Two Truths and a Lie: Southern Traditions Edition

By: Emily Maggrett
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Two Truths and a Lie: Southern Traditions Edition
Image: urbancow/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

The Southern U.S. is known for being steeped in tradition. From the clothes they wear to the foods they eat, Southerners have a number of special customs, superstitions, rituals and beliefs. Below the Mason-Dixon line, you'll encounter events that Northerners have never heard of, such as "pounding parties" and "Decoration Day." There are old wives' tales about the dangers of mirrors, the best omens for a wedding and the colors you should paint your porch. Southerners even snack differently, partaking of treats that Yankees may be shocked by, such as head cheese.

Are you a Southerner yourself, or do you just wish you were? Either way, you're going to get a kick out of this quiz. We've assembled a number of difficult trivia questions about Dixie traditions, from New Year's Day practices to what you should put on your legs when you wear a skirt. 

Each question will have three answer options, two that are true and one that is a lie. Your task is to decide which unusual answer options are true and which ones are fake news. This will be harder than you think, as Southerners are as eccentric as they are charming. Are you up for a chicken-fried challenge?🍗 Let's get quizzing!

01_bonfires
Nisian Hughes/Stone/Getty Images
What DON'T Southerners do to celebrate Christmas?
Set bonfires along the Mississippi River
Eat shrimp and grits
Pray to Papa Noel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On Christmas Eve, Cajuns in Louisiana light bonfires along the Mississippi River in order to light the way for Papa Noel, the Cajun version of Santa Claus. Further east, South Carolinians eat shrimp and grits on Christmas Eve, a tradition celebrating Gullah cuisine and culture.

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02_knife wedding
Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Of the following Southern superstitions about weddings, which one is made up?
If you don't wear something blue, the marriage will be sad.
If you find a spider on your wedding dress, it's a good omen.
If you get a knife as a wedding gift, it means the relationship will be severed.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For some reason, Southern lore has it that a spider getting caught on your wedding dress is good luck. Conversely, being given a knife as a wedding gift is terrible luck, as it means your marriage will end in divorce.

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03_Labor Day
PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images
When is wearing white NOT considered rude?
After Labor Day
Whenever you're at a wedding
When you're watching a tennis match
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners believe that wearing white after Labor Day (i.e., once fall starts) is tacky. However, it's not as big a social gaffe as the ultimate sin: wearing a white dress to a wedding. This isn't done because it's seen as pulling focus from the bride.

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04_Horchata
fotoedu/Moment Open/Getty Images
Of the following drinks, which one is NOT a Southern favorite?
Sweet tea
Arnold Palmer
Horchata
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Served in restaurants across the South, sweet tea is a form of iced tea that includes sugar as well as additional flavorings, such as lemon and mint. Arnold Palmers, which are named after the golfer of the same name, are a blend of lemonade and ice tea. Southerners serve them at garden parties.

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05_Throwing salt
Allison Achauer/Moment/Getty Images
Which one of these is NOT a famous Southern superstition?
Throwing salt over your left shoulder if you knock over the salt shaker, in order to avoid bad luck
Painting your porch ceiling blue to prevent ghosts from getting into the house
Bowing to any houses you see that are over a hundred years old, to keep their dead owners from haunting you
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A tradition that comes from the Gullah people of South Carolina, the custom of painting your porch ceiling "haint blue" has spread throughout the South. The source of Southern superstitions about salt is unknown, as many cultures have similar beliefs.

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06_pearls
Flynn Larsen/Image Source/Getty Images
True Southern ladies always wear this precious stone ... or do they?
Pearls
Diamonds
Sapphires
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southern women believe that wives who wear pearls bring harmony to their marriages. Those who skip the pearls will more often find themselves getting into arguments. However, when it comes to engagement rings, Southern women prefer rings that have diamonds.

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07_Mint juleps
Jon Lovette/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images
At the Kentucky Derby, which beverage is NOT enjoyed by attendees?
Bourbon
Slurpees
Mint juleps
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Kentucky Derby is a highly formal event. Female attendees generally wear hats and dresses, while male attendees wear suits. While Slurpees are delicious, they're not welcome on this occasion.

