150 Best Holiday Trivia Questions (With Answers)

This list runs through the whole year, not just December: strange holiday facts, New Year’s, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and the Australian public holidays most trivia lists skip entirely, like Australia Day and ANZAC Day.

150 Best Holiday Trivia Questions

Fun and Unusual Holiday Facts

1. What popular toy, first released in 1959, remains one of the most requested Christmas gifts of all time? Answer: The Barbie doll
2. Which US military organisation has tracked Santa’s flight path every Christmas Eve since 1955? Answer: NORAD
3. What was the accidental origin of the NORAD Santa tracker? Answer: A misprinted phone number in a 1955 newspaper ad led children to call a military hotline asking for Santa
4. What country is credited with inventing the Christmas cracker, in the 1840s? Answer: England
5. What horned, demon-like companion of St Nicholas punishes misbehaving children in European Christmas folklore? Answer: Krampus
6. What popular party game lets guests “steal” wrapped gifts from each other? Answer: White elephant (or Yankee swap)
7. In Japan, what fast-food meal has become a popular, unofficial Christmas dinner thanks to a famous marketing campaign? Answer: KFC fried chicken
8. What were the first artificial Christmas trees traditionally made from, before plastic? Answer: Goose feathers
9. Which Charlie Brown Christmas special, first aired in 1965, was based on the “Peanuts” comic strip? Answer: A Charlie Brown Christmas
10. What was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer originally created for? Answer: A Montgomery Ward promotional colouring booklet
11. What is Krampusnacht, observed on December 5 in parts of Europe? Answer: A night when people dress as Krampus and parade through towns
12. What 1958 novelty song features chipmunks asking for a hula hoop? Answer: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
13. What year was Home Alone, the film about a boy accidentally left behind at Christmas, released? Answer: 1990
14. What shopping event follows Black Friday on the following Monday? Answer: Cyber Monday
15. What is a “long weekend,” the Australian term for a public holiday that falls next to a weekend? Answer: A weekend extended by an adjacent public holiday
16. What Australian school-calendar term describes a day when teachers work but students don’t attend? Answer: A pupil-free day (or student-free day)
17. What popular Halloween costume has topped retailer “best-selling costume” surveys for several years running? Answer: Witch costumes
18. What popular New Year’s resolution tradition is believed to date back roughly 4,000 years to ancient Babylon? Answer: Making promises to the gods, such as paying off debts or returning borrowed items
19. In the Philippines, what fruit-based New Year’s tradition is meant to bring luck for each month of the coming year? Answer: Displaying twelve round fruits
20. What ancient Roman festival, held in late December, is considered a major influence on later winter holiday traditions? Answer: Saturnalia
21. What is the scientific term for a fear of Friday the 13th? Answer: Paraskevidekatriaphobia
22. How many times does Friday the 13th occur in a calendar year, at minimum? Answer: At least once
23. What date is Groundhog Day observed in the US? Answer: February 2
24. What US tradition involves a groundhog predicting how much more winter is left? Answer: Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow-watching tradition
25. What date is “Pi Day,” observed by maths enthusiasts worldwide? Answer: March 14, written 3/14 in the US date format, matching the digits of pi
26. What date is Earth Day observed? Answer: April 22
27. What does Cinco de Mayo actually commemorate, contrary to popular belief that it’s Mexican Independence Day? Answer: The Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862
28. What date is Mexico’s actual Independence Day? Answer: September 16
29. What is “Festivus,” a fictional holiday popularised by a 1990s sitcom? Answer: A parody holiday from Seinfeld, celebrated December 23
30. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, what Christmas Eve tradition involves unmarried women throwing a shoe over their shoulder? Answer: It’s said that if the toe lands pointing toward the door, she’ll marry within the year
31. What Italian folklore figure, a broom-riding witch, delivers gifts to children on the eve of January 6? Answer: La Befana
32. What date is Bastille Day, France’s national holiday? Answer: July 14
33. What event does Bastille Day commemorate? Answer: The storming of the Bastille prison in 1789
34. What date is Canada’s national holiday, Canada Day? Answer: July 1
35. What date is US Independence Day? Answer: July 4
36. What date is International Workers’ Day, observed as a public holiday in many countries outside Australia? Answer: May 1
37. What classic board game, involving buying and trading properties, has been a staple gift under Christmas trees since the 1930s? Answer: Monopoly
38. What is the UK’s best-selling single of all time, also a Christmas charity song? Answer: “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid
39. In what year was the first commercial Christmas card sent? Answer: 1843, by Sir Henry Cole
40. What spice-filled fruit cake, often the butt of jokes as an unwanted gift, is a traditional American Christmas food? Answer: Fruitcake
41. What is “Mischief Night,” observed the night before Halloween in parts of the UK, Ireland and the US? Answer: A night traditionally associated with pranks and minor mischief
42. What popular wreath-making tradition in Australia uses native foliage instead of European evergreens? Answer: Wreaths made from gum leaves, banksia and other native plants
43. What classic Christmas Eve snack tradition involves leaving food out for Santa? Answer: Leaving out milk and cookies (or mince pies and sherry in the UK)
44. What chocolate treat, hollow inside, is the signature gift of the Easter season? Answer: The chocolate Easter egg
45. What day is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins, traditionally marked by eating? Answer: Pancakes
46. What popular bakery treat, with a coin hidden inside for luck, is a traditional English Christmas dessert? Answer: Christmas pudding (plum pudding)

