Christmas Around the World Quiz

KFC in Japan, La Befana in Italy, roller-skating to mass in Caracas: match 26 Christmas traditions to their countries.

How does the world celebrate Christmas? KFC for dinner in Japan, a witch called La Befana in Italy, roller skates to church in Caracas and a carp in the bathtub in Prague. Read each tradition, pick the country, and learn the story behind it after every answer: 26 traditions from 26 countries.

How the quiz works

Each question describes one Christmas tradition, and you pick the country it comes from out of four. After every answer you get a line on where the tradition came from. Easy asks 10 questions, Medium 15, Hard 20 and Expert 25, drawn at random from 26 traditions, so no two rounds are the same.

Christmas traditions around the world: the full list

Country	Tradition
Australia	Christmas falls in summer, and lunch is often a barbecue at the beach
Austria	Krampus, a horned creature, runs through the streets on 5 December
Canada	Santa’s postal code is H0H 0H0, and letters to him get a reply
Czech Republic	A live carp swims in the bathtub until the Christmas Eve dinner
Denmark	Risalamande rice pudding hides one whole almond, and whoever finds it wins a prize
Ethiopia	Ganna (Genna) is celebrated on 7 January, many wearing a white shamma
Finland	A Christmas Eve sauna, and Santa’s official hometown on the Arctic Circle
France	Provence ends Christmas Eve with the “13 desserts”
Germany	The home of the Advent calendar and the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg
Guatemala	La Quema del Diablo: people burn effigies of the devil on 7 December
Iceland	Thirteen Yule Lads visit on the 13 nights before Christmas
Ireland	A lit candle is placed in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome travellers
Italy	La Befana, a kindly witch, fills stockings on the night before Epiphany
Japan	A bucket of KFC fried chicken is the classic Christmas Eve dinner
Mexico	Las Posadas: nine nights of processions from 16 to 24 December
Netherlands	Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat and gifts are given on 5 December
Norway	Brooms are hidden on Christmas Eve so witches cannot ride them
Philippines	The world’s longest Christmas season starts in September, with star-shaped parol lanterns
Poland	Wigilia: a meatless 12-dish supper that starts when the first star appears
Russia	Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and his granddaughter Snegurochka bring gifts at New Year
Spain	In Catalonia, children feed a log called the Tió, which then delivers sweets
Sweden	On 13 December a girl wears a crown of candles for St Lucia Day
Turkey	Saint Nicholas, the real man behind Santa Claus, was bishop of Myra here
Ukraine	Spider-web ornaments on the tree, after a legend of a spider decorating a poor family’s tree
United Kingdom	Christmas crackers with paper crowns, first sold by a London sweet maker in the 1840s
Venezuela	In Caracas, people roller-skate to early-morning Christmas mass

Where is Santa from?

The real man behind Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey (the town of Demre, in Antalya province). Dutch settlers took his feast, Sinterklaas, to New York, and the name became Santa Claus. Since then Santa has gained several homes: the North Pole in American stories, Rovaniemi in Finland, which calls itself his official hometown, and Canada, where Canada Post gives him the postal code H0H 0H0.

Christmas is not on 25 December everywhere

Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar, in Russia, Ethiopia, Serbia and elsewhere, celebrate on 7 January. In Russia the main gift night is New Year, when Ded Moroz arrives. In Italy and Spain, Epiphany on 6 January is a second gift day, with La Befana and the Three Kings.

More holiday quizzes

Christmas Markets of Europe Quiz: Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Vienna and 23 more.
Thanksgiving & Harvest Festivals Quiz: Chuseok, Pongal, Sukkot and both Thanksgivings.
Landmark to Country Quiz and Language to Country Quiz.
On our sister site: Christmas Trivia with 40 questions and answers, and a Christmas Word Search with large print.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Santa Claus from?

Santa Claus grew out of Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop of Myra, today Demre in Turkey. Finland calls Rovaniemi his official hometown, and in American stories he lives at the North Pole.

Which country eats KFC for Christmas?

Japan. A 1974 Kentucky for Christmas advertising campaign started the habit, and many families order their Christmas Eve bucket weeks in advance.

Which countries celebrate Christmas on 7 January?

Countries whose Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, including Russia, Ethiopia, Serbia, Georgia and Egypt for Coptic Christians.

Who is La Befana?

La Befana is a kind old witch in Italian folklore who flies on a broom on the night of 5 January, leaving sweets for good children and coal for naughty ones.

Is this quiz good for a classroom?

Yes. It is free with no signup, every answer comes with a short explanation, and the full list of traditions on this page works as a study sheet or a December lesson.

Play Christmas Around the World offline in the app

Christmas Around the World Quiz and the rest of the arcade are in the free Geography Quiz Arcade app: Get it on Google Play · Download on the App Store.