Do You Know If These Christmas Traditions Are From Yuletide or Not?

By: Teresa McGlothlin
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Do You Know If These Christmas Traditions Are From Yuletide or Not?
Image: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Were Advent calendars a part of ancient Yule celebrations? How about lighting candles? If you know which one of those two things have origins rooted in Yuletide, you won't have a problem correctly answering all the questions in this quiz. Many of our modern traditions go back a long way, but do they go back to the ancient Nordic tradition of Yule? You'll really have to think about them when you see them! 

During Yule, villagers in the Scandinavian region and throughout the rest northern Europe gathered to welcome the winter solstice. For 12 days, chasing the darkness out with light was accomplished with many customs that have evolved into the ways we now celebrate. Throughout this quiz, you'll take a trip around the world, and you'll see if you can place the most popular traditions where they began. 

You might think that some of them are easy, but you'll have to think like a Druid or a Viking to get them all correct. Santa Claus might not have always existed, but red and green have been there forever. Will you be able to pick out the Yule traditions correctly, or will you learn something new? Let's find out how well you do!

Christmas cards
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When we send Christmas cards, are we practicing a Yuletide tradition?
No, it's a Victorian tradition.
Yes, the Vikings sent greeting cards with cute elves on them.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are many Christmastime traditions that can be traced back to the winter solstice celebration called Yule. Greeting cards are not one of them! Greeting cards did not exist before a Victorian-era gentleman named John Calcott Horsely began sending them in the 1830s.

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Candy Canes
Isabel Pavia / Moment / Getty Images
Were candy canes part of Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ancient cultures didn't have the kitchen equipment needed to make candy canes. The version that we love was created in 1919 by an American named Bob McCormack. Before his adaptation, they go all the way back to a 17th-century choirmaster who gave his singers peppermint candies to keep them quiet.

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Christmas holly
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Do we "deck the halls with boughs of holly" because they did it at Yuletide celebrations?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The tradition of decorating your home with evergreen and holly does go back to Yuletide traditions. But back then, they were not for decorative purposes. The Nordic people believed evergreen and holly had the power to ward off evil.

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Christmas bonfire
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Yes or no? Christmas bonfires were lit during Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of course, it wasn't called Yuletide back when the ancient Nordic people were setting bonfires. However, it was common to burn the Yule log. Over time, the tradition has evolved into the bonfires that are popular in the American southeast.

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Mince pies
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Do the 12 nights of Christmas go back to Nordic Yule celebrations?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During medieval times, the 12 nights of Christmas were celebrated by eating one mincemeat pie per night. The idea is borrowed from the Yule traditions of the Nordic people where the Winter Solstice celebrations continued for 12 straight nights.

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Gingerbread house
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Can you decide if Yuletide involved making gingerbread houses or not?
It did.
It did not.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During Yule, houses were lined with evergreen boughs, but that was as close as the ancients got to building a gingerbread house. Gingerbread houses dates back to 16th-century Germany.

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Boxing day sale
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What about Boxing Day? Does it originate with Yuletide or not?
Yes, it does.
No, it does not.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Boxing Day is widely celebrated on the day after Christmas across the U.K. and Canada. It doesn't date back to Yuletide, but it has been part of British traditions since employers gave servants the gift of a "Christmas Box" to share with their families.

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Christmas fire
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Can Yuletide get the credit for the tradition of having a fire in the Christmas Eve fireplace or not?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yuletide does get to claim the traditional Christmas Eve fire. During Yuletide, a large log carved with runes was called the Yule log. It was burned to symbolize the battle of good versus evil.

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Elf on a Shelf
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This should be easy! Did Yuletide ever involve a hidden elf?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Elves do have a basis in the region that practiced Yuletide, but they were never part of Yule celebrations. The Elf on a Shelf tradition is a fairly new one. It began in the U.S. state of Georgia during the '70s.