New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve

47. What is the traditional Scottish word for New Year’s celebrations? Answer: Hogmanay
48. Who wrote the lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne”? Answer: Robert Burns
49. What famous ball has marked midnight in New York’s Times Square since 1907? Answer: The Times Square Ball
50. In Spain, what’s eaten at the stroke of midnight, one for each chime of the clock? Answer: Twelve grapes
51. In Japan, how many times is the New Year’s Eve temple bell traditionally rung? Answer: 108 times
52. Which ancient civilisation held the earliest recorded New Year celebrations, around 4,000 years ago? Answer: Babylon
53. What harbour hosts Australia’s largest free public New Year’s Eve fireworks display? Answer: Sydney Harbour
54. In Scotland, what tradition holds that the first person to cross your threshold after midnight brings luck for the year? Answer: First-footing
55. In Brazil, what colour is traditionally worn to the beach on New Year’s Eve for good luck? Answer: White
56. What is the end of the twelve days of Christmas, January 5 or 6, traditionally called? Answer: Twelfth Night (or Epiphany)

Valentine’s Day

57. What date is Valentine’s Day observed each year? Answer: February 14
58. Who is Valentine’s Day named after? Answer: Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr
59. What ancient Roman festival in mid-February is believed to have influenced Valentine’s Day? Answer: Lupercalia
60. What winged figure, usually shown with a bow and arrow, is a common symbol of the day? Answer: Cupid
61. In Roman mythology, who is Cupid’s mother? Answer: Venus, the goddess of love
62. What flower is most associated with Valentine’s Day gifts? Answer: The rose

Easter

63. What does Easter commemorate in Christianity? Answer: The resurrection of Jesus Christ
64. What is the 40-day period of reflection before Easter called? Answer: Lent
65. What is the Sunday before Easter, marking Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, called? Answer: Palm Sunday
66. What is the day before Easter Sunday called? Answer: Holy Saturday
67. What animal is traditionally said to deliver eggs at Easter? Answer: The Easter Bunny
68. In Australia, what native, endangered animal is promoted as an alternative to the rabbit, since rabbits are a declared pest? Answer: The Easter Bilby
69. What spice mix is traditionally baked into hot cross buns? Answer: Mixed spice, often with cinnamon and nutmeg
70. In most Australian states, how many consecutive public holiday days does the Easter long weekend give workers? Answer: Four (Good Friday through Easter Monday)
71. What annual egg hunt tradition is held on the White House lawn in the US? Answer: The White House Easter Egg Roll
72. What marshmallow sweet, shaped like a chick or bunny, is a well-known American Easter treat? Answer: Peeps

