International Holiday Quiz
(Take a break and see how well you know your international holidays)
Choose the letter next to the correct answer for each numbered question/statement below:
1. Halloween (US) – Which of the items below is NOT a tradition for the holiday and the days leading up to it?
a. Carving pumpkins
b. Toilet papering a neighbor’s house and/or yard
c. Hanging nets on trees to capture bats
d. Participating in apple-dunking contests
2. Ramadan (International) – How long does it last each year?
a. 29 to 30 days
b. 21 days in even-numbered years; 22 days in odd-numbered years
c. 43 days
d. Until the crescent moon appears again
3. Spring Bank Holiday (Gloucester, England) – What is the highlight of the day at this location?
a. Making origami beetles out of old deposit slips
b. Chasing a cheese wheel down a hill
c. A public reading of thank you notes to one’s parents
d. Flinging disk-shaped pastries for distance and style points
4. National Women’s Day (South Africa) – What phrase arose from the protest that is commemorated by this holiday?
a. I am woman; hear me roar
b. You’ve come a long way, baby
c. There’s no place like home
d. You strike a woman, you strike a rock
5. Hanukkah (International) – Fried foods are traditionally eaten during the holiday because. . .
a. Boiling and roasting are forbidden on Jewish holidays
b. Of the significance of oil in the Hanukkah story
c. Frying has always been the best way to ensure foods are safe to eat
d. They pair well with kosher wine
6. Boxing Day (British Commonwealth) – You are most likely to appreciate this holiday if you work as a. . .
a. Pugilist
b. Consultant
c. Maid
d. Deep sea diver
7. King Kamehameha I Day (Hawaii) – What tradition is not be associated with this celebration?
a. Reading Ovid
b. Dancing the hula
c. Eating laulau
d. Practicing mele oli
8. Diwali (International) – During the festival, some children decorate their residences with rangoli. What are rangoli?
a. Animal figurines
b. Blinking lights
c. Dried pasta
d. Colorful geometric designs
9. Battle of Boyaca (Columbia) – The holiday commemorates the event that sparked the country’s eventual independence from. . .
a. Spain
b. Great Britain
c. Portugal
d. The Holy Roman Empire
10. Kwanzaa (US) – The holiday was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values for African culture. Which of the items below is NOT one of the values?
a. Serenity
b. Unity
c. Creativity
d. Cooperative Economics
11. National Sovereignty and Children's Day (Turkey) – What is one activity that children do on this holiday?
a. Change places with their parents, going to their parents’ job while their parents go to school.
b. Take seats in the Parliament and symbolically govern the country for the day
c. Participate in a competition on who can eat the most Turkish Delight
d. Join the largest bicycle rally held in Eurasia
12. Time of Love (Czech Republic) - On May 1, couples stop by the statue of romantic poet, Karel Hynek Macha, to. . .
a. Attach locks, emblazoned with their names, to a fence
b. Apologize to each other on Twitter
c. Release doves into the air
d. Lay wreaths of flowers
13. National Farmers' Day (Ghana) – One item below is NOT a practice for which a farmer could receive an award during this celebration, held on the first Friday in December.
a. Husbandry practices
b. Ecological awareness
c. Use of new technology
d. Winning the donkey baseball championship
14. Chinese New Year (International) - When someone says "Happy New Year" in Chinese (Guo Nian), they are literally saying. . .
a. Enjoy the feast
b. Survive the Nian (a mythical beast)
c. Watch out for snakes
d. Bring me a Tsingtao (Chinese beer)
15. National Day of Unity (Russia) - This celebration replaces on the calendar what holiday in the then communist USSR?
a. October Revolution Day
b. January Resolution Day
c. November Constitution Day
September Retribution Day