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    Saturnalia Quiz

    Uploaded by

    Sarah Schof
    The document is a quiz about the Roman festival of Saturnalia and its influence on modern Christmas traditions. It contains 11 multiple choice questions testing knowledge about practices during Saturnalia, such as what person's birth was celebrated on December 25th in Roman times (the answer is Mithras), what the mottoes in Christmas crackers may have originated from (riddles and jokes told during gift giving in Saturnalia), and which Christmas customs did not originate from Saturnalia (Santa's reindeer). The quiz aims to show that many modern Yuletide traditions, such as decorating with lights and greenery, feasting, gambling and giving gifts, can trace their roots back to the ancient Roman mid-winter celebration of Saturnalia.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Saturnalia Quiz

    Uploaded by

    Sarah Schof
    142 views13 pages
    The document is a quiz about the Roman festival of Saturnalia and its influence on modern Christmas traditions. It contains 11 multiple choice questions testing knowledge about practices during Saturnalia, such as what person's birth was celebrated on December 25th in Roman times (the answer is Mithras), what the mottoes in Christmas crackers may have originated from (riddles and jokes told during gift giving in Saturnalia), and which Christmas customs did not originate from Saturnalia (Santa's reindeer). The quiz aims to show that many modern Yuletide traditions, such as decorating with lights and greenery, feasting, gambling and giving gifts, can trace their roots back to the ancient Roman mid-winter celebration of Saturnalia.

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    Test your knowledge of Saturnalia

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    The document is a quiz about the Roman festival of Saturnalia and its influence on modern Christmas traditions. It contains 11 multiple choice questions testing knowledge about practices during Saturnalia, such as what person's birth was celebrated on December 25th in Roman times (the answer is Mithras), what the mottoes in Christmas crackers may have originated from (riddles and jokes told during gift giving in Saturnalia), and which Christmas customs did not originate from Saturnalia (Santa's reindeer). The quiz aims to show that many modern Yuletide traditions, such as decorating with lights and greenery, feasting, gambling and giving gifts, can trace their roots back to the ancient Roman mid-winter celebration of Saturnalia.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    142 views13 pages

    Saturnalia Quiz

    Uploaded by

    Sarah Schof
    The document is a quiz about the Roman festival of Saturnalia and its influence on modern Christmas traditions. It contains 11 multiple choice questions testing knowledge about practices during Saturnalia, such as what person's birth was celebrated on December 25th in Roman times (the answer is Mithras), what the mottoes in Christmas crackers may have originated from (riddles and jokes told during gift giving in Saturnalia), and which Christmas customs did not originate from Saturnalia (Santa's reindeer). The quiz aims to show that many modern Yuletide traditions, such as decorating with lights and greenery, feasting, gambling and giving gifts, can trace their roots back to the ancient Roman mid-winter celebration of Saturnalia.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 13

    SATURNALIA QUIZ

    Would it surprise you to learn that many of the


    customs we observe at Christmas go back to Roman
    times and have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus?
    Here is a quiz for you to test your knowledge of the
    Roman SATURNALIA and its influence on modern
    Christmas.
    1. DURING THE ROMAN EMPIRE, SOME CELEBRATED
    THE BIRTH OF WHICH FAMOUS PERSON ON 25
    DECEMBER?

    a) Julius Caesar

    b) Mithras, the Persian god of light

    c) Jesus Christ

    d) Asterix
    2. THREE DAYS BEFORE 25 DECEMBER, WHAT
    EVENT OCCURS?

    a) Summer Solstice

    b) Summer Equinox

    c) Winter Solstice

    d) Winter Equinox
    3. MANY SCHOLARS BELIEVE JESUS WAS
    ACTUALLY BORN IN:

    a) late December, of course!

    b) late September/early October

    c) mid January

    d) Philadelphia
    4. THE ROMANS CELEBRATED A MID-WINTER FESTIVAL
    CALLED THE SATURNALIA. IT WAS NAMED AFTER:

    a) The planet Saturn

    b) The god Saturn

    c) Saturday

    d) Satyrs
    5. IN THE FIRST CENTURY AD HOW MANY DAYS DID THE
    ROMANS SET ASIDE TO CELEBRATE THE SATURNALIA?

    a) one

    b) five

    c) twelve

    d) thirty
    6. THE ROMANS GAVE GIFTS ON THE SATURNALIA.
    WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DID THEY NOT GIVE?

    a) chocolate

    b) silver objects

    c) preserved fruit

    d) small clay or wooden figures


    7. THE MOTTOES AND RIDDLES IN CHRISTMAS
    CRACKERS MIGHT WELL GO BACK TO THE ROMAN
    PRACTICE OF

    A Roman
    a) hiring comic actorswalks intogifts
    to deliver a bar and asks for a
    martinus. “You mean a martini?” The
    b) writing abartender asks. The
    two-line epigram Roman replies,
    to accompany “If I gift
    a Saturnalia
    wanted a double, I would have asked for it!”
    c) Roman singing telegrams (in dactylic pentameter)
    Another Roman walks into the bar, holds up
    twoand
    d) memorizing fingers, andlines
    reciting says, “Five
    from beers,
    Virgil's please.”
    Aeneid as a

    Saturnalia party trick


    8. WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CHRISTMAS
    CUSTOMS DID NOT ORIGINATE IN THE SATURNALIA:

    a) feasting

    b) drinking

    c) putting up lights

    d) putting up greenery

    e) Santa and his reindeer

    f) giving gifts

    g) taking time off work


    9. IN FIRST CENTURY ROME, WHICH ILLEGAL PRACTICE
    WAS PERMITTED DURING THE SATURNALIA?

    a) murder

    b) theft

    c) witchcraft

    d) gambling
    10. THE PAPER CROWN IN OUR CHRISTMAS CRACKER
    REMINDS US OF THE ROMAN CUSTOM OF:

    a) choosing a 'King' of the Saturnalia

    b) Caesar legalizing festivities

    c) the Etruscan king Tarquin

    d) It has nothing to do with any Roman custom


    11. Santa's red conical hat might well be traced
    back to hats worn during Saturnalia by

    a) Trojans

    b) Greeks

    c) Persians

    d) The army

    e) freedmen
    12. During Saturnalia, Romans festooned their houses
    with many green plants, but probably NOT:

    a) mistletoe

    b) pine boughs

    c) wreaths

    d) garlands

    e) seaweed

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