Halloween

73. What date is Halloween observed? Answer: October 31
74. What ancient Celtic festival is Halloween believed to have evolved from? Answer: Samhain
75. What vegetable were jack-o’-lanterns originally carved from in Ireland, before pumpkins became standard? Answer: Turnips
76. What is the tradition of children going door-to-door for sweets called? Answer: Trick-or-treating
77. What Irish folklore figure is said to have inspired the jack-o’-lantern legend? Answer: Stingy Jack
78. What 1993 Tim Burton film blends Halloween and Christmas themes? Answer: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Lunar New Year

79. What calendar determines the date of Lunar New Year, which changes each year? Answer: The lunar calendar
80. How many animals make up the Chinese zodiac cycle? Answer: 12
81. What colour is most associated with Lunar New Year celebrations, symbolising luck? Answer: Red
82. What are the small red envelopes containing money, traditionally given to children, called? Answer: Red packets (hongbao)
83. What street performance, involving a long costume and several performers, is a Lunar New Year tradition? Answer: The dragon dance (or lion dance)

Mid-Autumn Festival

84. What is the Mid-Autumn Festival also commonly known as in English? Answer: The Moon Festival
85. What food is traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival? Answer: Mooncakes
86. Around which lunar month does the Mid-Autumn Festival fall? Answer: The eighth lunar month
87. What natural event is the festival centred around admiring? Answer: The full moon
88. Besides China, which country celebrates a well-known version of this festival as Chuseok? Answer: South Korea

Thanksgiving (United States)

89. What month is Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States? Answer: November
90. On what day of the week does US Thanksgiving always fall? Answer: Thursday (the fourth Thursday of November)
91. What bird is the traditional centrepiece of a Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: Turkey
92. Which US president made Thanksgiving a national holiday, in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln
93. What major parade, featuring giant balloons, has run through New York City on Thanksgiving morning since 1924? Answer: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
94. What shopping event follows the day after Thanksgiving? Answer: Black Friday

Christmas

95. What does the word “Christmas” come from? Answer: The Old English “Cristes mæsse,” meaning “Christ’s Mass”
96. How many reindeer traditionally pull Santa’s sleigh, not counting Rudolph? Answer: Eight
97. What 1939 character was created for a department store promotional booklet? Answer: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
98. Who composed “Silent Night,” first performed in Austria in 1818? Answer: Franz Xaver Gruber
99. What plant is traditionally hung for people to kiss under? Answer: Mistletoe
100. Who is Santa Claus historically based on? Answer: St Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop
101. What colour was Santa’s suit sometimes shown as before red became standard? Answer: Green
102. What 1930s advertising campaign heavily popularised the modern image of Santa in a red suit? Answer: Coca-Cola’s Christmas advertising
103. What 1823 poem is credited with shaping the modern image of Santa? Answer: “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas)
104. Who wrote “A Christmas Carol”? Answer: Charles Dickens
105. What is the name of Scrooge’s deceased business partner who visits him as a ghost? Answer: Jacob Marley
106. In “Home Alone,” what city do the McCallisters leave for at Christmas? Answer: Paris
107. What’s the name of the main character in “Elf”? Answer: Buddy
108. According to Buddy in “Elf,” what are the four main food groups? Answer: Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup
109. Which country gifts London its Trafalgar Square Christmas tree every year? Answer: Norway
110. What large free public carol event, with origins in Melbourne, is held across Australian capital cities each December? Answer: Carols by Candlelight
111. What season does Christmas fall in, in Australia? Answer: Summer

Boxing Day

112. What is Boxing Day’s name believed to come from? Answer: The tradition of giving “Christmas boxes” of gifts to servants, tradespeople or the poor
113. What major shopping event is strongly associated with Boxing Day in Australia? Answer: The Boxing Day sales
114. What cricket match traditionally starts on Boxing Day at the MCG? Answer: The Boxing Day Test
115. What famous yacht race starts in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day? Answer: The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Mother’s Day

