The High Bank walk, Royal Canal, Baltrasna, during the recent cold weather.

Christmas Quiz, by Derrymore

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THEME: Christmas

1. On which day do Greek orthodox people celebrate Christmas?

a. 25th December

b. 7th January

c. 25th March

Facade of greek orthodox church,, Mykonos, Greece.

2. The word ‘Yule’ referring to Christmas, is derived from:

a. Old English word ‘geole’ meaning mid-winter

b. Yew tree which blooms in mid-winter in north America

c. The old French word ‘joli’ meaning happy

3. Name the town on the occupied west bank of the Jordan river which is regarded as the birthplace of Jesus

a. Jerusalem

b. Nazareth

c. Bethlehem

Wall of Jerusalem, Old City.

4. Which of the following was NOT born on 25th December?

a. Humphrey Bogart, actor

b. Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister

c. Leonard Cohen, singer and songwriter

5. If you were born on Christmas Day, what is your star-sign?

a. Capricorn

b. Sagittarius

c. Virgo

THEME: Europe

1. In which EU city is Wenceslas Square, named after ‘Good’ King Wenceslas?

2. In which EU country is the city of St Nicholas (local spelling Sint Niklass)? It’s noted for having the biggest Christmas tree in the country.

3. In which EU country is the Santa Claus village, which is open 365 days a year?

4. The original St Nicholas came from Myra, which is in which present-day country?

5. According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the first day of Christmas?

THEME: General Knowledge – Christmas

1. Which famous Christmas carol was written by Austrian priest Josef Mohr and his organist Xavier Gruber and first sung Christmas Eve 1818 in the parish church in Oberndorn, now part of Austria. It was translated into English in 1859.

2. ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’, sung by Bing Crosby, came from which film?

3. Which Christmas song, first aired in 1934, was considered controversial as it suggested that Santa Claus was monitoring children, and would only give presents to kids who were ‘nice’. It has been recorded by more than 200 artists.

4. Arrange the names of Santa’s reindeer in alphabetical order, which comes first.

5. Which Christmas song was the world’s first to be recorded (in 1889) by Thomas Edison.

THEME: Geography

1. Which group of islands off the coast of Morocco are named after the Latin word for dog?

2. Arranging all the EU largest cities into alphabetical order, which comes first?

3. Which country forms most of the Horn of Africa?

4. In which country is Chernobyl, site of the nuclear reactor which exploded in 1986?

5. Name the two of the United States which do not share a land border with any of the other states

THEME: Money and Finance

1. What do banks mean with the term APR referring to interest paid on deposits and loans?

2. Which type of loan is derived from an old French phrase ‘death pledge’?

3. What is the type of plastic is used for all English banknotes?

4. What is the name of the mythical person whose image appears in the see-through sections of euro bank notes?

5. Which Canadian coins are called ‘loonies’ and ‘toonies’?

(Answers on St Stephen's Day at 1pm.)

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