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08_13 at dinner party
Thomas Barwick/Stone/Getty Images
In Southern superstition, which of these actions can bring on bad luck?
Inviting 13 guests to dinner
Eating a loaf of bread from both ends
Letting an Irish setter cross your path
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Because the number 13 is seen as unlucky, a 13-person dinner is believed to be ill-fated. Likewise, to prevent financial issues, bread should only be sliced from one end. However, while letting a black cat cross your path is supposedly bad luck, there are no bad omens associated with Irish setters.

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09_dinner on the ground
LWA/Dann Tardif/DigitalVision/Getty Images
According to Southerners, what ISN'T a "dinner on the ground"?
A meal that's eaten in the evening
A gathering that takes place outdoors, rather than on the literal ground
A Southern church tradition
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although it's called a "dinner," a "dinner on the ground" is actually an outdoor church luncheon. The earliest "dinner on the ground" events were potluck picnics, but today, they're most often held in pavilions or at a grouping of picnic tables.

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10_frog legs
Douglas Sacha/Moment/Getty Images
Which of these snacks DON'T Southerners eat?
Fried crawdads
Fried frog legs
Fried bear paws
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Battered fried crawfish tails are a Southern specialty, as are fried frog legs. Perhaps because of the French influence on parts of the South, such as Louisiana, these humble forms of seafood are seen as delicacies.

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11_neighbors
Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision/Getty Images
In the South, when is it NOT OK to drop by unannounced?
If you're close friends or family
If you're in the neighborhood
Never
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When it comes to unannounced visits, Southerners are more relaxed than folks in other regions. It's considered normal for Southern family members or close friends to drop by whenever they like, and even less intimate friends or relatives are usually welcome.

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12_Decoration Day
Claudiad/E+/Getty Images
What ISN'T Decoration Day?
A day when Southerners hang pots of special summer flowers on their verandas
A day when Southerners clean and decorate the graves of their ancestors
A version of Memorial Day that's specifically for Confederate soldiers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Decoration Day has nothing to do with making your veranda look fancy. Instead, it's a Southern tradition related to honoring your family's dead. While it started as a sort of Confederate Memorial Day, the purpose of this custom is now to connect to your family's past.

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13_Throwing horseshoe
Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Of the following strange traditions, which one do Southerners NOT do on New Year's Day?
Throwing horseshoes in honor of last year's missed chances
Inviting over a tall, dark-haired man for good luck
Avoiding cleaning the house, as this will "sweep away" the coming year's good fortune
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners believe their homes should be clean on New Year's Day, but that throwing anything away on this date will cause you to lose things next year. The superstition that a tall, dark-haired first guest will bring you luck on New Year's Day comes to the South via Scottish and England folklore.

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14_Formal clothes
Mike Watson Images/moodboard / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Which clothing item or accessory do Southerners NOT wear to homecoming games?
Formal clothes
Mums
Socks striped in their team's colors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In Texas, homecoming games are usually proceeded by homecoming dances, where it's customary for high schoolers to give their dates mum corsages. Over time, mum corsages have become larger and larger. Currently, it's not unusual for them to cover their wearer's entire torso.

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15_bridesmaid luncheon
Victor Dyomin/Moment/Getty Images
At a Southern wedding, which of these traditions WOULDN'T you find?
A cake-ribbon pull
A May crowning
A bridesmaid luncheon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Southern Living, it's customary for Southern brides to host a special, intimate luncheon for their bridesmaids before the wedding takes place. At the luncheon, bridesmaids unearth charms from a cake by pulling on the ribbons they're attached to. Each charm symbolizes a different future.

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16_Key lime pie
Bruce Yuan-Yue Bi/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Which pie DON'T Southerners serve at Thanksgiving?
Pecan pie
Key lime pie
Whiskey walnut chocolate pie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pecan trees are native to North American and grow well throughout the South. Key lime trees are cultivated in Texas and Florida. Because of this, pecan pie and Key lime pie are common (and very popular) Southern desserts.