116. What day is Mother’s Day celebrated in Australia? Answer: The second Sunday in May
117. Which US activist is credited with founding the modern Mother’s Day movement? Answer: Anna Jarvis
118. What flower did Anna Jarvis originally associate with Mother’s Day? Answer: The white carnation
119. In what year was the first official Mother’s Day observance held in the US? Answer: 1908
120. What did Anna Jarvis spend much of her later life campaigning against, regarding the holiday she founded? Answer: Its commercialisation

Father’s Day

121. What day is Father’s Day celebrated in Australia? Answer: The first Sunday in September
122. Who is credited with establishing the first Father’s Day celebration in the US, in 1910? Answer: Sonora Smart Dodd
123. In what US city was the first Father’s Day celebrated? Answer: Spokane, Washington
124. What year did Father’s Day become a permanent official US holiday? Answer: 1972
125. Does Australia’s Father’s Day fall on the same date as the US and UK’s? Answer: No, Australia’s is in September, while the US and UK observe theirs in June

April Fools’ Day

126. What date is April Fools’ Day observed? Answer: April 1
127. What is a prank played on April Fools’ Day commonly called? Answer: An “April Fool”
128. Which country’s switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar is one popular theory behind April Fools’ origins? Answer: France
129. What famous 1957 British news hoax convinced viewers that pasta grew on trees? Answer: The BBC’s “spaghetti tree” hoax, aired on Panorama
130. By tradition in several countries, after what time of day are April Fools’ pranks considered no longer acceptable? Answer: Noon

Australia Day

131. What date is Australia Day observed? Answer: January 26
132. What historical event does January 26 mark? Answer: The 1788 arrival of the First Fleet and the raising of the British flag at Sydney Cove
133. What is January 26 also referred to as by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Answer: Invasion Day or Survival Day
134. What major honours list is announced each year around Australia Day? Answer: The Australia Day Honours
135. What popular national music countdown is broadcast on Australia Day each year? Answer: Triple J’s Hottest 100

ANZAC Day

136. What date is ANZAC Day observed? Answer: April 25
137. What does the acronym ANZAC stand for? Answer: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
138. What 1915 military campaign does ANZAC Day commemorate? Answer: The Gallipoli campaign
139. What pre-dawn commemorative service is held in cities and towns across Australia on ANZAC Day? Answer: The Dawn Service
140. What traditional gambling game is legally played in pubs and clubs on ANZAC Day afternoon? Answer: Two-up
141. What simple baked treat, made without butter or eggs, is traditionally associated with ANZAC Day? Answer: The Anzac biscuit

Other Australian Public Holidays

142. What event does the Melbourne Cup public holiday, held in Victoria, celebrate? Answer: The Melbourne Cup horse race
143. What is the Melbourne Cup’s well-known nickname? Answer: “The race that stops a nation”
144. What movement does Labour Day, observed on different dates across Australian states, commemorate? Answer: The eight-hour working day movement
145. What is the King’s Birthday public holiday in Australia meant to honour? Answer: The reigning monarch’s birthday, observed on a different date to the actual one
146. What is Western Australia Day tied to historically? Answer: The anniversary of the founding of the Swan River Colony
147. What event is Queensland’s “Ekka” public holiday linked to? Answer: The Royal Queensland Show, an agricultural show held in Brisbane
148. What is South Australia’s regional “Proclamation Day” holiday linked to? Answer: The 1836 proclamation establishing South Australia as a British province
149. Is Christmas Day a public holiday in every Australian state and territory? Answer: Yes
150. When a public holiday falls on a weekend in Australia, what is the weekday it’s moved to usually called? Answer: A substitute holiday (or “in lieu” public holiday)

For more to fill the days around any of these, check our NSW school holidays and term dates, browse indoor play centres for a rainy day, or try our NBA trivia and soccer trivia for another round.