Aviva Trivia

1. There have only been seven white Christmases in England in all of the 20th century.

2. In 1647, Oliver Cromwell made it an offence to celebrate Christmas. It was overturned in 1660.

3. Santa Claus is referred to as Father Christmas. His costume often features a long red cape trimmed with white fur.

4. Caroling began in the Middle Ages as a way for beggars to make a little money.

5. The familiar Christmas tree is of German origins and introduced to Victorian England by Prince Albert.

6. Traditional Christmas Puddings are often made with 13 ingredients, representing Christ and his disciples.

7. Christmas stockings are often hung on the bedpost.

8. Christmas dinner is usually served mid day on December 25th.

9. Mummering is an unusual tradition that involves dressing up and performing plays in the community. Modern Mummers often dress up and visit individual houses similar to carolers.

10. The first Christmas card was posted in England in 1840. The number is now somewhere around a billion cards sent each year in the United Kingdom alone.

11.  A traditional British Christmas dinner (in medieval times) featured the head of a pig.

12. Traditional Yule Logs are still burned, but chocolate Yule Logs are gaining in popularity for obvious reasons.

13. The Queen’s annual Christmas speech was first viewed on TV in 1957.

14. Bells in Yorkshire England ring once for each year since the birth of Christ.

15. Christmas Crackers are very popular during the holiday season. They consist of a paper tube filled with a paper hat, a riddle and a toy of some sort. The rule is that you must wear the paper hat during the dinner.