Megan Moran

Christmas in Britain quiz

Pull a cracker, put on your paper crown and test what you know about Christmas in Britain. These 20 questions cover puddings and mince pies, pantomime, royal broadcasts, Victorian customs and regional traditions from Somerset to South Wales. Good luck!

A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Ultimate Christmas Quiz Book.

Paper-cut illustration of a snowy street with a red post box, a robin and terraced houses
Pick an answer to start20 to go

  1. Question 1 of 20CrackersEasy

    Along with a small gift and a joke or motto, what is traditionally found inside a Christmas cracker?

  2. Question 2 of 20CrackersMedium

    Which London confectioner is credited with inventing the Christmas cracker in the 1840s?

  3. Question 3 of 20Christmas cakeEasy

    A traditional British Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake covered in which layer before its white icing?

  4. Question 4 of 20Royal broadcastMedium

    Which monarch gave the first royal Christmas broadcast, on the radio in 1932?

  5. Question 5 of 20Royal broadcastHard

    Which author wrote the words of the first royal Christmas broadcast in 1932?

  6. Question 6 of 20PantomimeEasy

    In traditional British pantomime, the comic "dame" role is usually played by whom?

  7. Question 7 of 20Christmas postMedium

    In which year did Royal Mail issue Britain's first Christmas stamps?

  8. Question 8 of 20Boxing DayMedium

    Boxing Day, 26 December, is also the feast day of which saint?

  9. Question 9 of 20Christmas puddingEasy

    Which silver coin was traditionally stirred into a Christmas pudding to bring luck to whoever found it?

  10. Question 10 of 20Mince piesMedium

    Mince pies were originally filled with what, which most modern versions leave out?

  11. Question 11 of 20HistoryHard

    Who passed the 1647 ordinance that abolished Christmas as a religious feast in England?

  12. Question 12 of 20Victorian customsEasy

    Before electric fairy lights, what were Christmas trees in Victorian homes usually lit with?

  13. Question 13 of 20Christmas puddingMedium

    Stir-up Sunday, when many families traditionally make their Christmas pudding, falls on which day?

  14. Question 14 of 20WassailingMedium

    Traditional wassailing in cider-making counties such as Somerset involves blessing which trees?

  15. Question 15 of 20Royal broadcastHard

    In which year was the royal Christmas message first shown on television?

  16. Question 16 of 20PantomimeMedium

    Widow Twankey is the famous pantomime dame in which panto?

  17. Question 17 of 20Christmas cardsEasy

    Which small bird has been a favourite image on British Christmas cards since Victorian times?

  18. Question 18 of 20Regional customsHard

    Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until which year?

  19. Question 19 of 20Christmas puddingMedium

    In "plum pudding", an old name for Christmas pudding, what did the word "plum" usually refer to?

  20. Question 20 of 20Regional customsHard

    What traditionally forms the head of the Mari Lwyd, a horse figure carried door to door in parts of Wales around Christmas and New Year?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

Want more? The Ultimate Christmas Quiz Book has over 500 questions like these, ready for your next quiz night.

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Show all the answers
  1. Along with a small gift and a joke or motto, what is traditionally found inside a Christmas cracker? A paper crown
  2. Which London confectioner is credited with inventing the Christmas cracker in the 1840s? Tom Smith
  3. A traditional British Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake covered in which layer before its white icing? Marzipan
  4. Which monarch gave the first royal Christmas broadcast, on the radio in 1932? George V
  5. Which author wrote the words of the first royal Christmas broadcast in 1932? Rudyard Kipling
  6. In traditional British pantomime, the comic "dame" role is usually played by whom? A man
  7. In which year did Royal Mail issue Britain's first Christmas stamps? 1966
  8. Boxing Day, 26 December, is also the feast day of which saint? St Stephen
  9. Which silver coin was traditionally stirred into a Christmas pudding to bring luck to whoever found it? A sixpence
  10. Mince pies were originally filled with what, which most modern versions leave out? Minced meat
  11. Who passed the 1647 ordinance that abolished Christmas as a religious feast in England? Parliament
  12. Before electric fairy lights, what were Christmas trees in Victorian homes usually lit with? Small candles
  13. Stir-up Sunday, when many families traditionally make their Christmas pudding, falls on which day? The last Sunday before Advent
  14. Traditional wassailing in cider-making counties such as Somerset involves blessing which trees? Apple trees
  15. In which year was the royal Christmas message first shown on television? 1957
  16. Widow Twankey is the famous pantomime dame in which panto? Aladdin
  17. Which small bird has been a favourite image on British Christmas cards since Victorian times? Robin
  18. Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until which year? 1958
  19. In "plum pudding", an old name for Christmas pudding, what did the word "plum" usually refer to? Raisins
  20. What traditionally forms the head of the Mari Lwyd, a horse figure carried door to door in parts of Wales around Christmas and New Year? A horse's skull
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