In Form no. 28

Hyvää joulua!

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In Form would like to prepare you for the coming holidays with our not-entirely-serious Cross-Cultural Christmas Quiz. Our motto: Be prepared! Wherever, whenever, whatever!

1. What straw animal are you likely to find by the Christmas tree in Swedish homes?
   1. A goat
   2. A horse
   3. A reindeer
   4. A sheep
2. In Canada and the UK (along with some other countries), the day after Christmas is a national holiday. What's it called?
   1. National Recovery Day
   2. Remembrance Day
   3. Thanksgiving
   4. Boxing Day
3. How many dishes make up the traditional Russian Orthodox feast that takes place at sunset on Christmas Eve?
   1. 3 vegetarian dishes + 3 meat dishes + 3 fish dishes + 3 desserts
   2. 12 meat dishes
   3. 12 vegetarian dishes
   4. All of the above + 12 glasses of vodka
4. Who believes that if you look in the right direction at midnight on Christmas Eve you will find buried treasure?
   1. Members of Russian families who thought the answer to Question 3 was (D)
   2. People in parts of France
   3. Members of the outgoing Bush administration
   4. Members of the incoming Obama administration
5. In Sweden it's considered unlucky to be out of the house on Christmas Eve because of something you might meet. What is it?
   1. Ghosts of dead Vikings
   2. Santa Claus delivering presents
   3. Members of the outgoing Bush administration
   4. Groups of dancing trolls
6. In Poland people believe that animals are able to talk for one hour starting from midnight on Christmas Eve, but that only some people can hear them. Who is able to hear them?
   1. The ugly
   2. The children
   3. The good
   4. Members of the outgoing Bush administration
7. In which country will the people greet you with 'Hyvää joulua!' at Christmas?
   1. Finland
   2. Russia
   3. Norway
   4. Holland
8. (Back to Poland I'm afraid - Poland's rich Christmas traditions make it the clear market leader!) At what time on Christmas Eve do Polish families sit down for their main meal?
   1. Noon
   2. As every day - around 7 pm
   3. Polish families don't eat or drink anything on Christmas Eve
   4. When the first stars appear in the sky
9. Before turkey was imported into the UK from the US, what did wealthy British families typically eat for Christmas dinner?
   1. Chicken
   2. Pigeon
   3. Duck
   4. Peacock
10. Which Madrid-based training company accepts no responsibility for the reliability of its Cross-Cultural Christmas advice?
    1. Read Matthews
    2. Read Matthews, S.C.
    3. RM
    4. All of the above

In fact, that's not true - we've made every effort to find reliable answers to our questions. You can check your answers below.

Answers

1. A) A goat (The Norse god Thor had a chariot drawn by goats - really!)
2. D) Boxing Day
3. C) 12 vegetarian dishes
4. B) People in parts of France (Nobody gets this one right!)
5. D) Groups of dancing trolls
6. B) The children
7. A) Finland ('Merry Christmas!' in Finnish.)
8. D) When the first stars appear in the sky
9. D) Peacock (But swan was also popular!)
10. D) All of the above

So if you find yourself talking to the animals and surrounded by dancing trolls this Christmas, relax - it's just another one of those Cross-Cultural Christmas parties!

Hyvää joulua!

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