Holiday words for Alias — traditions and rituals

New Year, birthdays, rituals and everything around them. Perfect for a festive table.

A set about celebrations: the symbols, the food, the customs and the small things no celebration manages without. It plays best when something is actually being celebrated — the words fall into context and land on half a clue.

When to reach for this set

Holidays rest on shared memory: everyone knows how a fir tree smells and what happens when you blow out the candles. That makes the set unusually warm — clues turn into recollections, the game slows down, and the evening is better for it. Ideal for a family table.

Who this set is for

A table where something is actually being celebrated: a birthday, New Year, any family dinner. The words fall into context and half of them are guessed on half a clue. It plays fine outside a holiday too, but loses the best part — the way the clues turn into memories and the game slows down in the good sense.

Candle

Works through the ritual: “first you make a wish, then you blow.” Two steps and the word lands. Does not work: “a wax stick with a wick” — an accurate description, but the room starts with torch, lamp and match, because all of those give light.

Toast

Works: “you stand up with a glass and talk while everyone waits.” Does not work: “a congratulatory speech” — far too close to congratulation and wish, and the room will offer those first. Note what helps here: the awkward pause while everyone waits.

Confetti

Works through the aftermath: “bright, goes up in the air, and you are still sweeping it up a week later.” Does not work: “small coloured pieces of paper” — that leads to streamers, ribbons and wrappers. In this set the clean-up is often the most precise identifier.

Where groups go wrong

Holiday words invite explanation by calendar: “this happens in winter” fits half the set at once. Come at them through smell, sound and taste, which are more precise than a date. The second trap is describing a ritual instead of sequencing it: a sequence of actions works better, because the room recognises it with the body rather than the memory. The third is the festive table itself: after the third toast the rounds stretch, and it is better to set thirty seconds from the start than to shorten them on the fly.

Come at it through the senses: the smell, the sound and the taste of a holiday beat describing an object.
For rituals, describe the steps: "first you make a wish, then you blow".
Do not avoid your own memories — "the thing granny always put in the middle of the table" is often the fastest clue.

Easy

Familiar words that land on the first clue. For warming up, for kids and for mixed groups.

holiday, newyear, firtree, garland, ornament, star, present, box, ribbon, tinsel, snow, santa, snowman, sleigh, reindeer, bell, candle, light, fireplace, stocking, cake, wish, guests, table, dish, salad, champagne, glass, toast, music, dancing, song, roundel, mask, costume, makeup, confetti, streamer, firework, salute, cracker, chimes, midnight, morning, holidays, dayoff, calendar, date, birthday, anniversary, wedding, bride, groom, ring, bouquet, flowers, rose, tulip, card, envelope, letter, greeting, wishes, hug, kiss, smile, joy, surprise, easter, egg, basket, willow, pancakes, carol, nativity, pumpkin, ghost, sweets, decoration, banner, balloon, candlestick, tablecloth, napkin, dishes, photographer, album, memory, tradition, family, feast, parade, procession, candyfloss, lantern, sparkler, wreath, mistletoe, pudding, party

Medium

Takes a few sentences and some imagination. The default setting for an ordinary evening.

gathering, periwinkle, garlandry, nativityplay, vigil, bethlehem, blessing, hospitality, festivities, hostess, didukh, belfry, merriment, engagement, banquet, reunion, midsummer, nameday, illumination, loaf, carnival, caroling, carollers, ceremonial, culmination, kupala, lamp, delicacies, malanka, masquerade, shrovetide, melody, nicholas, harvestfest, rite, talisman, elegance, flatbread, paschal, dressingup, preparation, intercession, wake, dedication, gettogether, congratulatory, treating, embroidered, mummers, christmaseve, celebration, matchmaking, tonguetwister, breakfast, straw, saviourfeast, keepsake, script, festivity, traditional, repast, trident, solemnity, fanfare, festival, magical, folklore, buffet, generosity, patronal, ceremony, church, sorcery, refreshment, tidiness, honour, chocolate, carolsinger, bounty, jubilee, appleday, fairground, manger, giftbag, ringing, leisure, plaything, toylike, hamper, treat, tangerine, ritualistic, doughnut, christmassy, candlemas, charm, merrymaking, hosting, felicitation, festiveness

Hard

Rare or abstract words. More failed rounds, and more laughing at them.

authenticity, hagiography, akathist, anthropomorphic, apocrypha, regalia, multiday, annunciation, liturgyservice, puppeteer, vespers, bethlehemic, resonance, wellwisher, epiphany, allnightvigil, springsong, heortology, monstrance, decorating, denomination, bellringing, pageantry, eucharist, communion, superstition, customary, wintering, symbolmaking, identity, iconostasis, illuminated, dramatisation, enthronement, calendricity, canonical, catechesis, carolling, commemoration, confessionality, costumology, midsummerly, monastic, liquidation, liturgy, puppetlike, magicality, shrovetideness, mentality, patronage, mystery, mythologeme, piety, eveningbefore, nazarite, ethnology, harvestrite, ritualism, consecration, pilgrimage, requiem, passionarity, patriarchal, fasting, everydayness, folkbelief, repentance, memorial, initiation, ancestry, presbyter, parable, preaching, ritualistics, christmasness, distinctiveness, sacredness, symbolisation, syncretism, servicebook, conciliarity, continuity, antiquity, passiontide, scenography, theophany, ritualbook, funeralfeast, folklorism, templeness, christianity, ceremoniality, jubilarity, paganism, fairness, lamb, devoutness, votive, liturgical, benediction