Christmas Reading Comprehension

Free Printable 3rd or 4th Grade Story with Interactive Review Questions. Read and test reading comprehension online or print and use offline. Great for distance learning.

The Viking Yule Log

For thousands of years, people all over the world have celebrated the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year when the sun is lowest in the sky. In the Northern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21 or 22.

The Vikings of Northern Europe called this festival Yule.

To celebrate Yule, the Vikings would burn the biggest log they could find. Horses were often needed to pull the log to its place. The log was burned to erase the bad things from the past year and to celebrate the start of the new year.

When the Vikings invaded Britain they brought the Yule Log tradition with them. People would burn a log in the town square and toss holly into the fire to bring good luck.

As time passed, the Yule Log burning was moved from Winter Solstice to Christmas Day.

Today, some families in England still burn a Yule Log on Christmas to bring good luck in the coming year. Other families bake a cake shaped like a log.

When is Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
June 21 or 22
December 21 or 22
December 25
December 21 or 22 What did the Vikings call the Winter Solstice festival?
Christmas
Winter Sun Festival
Yule
Yule What did people toss into the burning log?
holly
chestnuts
salt
holly How did the Vikings move the big heavy logs?
A group of strong men moved them.
Horses pulled them.
They rolled them.
Horses pulled them. What is the Winter Solstice?
the day when the sun is lowest in the sky
the shortest day of the year
Both are true.
Both are true. How did the Vikings celebrate Yule?
They lit candles.
They rode horses.
They burned the biggest log they could find.
They burned the biggest log they could find. Why did the Vikings burn a log?
to light up the sky
to erase bad things from the previous year
to keep warm
to erase bad things from the previous year