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Poinsettia
Yiming Chen / Moment / Getty Images
Are poinsettias originally a Yuletide thing or a Mexican thing?
A Mexican tradition
A Yuletide tradition
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In Mexico, poinsettias are known as "Flowers of the Holy Night." Legend has it that a poor young girl couldn't afford a gift for Jesus. As she walked to the church, she picked a bouquet that later bloomed when she placed the flowers at the altar. Poinsettias were brought to the United States around 1830.

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Advent Calendar
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Did the Advent calendar begin with as part of a Yule celebration?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As with many Christmas traditions, Germany gets the credit for the invention of the Advent calendar. During the 19th century, chalk marks were placed on doors to count down the days left until Christmas.

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Christmas star topper
urbazon / E+ / Getty Images
Is the tree topper a Yuletide tradition or not?
It's not.
It is.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nope! During medieval times, outdoor trees were decorated with fruits and other offerings. The tradition of topping the tree, with a star or otherwise, didn't come along until after the tree became popular. It was meant as a nod to the Star of Bethlehem.

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Christmas wreaths
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How about Christmas wreaths? Are they from Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Christmas wreaths do, in fact, have roots in Nordic Yuletide traditions. Only back then, a giant sun wheel was created from evergreen limbs, set on fire and rolled down a hill. The idea was that the burning wheel would encourage the sun to shine on the village.

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Christmas Ivy
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Does Christmas ivy have any roots in Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition to believing that evergreens could ward off evil, Yuletide practitioners believed that ivy also held special powers. Its spiral growth is said to represent rebirth and the return of spring.

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Outdoor Christmas tree decorating
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How about decorating outdoor trees? Is it a Yuletide tradition?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Outdoor trees were decorated during Yuletide. Instead of using ornaments like we would use now, only natural materials were put on the trees. It was considered an offering to nature.

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Christmas crackers
Adam Gault / OJO Images / Getty Images
Did the ancient Nordic people create Christmas crackers?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Christmas crackers are a popular British tradition that dates back to 1840. Candymaker Tom Smith was inspired by a trip to a Paris sweet shop and returned to England where he created the tradition that's now spreading around the world.

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Christmas bell
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Would you say that jingle bells are a part of Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Silver bells, jingle bells and church bells are all associated with Christmas. But bells were not part of Yuletide celebrations, though. The bells we associate with the holidays were a way for Catholic churches around the world to signal the start of midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

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Christmas Yule log
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Are the cream-filled yule logs on holiday tables from Yuletide or not?
They are not from Yuletide.
They date back to Yuletide.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Yuletide-practicing Scandinavians attended their annual feast, there were probably no yule logs on the table. However, the popular dessert does share its name with the Yuletide tradition of burning the Yule log. It doesn't directly date back that far, but it is an homage to the practice.

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Christmas tree
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True or false? Yuletide included an indoor Christmas tree.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The use of evergreen trees and holly bushes were quite common during Yuletide. They were believed to ward off evil and frequently adorned homes near the time of the winter solstice. Bringing the whole tree inside didn't start until 17th-century Germany.

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Woman outside in the snow
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Did the ancient Nords have a "Christmas Bird Count" during the solstice celebrations of Yule?
No, they did not.
Yes. It is a Yuletide tradition.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The ancient Nordic people may have spent part of Yule hunting for food, but they did not come up with the "Christmas Bird Count." It's a creation of the Audubon Society that now draws more than 70,000 people per year.

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Burning Candles
CLM Images / Moment / Getty Images
Is burning candles a German tradition or a Yule tradition?
Yule
German
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Believe it or not, Germany doesn't get credit for the tradition of burning candles. Those observing the solstice continuously worshiped the change of darkness to light. The fire was a huge part of the ceremony.

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Sugar plum tart
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Were sugar plums part of Yuletide or not?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While sugar plums are more than just a vision, they are not a Yuletide tradition. They were popular treats in medieval England, but their complexity makes them a rarely sighted dessert these days.

