Christmas and New Year - 1

1. The period of approximately four weeks before Christmas is called .

2. In many countries, Christmas officially begin on the first Sunday in .

3. Many families buy or make an , which has four on it.

4. One is lit on the first Sunday in and the others on the following Sundays.

5. There is no in Iceland; instead there are 13 .

6. The first Yule lad comes down from the mountains on December 12th. Every night until

, a different comes. Nowadays they bring presents for the

children.They begin returning to the mountains on .

7. The 23rd of December is , the only Icelandic saint.

8. The day when Scandinavians open their presents is called .

9. The day when the English-speaking world opens their presents is called .

10. The 26th of December is called in Great Britain.

11. The last day of the year is called in England and in

Scotland.

12. The first day of the year is called .

13. On the 23rd of December, many Icelanders eat , a putrid smelling fish.

14. In Iceland, the meal on Christmas Eve was traditionally with .

Nowadays, many people also have , a wild bird. is also

popular.

15. In England and the US, is traditionally eaten at lunch on Christmas Day.

16. After a family festive meal on New Year's Eve, many Icelanders go to a local

and let off .

17. There are no organised firework , people let off their own .

18. Most Icelandic families watch a on TV on New Year's Eve.

19. Many people make new year's on , which, unfortunately,

they seldom keep.

20. The holiday season ends in many countries on 6 January and it is called .