[For Elementary School Students] Exciting Christmas Quiz! Fun and Educational Questions

night

The “Eve” in “Christmas Eve” means “night.” It comes from the English word “evening,” which refers to the late afternoon or night. In other words, “Christmas Eve” doesn’t mean “the night before Christmas,” but simply “the night of Christmas.” This is because, according to the Jewish calendar, the night of the 24th counts as the 25th—the beginning of Christmas.

female

The reindeer that pull Santa Claus’s sleigh are actually all female. People tend to imagine strong male reindeer, but in reality, male reindeer shed their antlers from autumn into winter—the time when Christmas takes place. That’s why the females, who still have their antlers during this season, help Santa with his work.

fir tree

Fir trees, which appear in Christmas-themed nursery songs and the like, have long been beloved, but the actual types of trees used vary by region. In Japan, pine may also be used. In addition, varieties that are cold-hardy and keep their leaves green year-round are preferred.

Kangaroo

When you think of Santa Claus’s companion, it’s usually a reindeer, but in Australia, believe it or not, Santa’s companion is a kangaroo! And not the commonly seen brownish kind, but a white kangaroo. White kangaroos do actually exist in Australia, and they’re very rare.

Azuchi–Momoyama period

It was first celebrated in 1552 at a church in Yamaguchi Prefecture. A little earlier, in 1549, Francis Xavier and his companions had come to Japan to spread Christianity, and it is said that one of the missionaries who arrived then, Cosme de Torres, conducted it.