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Christmas tree colors
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Where do you think the use of reds and greens as Christmas colors originated?
Mexico
France
Yuletide
China
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Those celebrating Yule in the traditional way believed that holly had the power to ward off evil spirits. The traditional reds and greens we use at Christmastime do go all the way back to Yuletide.

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Mince Pies
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Do you think consuming mince pies is a British tradition or a Yuletide tradition?
British
Yuletide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Those enjoying the decades of the Edwardian or Georgian eras in the U.K. would have shown off their wealth with fancy-shaped mince pies. Although the Yuletide tradition of feasting was a big ordeal, eating mince pies did not originate there.

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Christmas Luminaries
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Were luminarias part of any Yuletide festivities?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the southeastern part of the United States, luminarias — originally a Mexican tradition — are a favorite Christmas pastime. It's not uncommon to see luminarias or small fires lighting the way to Christmas Eve church services.

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Creepy burning candle
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Is it true or false that the tradition of reading a ghost story on Christmas Eve began at Yuletide?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's false! The origins of the Christmas Eve ghost story are still up for debate, but there's no evidence of it before the Tudor and Victorian eras. They didn't do a whole lot of reading back before paper was invented.

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Christmas presents
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Yuletide or not? Did the practice of gift-giving come from Yule customs?
It's a Yuletide tradition.
It's not a Yuletide tradition.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The act of gift-giving seems to have no historical origins. Gifts have been given to show allegiance to the king, as peace offerings between Nordic clans and as a way to express goodwill. There are records of gift-giving, albeit a stone or a shell, that date all the way back to Yuletide.

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Pickle Ornament
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Where did the tradition of hiding a pickle originate?
It started in Germany.
It was customary during Yuletide.
No one really knows.
It started in the United States.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hiding a glass pickle was never part of a Yuletide celebration, and it isn't a German tradition either. There are stories of the glass pickle tracing back to the 1900s in Germany, but the alleged tradition didn't start until Americans started buying them. No one's really sure how it became a thing.

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Christmas music
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True or false? Caroling has roots in Yuletide celebrations.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Wassailing may have roots in Yuletide, but caroling does not. Caroling dates back to the 4th century when practitioners of Christianity would walk around town singing about the Nativity.

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Christmas Carolers
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Did they go wassailing during Yuletide or not?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Wassailing is a little like caroling, only there was more alcohol involved. Wassailing is an old Anglo-Saxon custom that involved singing and drinking a concoction made from cider, nutmeg and a handful of other ingredients.

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Mistletoe
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Is it true or false that hanging mistletoe is a Yuletide tradition?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yuletide traditions do involve bring evergreen boughs inside, but hanging mistletoe traces back to the Greek festival of Saturnalia. Mistletoe's association with fertility outweighs the fact that word translates to "poo on a stick."

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Christmas ham
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Do you think the holiday ham is a Victorian tradition or a Yuletide tradition?
Victorian
Yuletide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Victorians may have served a holiday ham, but the tradition originates from the Yuletide festivities practiced in Scandinavian countries. Back then, a wild boar was harvested from the forest.

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Panforte
Cristina Lichti / Moment / Getty Images
Where does the holiday custom of cake throwing come from?
Italy
Yuletide
England
Germany
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Are you looking for something to do with all that leftover fruitcake? In the Italian village of Pienza, holiday partygoers participate a game of toss the panforte. It's a tournament that lasts for four days.

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Christmas salad
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Does eliminating meat from your Christmas Eve diet date back to Yuletide?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During the Tudor era, Christmas Eve was spent decorating with natural elements like holly sprigs and evergreen boughs. As opposed to Yuletide feasts, participants were not permitted to eat meat, eggs or cheese.

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Handmade Christmas stockings
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Can Yuletide claim credit for the tradition of hanging stockings?
No, it comes from another era.
Yes, it's a Yuletide tradition.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stockings became a popular Christmas tradition around the year 300 A.D. — long after Yuletide. According to the story, Saint Nicholas took pity upon a poverty-stricken family and threw bags filled with gold coins down the chimney. On the way down, some of them landed in the children's stockings.

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