ll attempt:
3.) Saturnalia.
6.) Melchior, Balthazar, and Caspar (alternatively spelled Kaspar or Gaspar).
7.) Helios. I also seem to recall the god Mizithra having a festival celebrated around this time of year too. All incorporated and synthesized to make Christianity more acceptable…
8.) Queen Victoria, but you should also count Albert in too– he was a bit more Germanic than she was, and had grown up in Germany.
9.) Mistletoe.
10.) Mistletoe, Holly, and Ivy(?).
13.) St. Nicholas of Smyrna.
14.) Virginia O’Hanlon.
16.) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Vixen, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen (and Rudolph for those of us in the post-WWII era).
17.) Epiphany.
18.) twelve…?, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five gold rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree…
#13 Saint Francis or Saint Nicolas… Think I got my Saints mixed up between patron of animals, patron of poor…. which is it? (one or the other I hope?)
#16 Rudolph, Dashner, Prancer, Dancer, Comet, Vixxen, Cupid Donder and Blitzen? Probably not in that order.
Gee, I gotta read up. This is wonderful. I watched a show on the History Channel about the origins of Pagan influence in religion and Holidays. Awesome!
It’ll be interesting to see the answers. So much is familiar once we hear it even if we didn’t know the origins.
So how does one decorate a holiday tree? 🙂 I’m trying to decide on a real versus fake as I have a house now and want a ‘big’ tree.
Hi Sara ~
I don’t think there are any strict rules on how to decorate a holiday tree… I would say just decorate it in whatever way pleases you.
I try to stay away from anything that comes across as perhaps being a bit too “religious” in theme. Past holiday trees (or Solstice Evergreens, as I like to call them) have been decorated with colorful round bulbs; bright red bows; cloth ornaments made from old quilt scraps; mexican tin ornaments; etc.
I’ve also done trees that had a more Pagan theme to them – decorated with animal shaped ornaments; polymer clay figures of the sun; or pine cones dipped in glitter.
And of course, lots of lights!
This year, I have a small artificial tree…I confess it was a bit of a struggle to go with a fake tree, as I have always had real ones in the past, but I have a small apartment and two young curious kittens, and this was just easier and cheaper on the budget. Besides, I don’t have to deal with pine needles all over the carpet, or bugs and spiders and creepy crawlies that came in with the tree. Because of my Pagan name being Ocean, I have decorated it in shades of blue, white, and silver with white lights and small colorful bulbs. It’s a rather pretty tree if I say so myself.
So go ahead and just enjoy yourself and your decorating!
Ooooh, I’ll play along!
1) don’t recall the Latin phrase, but solstice means to stand still or sun stands still
2) Scottish crone Goddess, I can’t remember exactly what her association is with winter– or is it the new year?
3) Saturnalia?
4) Nativity or… mumming?
5) The Holly & the Oak King; I always mix up who wins, but I think it’s the Oak King?
10) Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe (or Oak)
12) the Yule log
13) St. Nicholas
14) Virginia
15) the robin and the wren ?
16) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donder, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid
17) Epiphany
18) well, I know from 8 down… and I know there are drummers drumming and lords a leaping, just can’t remember how many!
8 maids milking
7 swans swimming
6 geese a laying
5 gold rings
4 calling birds
3 French hens
2 turtledoves
partridge in a pear tree
Can you post the answers for these, please?