CHRISTMAS HISTORY
Christmas trees originated in Germany; they stood for the garden of Eden & so were hung with this fruit
apples
Richard Nixon's Checkers speech said that his wife was named Patricia Ryan & born on this holiday; neither was true
St. Patrick's Day
Christmas comes but once a year; Hanukkah lasts this many days
eight
"Buon Anno" is the Italian way to say "Happy" this
new year
A festive dish for Easter dinner is a crown roast of this
lamb
Before we kissed under it, ancient Europeans believed this plant held magic powers to bestow life & fertility
mistletoe
Mexicans under Gen. Zaragoza won a great victory on this date in 1862, celebrated with a fiesta on L.A.'s Olvera Street
the Fifth of May (Cinco de Mayo)
A traditional Hanukkah dish is latkes, pancakes made from this vegetable
Potatoes
The Spanish name for this day, 2 days before Easter, is Viernes Santo
Good Friday
For Kwanzaa you might serve groundnut stew or this Jamaican dish of chicken seasoned with allspice & peppers
jerk chicken
Dec. 25 may have been chosen to correspond with this empire's Saturnalia rebirth of the sun festival
On the festive day of April 5, 1722 Jakob Roggeveen visited this South Pacific island
Easter Island
The shammash is the "servant" one of these on the menorah
a candle
Rene Clair's 1933 film "Quatorze Juillet" revolves around this holiday's festivities
14th of July (Bastille Day)
BBC Good Food says that every Christmas table should have this fruity dessert & we won't go until we get some!
figgy pudding
This movement banned Christmas in England & New England in the 1600s, arguing it was a secular holiday
Puritan movement
In 1970 this country moved Carnival from before Lent to late July
Cuba
The dreidel, used in a betting game, is one of these toys
a top
In India revelers throw colored water & powder to celebrate Holi, the spring festival of this religion
Hinduism
Cinco de Mayo favorites include guacamole & this Mexican dish whose name translates to "stuffed peppers"
chiles rellenos
Since the 19th c. the descendants of Henry "Jolly Harry" Livingston have claimed him as the author of this poem
"Twas the Night Before Christmas"
Appropriately, this 1846 California "Revolt" began on Flag Day, June 14
the Bear Flag Revolt
Parents might give the kids a little Hanukkah gelt, which is this
money
Kwanza, an African-American holiday, means "first fruits" in this language
Swahili
Let's all thank Dorcas Reilly, who invented this Thanksgiving dish while working at Campbell's Soup
green bean casserole