The holiday season in Florida is always merry, bright, and sometimes a little quirky! Here's a fun trivia quiz to test your knowledge of some unique history, culture and more about Thanksgiving, Christmas and beyond from our region and around the sunshine state.
Which Florida city claims to have hosted the first Thanksgiving celebration in America, even before the Pilgrims?
A) Jacksonville
B) Tallahassee
C) St. Augustine
D) Miami
The answer is C
According to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum and many historians, the first Thanksgiving in our country took place in St. Augustine when famed Spanish mariner Pedro Menéndez de Avilés along with 800 Spanish settlers celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving to commemorate the successful sea voyage that landed in what is now known as the town of St. Augustine, which would go on to be the first and longest-lasting port within the present-day United States.
In what year did the first recorded Thanksgiving in Florida take place, according to many historians?
A) 1565
B) 1607
C) 1621
D) 1492
The answer is A
In 1549, the king of Spain commissioned Pedro Menéndez to fight pirates off the coast of Florida. Menéndez landed on the shore of Seloy, a Timucuan town, on September 8, 1565. The Timucuans offered Menéndez and his forces part of their village, and St. Augustine was established and the settlers and locals celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. Interesting side notes: Menéndez served as the first governor of La Florida from 1565–1574 and St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental United States.
Which Native American tribe is thought to have been present at the first Thanksgiving in Florida?
A) Seminole
B) Timucua
C) Apalachee
D) Creek
The answer is B
You may have noted that the answer to this question is alluded to in the answer above. While many people associate Florida with the Seminole tribe, the Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and were the largest indigenous group in that area at the time, consisting of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. At the time of European contact in what is now St. Augustine, Timucuan speakers occupied about 19,200 square miles (50,000 km2) in the present-day states of Florida and Georgia, with an estimated population of 200,000.
Instead of turkey, what food was likely on the menu at the first Florida Thanksgiving feast?
A) Lobster and oysters
B) Gopher tortoise and manatee
C) Fish and garbanzo beans
D) Crocodile and alligator
The answer is C
Fish and garbanzo beans might sound like a weird combination unless you think of it as the original potluck dinner. Historians would point to the knowledge of what the Spaniards were likely to have on board when they landed. This would likely be cocido, which was (and still is) a common stew made with garbanzo beans and salted pork. The Timucua would have contributed from their own food sources which may have included turkey, and even gopher tortoise, but more likely mullet (it was September after all!), drum, and catfish.
Poinsettias are Florida native plants
A) True
B) False
The answer is- mostly false!
It’s a bit of a trick question. Florida is home to at least three native Poinsettias- Painted-leaf, Fiddler-leaf, and Pineland Poinsettia. All are close relatives of our favored winter holiday Poinsettia, which is native to Mexico and parts of Central America, and was introduced to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. So the poinsettias you'll find at Publix and other local retailers are not the native species.
Which Treasure Coast City is famous for its dancing Palms at Christmas?
A) Sebastian
B) Vero Beach
C) Fort Pierce
D) Stuart
The answer is C
While most cities along the Treasure Coast have many impressive light displays during the, the Dancing Palms at Marina Square in Fort Pierce are a hallmark of the holiday season, adding a tropical flair to the Christmas spirit in our region. The iconic palms that grace the waterfront are wrapped with hundreds of thousands of lights that are choreographed to music. The display typically goes live starting the Friday after Thanksgiving and continues through the end of December with "shows" running every 30 minutes every evening.
Which native pine is the most popular choice for a Christmas tree?
A) Loblolly Pine
B) Sand Pine
C) Slash Pine
D) Pond Pine
The answer is B
Florida is home to several species of native pines and the most popular choice for those wishing to take home a live native tree is the Sand Pine. While they mostly grow wild in central and Panhandle areas, there are a number of Christmas tree farmers that grow them for fresh cutting around the state. Their short needles and natural conical shape make them the ideal native for your living room.
The Treasure Coast had snow for Christmas in what year?
A) 1989
B) 1899
C) 1954
D) 1977
The answer is A
On December 23 and 24 of 1989, Florida experienced and several states to the north east experienced a rare coastal snow storm. The historic event resulted when arctic air pushed temperatures below freezing through Florida with ice accumulating as far south as Miami. The storm was part of a larger system that produced 2.5 inches of accumulation in Jacksonville and carried snow flurries to numerous locations on the Florida peninsula including areas along the Treasure Coast, and south west as far as Sarasota.
A popular Treasure Coast Venue rings in the New Year at 7PM. What kind of venue?
A) A public park
B) A large marina
C) A winery
D) A fishing pier
The answer is C
Summer Crush Vineyard and Winery first opened in 2012 and, in addition to cultivating award-winning wines from Florida Muscadine grapes and tropical fruits, has become one the area's most popular large entertainment venues. According to owner Gary Roberts, every year they were asked what they would be doing for New Years. In 2016 they came up with a novel idea that wouldn't keep people up late. Their Big Ben Beatles New Year’s Bash is a unique British-style celebration featuring live music by the Beatle Guys, traditional British food and a working replica of the Big Ben clock and bell. The celebration usually begins at about 4:30 pm and ends with the ringing of the bell at 7:00 p.m. which is midnight London time.
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