The Big Christmas Quiz

by Gunther Simmermacher · Published December 24, 2024 · Updated December 16, 2024

1. Which city is furthest from Bethlehem?
a) Cairo b) Jerusalem c) Nazareth
2. Which South African archbishop was born on Boxing Day?
a) Buti Tlhagale b) Dabula Mpakoc) Siegfried Mandla Jwara
3. Which of these 1980s action cop movies was not set at Christmas?
a) Beverley Hills Cop 2 b) Die Hard c) Lethal Weapon
4. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, who says: “God bless us, everyone”?
a) Ebenezer Scrooge b) Mr. Fezziwig c) Tiny Tim
5. On Christmas Eve of which year did Vasco da Gama name Natal after the feast of the Lord’s Nativity?
a) 1497 b) 1597 c) 1697
6. In a painting by which artist does Baby Jesus suck his fingers?
a) Caravaggio b) Raphael c) Tomaso Guidi
7. Who was the Austrian composer of “Silent Night”?
a) Franz Gruber b) Fred Strasser c) Fritz Stromberg
8. Who invented mince pies for Christmas?
a) Crusaders b) Pope John IV c) Spanish Inquisition
9. Who wrote “The Messiah”?
a) Bach b) Händel c) Vivaldi
10. Which country has a Father Christmas figure called “Joulupukki”?
a) Bulgaria b) Finland c) Spain
11. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, who recites from the Gospel of Luke?
a) Charlie Brown b) Linus c) Lucy
12. In which language would one say “Masego a Keresemose” to wish you a Merry Christmas?
a) isiNdebele b) SeSotho c) SeTswana
13. What did my true love give to me on the 11th day of Christmas?
a) Drummers drumming b) Ladies dancing c) Pipers piping
14. Which famous ballet takes place at Christmas?
a) La Bayadère b) Swan Lake c) The Nutcracker
15. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) One b) Three c) Nine
16. Where would you eat a traditional Christmas food called “Bibingka”?
a) Peru b) Philippines c) Poland
17. The last-ever English Football League match to be played on Christmas Day was in 1965, when Blackpool beat which team 4-2?
a) Birmingham City b) Blackburn Rovers c) Burnley FC
18. Which Christmas carol includes the lines, “Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas Day to save us all from Satan’s pow’r”?
a) Ding Dong Merrily On High b) God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen c) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
19. In which novel does a character complain: “One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books”?
a) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone b) How the Grinch Stole Christmas c) Pippi Longstocking
20. On Christmas Day of which year did Pope Leo III crown Charlemagne emperor?
a) 500 b) 800 c) 1100
21. In which Gospel does Mary enter Bethlehem on a donkey?
a) Matthew c) Luke c) None
22. What colour are the candles on the Vatican Advent wreath?
a) Brown b) Red c) Purple
23. Who is the bishop of Bethlehem in the Free State?
a) Jan de Groef b) Joseph Kizito c) Zolile Mpambani
24. By December 1923, how many Christmas issues had The Southern Cross published?
a) 2 b) 3 c) 4
25. What is all that Dora Bryan wanted for Christmas in her 1963 UK hit?
a) A Beatle b) Front-teeth c) You

Christmas Trivia Quiz Answers

1. a) Cairo, 2. a) Buti Tlhagale, 3. a) Beverley Hills Cop 2, 4. c) Tiny Tim, 5. a) 1497, 6. c) Tommaso Guidi, 7. a) Franz Gruber, 8. a) The Crusaders, 9. b) Händel, 10. b) Finland, 11. b) Linus, 12. c) SeTswana, 13. c) Pipers piping, 14. c) The Nutcracker, 15. a) One, 16. b) Philippines, 17. b) Blackburn Rovers, 18. b) God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, 19. a) Harry Potter and the Scorcerer’s Stone (spoken by Dumbledore), 20. b) 800, 21. c) None, 22. b) Red, 23. a) Jan de Groef, 24. c) 4 (since 1920), 25. a ) A Beatle