34 Fun Facts About Holiday Traditions

In which country did the modern tradition of decorating evergreen trees for Christmas originate?

The custom of decorating evergreen trees, which evolved into the modern Christmas tree, is widely recognized to have originated in Germany.

How many candles are typically lit on a Hanukkah menorah, including the *shamash* (helper candle)?

A Hanukkah menorah, also known as a hanukkiah, has nine branches: one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and an additional one for the *shamash*, which is used to light the others.

The New Year's tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight for good luck originated in which European country?

This popular New Year's custom, where one grape is eaten with each of the twelve chimes at midnight, began in Spain to symbolize good fortune for the coming year.

The folkloric figure of the Easter Bunny is believed to have originated from traditions in which culture?

The Easter Bunny's origins are often traced back to German folklore and pagan spring festivals, particularly those associated with the goddess Eostre.

Diwali, often called the Festival of Lights, primarily symbolizes the triumph of what?

Diwali is a significant festival celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.

In what year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held in New York City?

The inaugural Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, originally called Macy's Christmas Parade, took place in 1924, featuring store employees, floats, and live animals.

Kwanzaa is a celebration based on seven core principles, collectively known by what Swahili term?

The seven principles of Kwanzaa, which focus on community and African heritage, are known as the Nguzo Saba: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).

Which Jewish holiday features a ceremonial meal called a Seder, which retells the story of the Exodus from Egypt?

The Seder is a central and highly symbolic meal in the Jewish holiday of Passover, commemorating the liberation of the Ancient Israelites from slavery.

Which traditional Christmas drink, popular in England, is a warm, spiced alcoholic punch often made with ale or cider and roasted apples?

Wassail is an ancient English festive drink, typically a hot mulled punch, associated with Yuletide and the tradition of wishing good health.

Where is mistletoe traditionally hung during the Christmas season for the custom of kissing?

The custom of kissing under mistletoe typically involves hanging it in doorways or entryways, a tradition that became popular in England.

What is traditionally placed at the very top of a Christmas tree?

The most traditional Christmas tree toppers are a star, representing the Star of Bethlehem, or an angel, symbolizing the angel Gabriel from the Nativity story.

In which country is the tradition of decorating evergreen trees for Christmas widely believed to have originated?

The tradition of decorating evergreen trees for Christmas is widely believed to have originated in Germany during the 16th century.

How many numbered doors or windows do most standard Advent calendars feature?

Most standard Advent calendars feature 24 numbered doors or windows, counting down from December 1st to December 24th, Christmas Eve. Some calendars may have 25 doors to include Christmas Day.

Which plant is often associated with the tradition of kissing during the Christmas season?

Mistletoe is famously associated with the Christmas tradition of kissing when standing underneath it.

What sweet treat is commonly left out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve in many Western cultures?

In many Western cultures, it is a common tradition for children to leave out cookies and a glass of milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

What nine-branched candelabrum is lit during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah?

During Hanukkah, a nine-branched candelabrum, often called a Hanukkah menorah or Hanukkiah, is lit to commemorate the miracle of the oil. A seven-branched menorah was used in the ancient Temple.

How many core principles, known as Nguzo Saba, are celebrated during Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa celebrates seven core principles, known as the Nguzo Saba, which are Swahili words representing values such as unity, self-determination, and collective work.

What traditional game is played with a four-sided spinning top during Hanukkah?

The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top played during Hanukkah, with each side bearing a Hebrew letter that forms an acronym for 'A great miracle happened there.'

In what season does Diwali, the Festival of Lights, typically occur?

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights that takes place every autumn, typically between October and November, with the exact date changing annually based on the lunar calendar.

What type of lamp is commonly lit as part of Diwali celebrations?

During Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps called diyas, placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness.

What is a common New Year's tradition involving setting personal goals for the upcoming year?

A widespread New Year's tradition is making resolutions, where individuals set personal goals or commitments for self-improvement in the upcoming year.

Which bird is traditionally served as the main course for Thanksgiving dinner in the United States?

Turkey is the traditional main course for Thanksgiving dinner in the United States, a custom that has been observed for many years.

What activity involving hidden decorated eggs is a popular Easter tradition?

An Easter egg hunt, where decorated eggs are hidden for children to find, is a popular tradition associated with the holiday.

What specific fruit is often eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve in Spain for good luck?

In Spain, it is a popular New Year's Eve tradition to eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for each chime, to ensure good luck for the next twelve months.

Koreans eat a bowl of tteokguk, sliced rice cake soup, on Seollal. Eating it traditionally does what?

The custom appears in the 19th-century book of customs Dongguksesigi, and Koreans still ask "How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?" as a way of asking someone's age. The white rice cakes stand for purity at the start of the year.

At Japan's Setsubun, households drive out the past year's misfortune by scattering what at a family member in an ogre mask?

The ritual is called mamemaki, "bean scattering," and the thrower shouts "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" — devils out, fortune in. Afterwards it is customary to eat one bean for each year of your life, plus one more for luck.

In Mexico, whoever finds the tiny figurine baked inside the Rosca de Reyes must host a party or take it to church on which feast day?

The hidden figure represents the Christ Child concealed from Herod during the flight of the Holy Family. Whoever's slice contains it is counted blessed and takes on the obligation for that day.

Colombia's Día de las Velitas on 7 December opens the Christmas season with candles and paper lanterns, on the eve of which feast?

The custom dates from 1854, when Pope Pius IX defined the doctrine as dogma and Colombians marked the announcement by lighting candles. The feast itself, on 8 December, is a public holiday in Colombia.

Ethiopia's Timkat festival, in which priests carry a cloth-wrapped tabot in procession, celebrates what event?

Timkat falls on 19 January. The tabot is a model of the Ark of the Covenant kept on every Ethiopian altar and rarely seen by worshippers; it is carried out wrapped in rich cloth, and the liturgy is held beside a stream or pool before dawn.

Across Scandinavia, the girl who leads the Saint Lucy's Day procession on 13 December wears a white robe and what else?

Legend holds that Lucy wore a candle-lit wreath so she could carry food to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs with both hands free. The first modern Scandinavian celebration was staged at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm in 1928.

In Spain, Hispanic America and the Philippines, the day for playing practical jokes is not 1 April but which date?

The pranks are called inocentadas and their victims inocentes. The date is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the fourth day of Christmastide, which commemorates the children killed on Herod's orders.

The Mari Lwyd, a midwinter wassailing custom of south Wales, involves parading what from house to house?

First recorded in 1800, the custom sends a party from door to door with the skull carried by someone hidden under a sheet. The visitors demand entry in sung verse, the householders refuse in verse, and the exchange runs on until the party is let in for food and drink.

Christmas crackers were invented in 1847 by the London confectioner Tom Smith, who developed them from which of his existing products?

Smith already sold sweets in a twist of paper. When sales slumped he added a friction strip that banged when the wrapper was pulled, dropped the sweet in favour of a trinket, and sold the result as the Cosaque — though the onomatopoeic name stuck instead.

The modern Advent wreath is credited to Johann Hinrich Wichern, a Hamburg pastor who in 1839 fixed candles to what object?

Children at his mission school asked daily whether Christmas had arrived, so he took a large wooden ring from an old one and set 24 small red candles and four large white candles on it, lighting a small candle each weekday and a white one each Sunday.