So interesting you’ll want to tell someone! December Trivia & Fun Facts Special
Did you know that many traditional year-end and New Year events hide fascinating origins and meanings? From the significance behind the number of times the New Year’s Eve temple bell is struck, to the purpose of the big year-end house cleaning, and even the meaning of Christmas colors—December is full of intriguing trivia.
By learning the background of the year-end customs we usually perform without much thought, you can discover deeper meaning and charm in them.
In this article, we share fun, general-interest trivia and tidbits about December that will enrich your holiday season.
Feel free to use them as conversation starters with family and friends!
- [For Kids] December Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts! Learn about seasonal events and traditions!
- Fun facts you’ll want to share! A special feature on November trivia and tidbits
- A psychology test to try in December: have fun diagnosing everything from love to personality!
- [Year-end and New Year Parties] A look back at this year and a psychology test for the New Year
- A quiz of fun trivia: bite-sized knowledge that leads to new insights.
- Let's get excited with a New Year quiz! General questions about the Japanese New Year
- [Fun!] Quizzes to Liven Up a Christmas Party
- [For Kids] November Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts: Let’s Learn While Having Fun!
- Fun facts you’ll want to share! January trivia and tidbits special
- Useful right away in daily life! Surprising trivia and handy tips
- Fun facts about the Moon. A rapid-fire quiz!
- Trivia quiz with useful tips to know: fun facts that come in handy at school or at home [for kids]
- Fun facts you’ll want to share! A roundup of October trivia and tidbits
Fun facts you’ll want to share! December trivia & tidbits (21–30)
The origin of the term “General Winter” comes from Napoleon.
In Japan, “General Winter” is used as a symbol of severe winter, and its origin dates back to the Napoleonic Wars.
When the French army suffered in the bitter cold during the Russian campaign, soldiers described the harsh winter as if a general of an army were attacking, calling it “General Winter.” The phrase then spread across Europe and took root in Japan as an expression symbolizing cold waves and the season of heavy snow.
It’s a fun bit of trivia linking history and meteorology, conveying both a sense of Japan and the chill of winter.
December 26 is Boxing Day.
December 26 is called “Boxing Day” and is celebrated in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and other countries.
It originated as the day when churches distributed alms boxes to the poor, observed on the day after Christmas as an expression of gratitude and sharing.
Today, it features major sales and sporting events and has become a holiday spent with family and friends.
Knowing this historical background makes it more than just a day off—you can feel the culture and tradition behind it, and it becomes a fun bit of trivia you’ll want to share as a year-end topic.
It’s considered bad luck to do mochi pounding on December 29.
In Japan, there is a custom of avoiding mochi pounding on December 29.
This is because the number 29 is associated with the word for “suffering” (ku), and is therefore considered inauspicious.
Mochi pounding is an important year-end event where families and communities gather, with prayers for a good harvest and good health in the coming year.
For this reason, it is often planned for the 28th or earlier, and care is taken not to overlap with year-end house cleaning and New Year preparations.
Depending on the region or household, some still do it on the 29th, but knowing the origin makes it a fun year-end tidbit you’ll want to share with others.
In “bûche de Noël,” the word “bûche” means “log.”
Known as one type of Christmas cake, the bûche de Noël means “Christmas log” in French.
In the past, there was a European custom of burning a large log on the night of the winter solstice while wishing for the family’s happiness.
The flames were believed to burn away the misfortunes of the year and symbolize welcoming the new one.
Over time, that tradition changed form and remains today as a log-shaped cake.
It’s a heartwarming bit of trivia: behind its cute appearance lies people’s prayers.
The custom of eating toshikoshi soba began in the Edo period.
If you don’t have any allergies, I imagine many of you eat soba to ring in the New Year.
Toshikoshi soba is said to ward off bad luck and pray for longevity.
In fact, this tradition dates back to the Edo period.
These days, I feel like you see udon more often than soba, but in the mid-Edo period, soba was actually more common.
The custom began when Edo-period merchants celebrated the end of the month’s work by eating soba, and from there it became something people also ate on New Year’s Eve.
In the Edo period, people did a celebratory toss after the big year-end cleaning.
Year-end housecleaning was originally a sacred ritual called “susuharai,” meant to welcome the gods.
In the Edo period, it’s said that after the cleaning was finished, people would perform a celebratory tossing (do-age) to honor the workers.
Especially in samurai residences and merchant houses, tossing those who supported the household throughout the year was thought to sweep away even the dust on their hearts.
Today, the custom has shifted into year-end parties and toasts, but the spirit of appreciating others and sharing laughter with companions remains unchanged.
It’s a bit of Japanese trivia that reminds us of human warmth.
The New Year’s Eve bell-ringing tradition began in China.
The Joya-no-Kane bell, indispensable on New Year’s Eve in Japan, is actually said to have originated in China.
In ancient times, as a Zen Buddhist observance, it was imbued with the meaning of dispelling worldly desires amid the quiet of the night, and it was introduced to Japan in the Kamakura period.
There is a theory that the 108 strikes represent the number of human desires, but originally it was a ritual to calm the mind and welcome the new year in purity.
It warms the heart to know that a culture of prayer from a distant land took root in Japan and continues to this day.
A bit of trivia passed down across time.