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17_Play-Doh
miodrag ignjatovic/E+/Getty Images
How would you define a "pounding party"?
It's a housewarming party for newly married couples.
It's an event held to welcome a new pastor and his wife to the congregation.
It's a toddlers' event where children are given leave to go crazy with Play-Doh.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Country Living, a "pounding party" is a very practical sort of housewarming party. At it, a newly married couple (or newly arrived couple) is given household staples in pound quantities, such as flour, butter, sugar, etc.

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18_gold coin
ssucsy/E+/Getty Images
Which object DON'T people in New Orleans bake into their Mardi Gras cakes?
A plastic baby figurine
A bean
A gold coin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners celebrate Carnival by eating king cakes. A colorful sort of French cake, king cakes always have a trinket baked into their batter — usually a bean or plastic baby figurine. The person who finds the trinket in their piece of cake has to host the next Mardi Gras party.

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19_black pantyhose
Guido Mieth/DigitalVision/Getty Images
If clad in a dress, what DOESN'T a typical Southern woman wear on her legs?
Sheer black pantyhose
Nude pantyhose
Patterned tights
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Because the South is so warm, many women choose to wear shorts or skirts daily. Because Southerners prefer formal dress, they usually cover their legs with pantyhose, rather than going bare-legged or wearing patterned tights.

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20_wave hello southerner
South_agency/E+/Getty Images
When WON'T Southerners wave?
Whenever they spot someone they know
Whenever a stranger passes by
Whenever they notice a ladybug
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners are known for their extreme friendliness. One symptom of this extroversion is their habit of waving at anyone who passes by, regardless of whether they know them or not. Despite this generous policy, ladybugs don't usually merit a wave of recognition.

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21_Shoes and belts
Sisoje/E+/Getty Images
Of the following sets of items, which ones do Southerners prefer to have match?
Shoes and belts
Shoes and bags
Headbands and watchbands
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Southern Living, rather than following the latest trends, Southerners tend to wear more classic styles. As part of their commitment to timeless chic, they steer clear of pattern-mixing, prefer to match their shoes to their belts and bags.

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22_southern expressions
Claudia Burlotti/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Which one of these expressions DON'T Southerners say?
"Cat on a hot tin roof"
“Caught with my shirt off"
"Lord willing and the creek don't rise."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Southerners wants to say they're anxious, they describe themselves as feeling like "a cat on a hot tin roof." "Lord willing and the creek don't rise" is the Appalachian version of "knock on wood."

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23_deviled eggs
photo by Pam Susemiehl/Moment/Getty Images
How DON'T Southerners celebrate Easter?
By hanging eggs on indoor trees
By wearing new clothes
By eating deviled eggs with every meal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Deviled eggs are more popular in the South than elsewhere, but most Southerners would never eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, wearing new clothes on Easter is seen as lucky, while hanging Easter eggs on an indoor tree is a charming springtime ritual.

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24_Black eyed peas
Matthew Boyer/Moment/Getty Images
Which of these foods do Southerners NOT eat for good luck?
Pork
Black-eyed peas
Onions
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners think that eating black-eyed peas brings them good luck and that consuming pork brings them prosperity. Ordinary onions, however, don't mean anything in Southern folklore.

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25_monogram intials
MarionLoveNotes via Youtube
How much do Southerners like monograms?
They hate monograms.
They monogram everything.
Every Southern home has at least three monogrammed objects.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners are known for monogramming everything from backpacks to shower curtains. According to Southern Living, this is because Southerners see using their initials as a way to honor their family names and pasts.

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26_mirror three times on Valentine's Day
Henglein and Steets/Cultura/Getty Images
Which one of these Southern superstitions about mirrors is fake?
Seeing your reflection in a room where someone just died causes premature death.
Putting a mirror on your porch stops the devil from getting into your home.
Looking in the mirror three times on Valentine's Day will make your skin clear up.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southern folklore contains many warnings about the power of mirrors. As legend has it, the devil won't enter your home if he sees a mirror on your porch, as this will compel him to admire his own reflection. Similarly, gazing at your reflection is dangerous if someone has just died nearby.

