Winter Holiday Lore: Answers

0 Conversations

We hope you enjoyed the quiz, and that Santa brought you lots of Stuff.

Winter Holiday Lore: Answers

The Kremlin, Moscow.

If you can't get into this quiz, you're a Grinch. (Look it up.)

  1. Everybody knows that the winter solstice is on 21 December. (Yeah, right.) What happens at Stonehenge on this date every 18 years?
    The moon rises over where a stone used to be. Archaeologists, the clever people, know where Stone D used to be. Check it out by reading The Mysteries of Stonehenge.
  2. What did the ancient Romans think of holly? It was useful for warding off witches. Also lightning strikes. According to A Celebration of Holly, the holly plant was not only sacred to Druids, but also to Romans, who associated it with Saturn.
  3. Where would you find the Christmas Tree Cluster? In a constellation.   Monoceros (the 'Unicorn'), to be exact.
  4. Why do the Sami drink reindeer urine? It's a way to get high. You knew that. Everybody on h2g2 knows that, thanks to The Influence of Fly Agaric on the Iconography of Father Christmas.
  5. If you are the first foot in Scotland, what should you bring?
    Coal, salt, liquor or sweets. This is a custom for Hogmanay: The Scottish New Year.
  6. Whose birthday is on 25 December? Mithras'. According to Mithras: The Other Saviour, the dating comes from a different tradition from Christianity.
  7. Where can you buy a carving of Ded Moroz for your winter holiday?
    Moscow. The Edited Guide recommends you try The Vernisage in Izmailovo, Moscow, Russia.
  8. In Frankfurt am Main, what does it mean if your girlfriend sends back your Bethmännchen?
    You should probably cancel the wedding plans. According to Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Where Past Meets Present, this refusal of a Christmas delicacy is a way of saying that she's really not into you that much.
  9. In days of yore, what did Father Christmas wear on the Isle of Wight? Green. A rather pagan notion, but then, everything's different on that magical island, including Christmas Traditions of the Isle of Wight. Just ask Bluebottle.
  10. Why might a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer go out to the barn at midnight on Christmas Eve? To hear them talk, because they speak on that night. The Guide Entry on The Pennsylvania Dutch also informs us that anyone born on Christmas Eve will be able to understand what cows say. (No, we don't know when 2legs' birthday is.)

If you got them all, reward yourself with extra eggnog. Share these titbits with your friends. And have the best of holidays!

Christmas Greetings from South Africa, by Willem.The h2g2 Post 2011 Christmas banner.
Post Quiz and Oddities Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

24.12.12 Front Page

Back Issue Page


Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

There are no Conversations for this Entry

Entry

A87780478

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more