Christmas trivia… trying to get you all ready!
1. In Luke 1:20, what happens to Zechariah when he doubts what the angel Gabriel has told him? He rejoices with the angel; he’s unable to walk; he’s unable to speak; he’s unable to see.
2. In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you’ll become wealthy. What happens if you find a button? You’ll become poor; you’ll become famous; you’ll become a bachelor; you’ll be called away on a trip.
3. If you were given “frumenty” at a Medieval Christmas party, what would you probably do with it? Eat it; drink it; share it with your sweetheart; pass it to the person standing next to you.
4. Many of us are familiar with the first verses of the traditional Christmas carols, but how well do you know the rest of the song? What’s the first line of the second verse of “Angels from the Realms of Glory?” “Christ by highest heav’n adored”; “Shepherds in the fields abiding”; “Shepherds why this jubilee?”; “Don we now our gay apparel.”
5. Which of the following was NOT one of the Three Kings? Caspar; Balthazar; Teleost; Melchior.
6. Who wrote “A Christmas Carol?” Mark Twain; Charles Dickens; Hans Christian Andersen; Thomas M. Sawyer.
7. In Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker,” who’s the nutcracker’s main enemy? A girl named Clara; The King of the Mice; Dr. Allmond; Drosselmeyer the magician.
8. At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served “endored.” What does that mean? The feet and beaks were coated with gold; the guests knelt in adoration as the birds were brought in; the birds had been raised on grain soaked in brandy; the flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter.
9. Who fixed December 25th as the official nativity date? Bishop Liberius; Emperor Constantine; Jesus Christ; Pope Pius.
10. According to modern Christian legend, what does the candy cane represent? Christ’s purity; Christ’s blood; a shepherd’s staff; all of these.
ANSWERS:
1. He’s unable to speak. 2. You’ll become be a bachelor. 3. Eat it; Frumenty is a type of spiced porridge linked to the legend of the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the Earth. 4. “Shepherds in the fields abiding.” 5. Teleost. 6. Charles Dickens. 7. The King of the Mice. Represented with seven heads, The King of the Mice leads his troops against the nutcracker’s toy soldiers. 8. The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter. 9. Bishop Liberius of Rome in 354 A.D. 10. All of these.
This column was originally published on Dec. 20, 2013 in the Hamilton County Herald.