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27_baby names
Jamie Grill/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Of the following statements, which one is NOT true about Southern names?
Southerners often have two first names.
Girls are often given the middle name "Mae" in honor of Mae West.
A mother's maiden name may be used as a child's first or middle name.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners like to preserve their family names by giving them to children as first names. Double first names are similarly popular, perhaps due to French and Irish immigrants bringing this tradition with them from Europe.

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28_crab balls
by Chakarin Wattanamongkol/Moment/Getty Images
Which types of food WON'T Southerners serve in ball form?
Crab
Mac 'n' cheese
Sushi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners enjoy food in ball from, from savory options like crab balls, ham balls and cheese balls to sweet options like truffles and bon bons. However, despite the existence of fun hors d'oeuvres like mac 'n' cheese balls, sushi balls are not a real appetizer.

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29_rocking chair
Morsa Images/DigitalVision/Getty Images
In Southern lore, what happens if you rock an empty rocking chair?
Spirits appear.
It makes you fall ill.
It causes a wind storm.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners advise against rocking an empty rocking chair, as it supposedly invites ghosts to sit down. Rocking an empty rocking chair is also rumored to make you sick. However, at least this action doesn't start wind storms!

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30_spear fishing
thianchai sitthikongsak/Moment/Getty Images
Which one of these is NOT a classic Southern fishing technique?
Noodling
Gigging
Pangling
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Noodling is the art of catching a fish with your arm. The noodler blocks a catfish hole with their hand, so that when the catfish swims out, it gets caught on it. Alternately, they'll reach into the hole and grab the fish. Gigging, on the other hand, involves stabbing frogs with a spear. "Pangling" is merely a made-up word.

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31_Georgia mustard barbecue
cookingguide via Youtube
Do Southerners really have all these types of barbecue, or is one of these varieties fake?
Louisiana Worcestershire sauce barbecue
Georgia mustard barbecue
North Carolina vinegar barbecue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some North Carolinians like their barbecue chopped and in vinegar sauce, while South Carolinians prefer barbecue with a mustard flavor. Tenneeseans use tomato-based barbecue sauce while Texans turn up their noses at sauces of any kind. But Worcestershire sauce barbecue doesn't exist, at least not yet.

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32_cornbread
Iain Bagwell/Photodisc/Getty Images
What DON'T Southerners put in cornbread?
Bell peppers
Peanuts
Sugar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southerners put a lot of things in their cornbread, from sugar and bell peppers to corn kernels, cheese and green chilis. But peanuts are rarely mixed into cornbread batter. However, some Southerners do put peanuts in Coke.

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33_groom's cake
Christina Cakes It via Youtube
Do you know what's NOT the purpose of a groom's cake?
It's a party favor for wedding guests.
It's intended to feed the groom on the morning of his wedding.
It's a special treat for the groom.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Groom cakes were originally sweet presents from brides to grooms. Over time, it became customary for the cake to be sliced and given away to wedding guests as a parting gift. Today, they take many forms — but "groom's breakfast" is not one of them.

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34_bury the bourbon
Lexington School via Youtube
Why DON'T Southerners "bury the bourbon" prior to a wedding?
To ensure the success of the marriage
To prevent rain on the wedding day
To make the bourbon taste better
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a couple doesn't want their wedding day rained out, Southern lore advises that they should bury a bottle of bourbon exactly one month before their wedding day. The bottle has to be full AND buried upside-down, or this good luck charm won't work.

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35_Boiled peanuts
Amar Lungare/Moment Open/Getty Images
Of the following items, which one is NOT a classic Southern appetizer?
Boiled peanuts
Deviled eggs
Lobster rolls
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Deviled eggs are a Southern classic, so much so that they're often served on their own type of dish. Peanuts, which grow well in many areas of the South, are also enjoyed boiled fresh. But lobster rolls are a Northeast specialty, not a Southern one.

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