Published in – Kidadl Nov. 2021
New Years’ history is rich with its age old traditions. These interesting facts about New Year’s Eve makeup an interactive trivia about New Year’s Eve. Do you know that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve is considered to be greatly lucky in America? Do you dream about attending the Times Square New Year’s Party? Or are you one of those who keep track of all the New Year’s eve ball trivia in your cocktail dress? If so, then this New Year’s eve trivia quiz is the best for you..
1.Question: What is the name of the celebration observed in ancient Greece during which an infant is paraded around in a basket?
Answer: Baby New Year.
2.Question: Who wrote the famous song Auld Lang Syne?
Answer: Robert Burns.
3.Question: When were the time balls invented?
Answer: In 1829.
4.Question: What is the original reason that the time balls were invented?
Answer: To help sailors coordinate their navigation equipment.
5.Question: When was the first gathering held at Time Square on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: In 1904.
6.Question: How many people attended the first Times Square New Year’s party?
Answer: Over 200,000.
7.Question: When was the first ball dropped on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: In 1907.
8.Question: In which year was the Times Square New Year’s tradition not followed?
Answer: In 1942 and 1943, because of World War II.
9.Question: What was the weight of the original Time Square ball?
Answer: 700 pounds.
10.Question: What is the 2018 design of the Time Square ball called?
Answer: ‘The Gift of Serenity’.
11.Question: What is the confetti made of that falls over the crowd at midnight in Times Square?
Answer: People’s wishes. It is also called ‘wishfetti’.
12.Question: In Miami, Florida, how do they mark the arrival of the New Year?
Answer: By raising Mr. Neon, a metal foot that is 35 feet in size.
13.Question: What tradition is followed in the city of Hershey, PA, on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: They drop a giant kiss.
14.Question: Who is given the credit for starting the tradition of New Year’s kiss?
Answer: Ancient Romans.
15.Question: Which nation celebrate the New Year first?
Answer: Kiribati, an island nation in the Central Pacific.
16.Question: Which place in the world is the last to ring the New Year?
Answer: American Samoa.
17.Question: Where in the world do men dress up as demons on New Year’s to scare the kids into behaving well?
Answer: Akita, Japan. The tradition is called Namahage.
18.Question: Where is it considered to be good luck to wear red underwear on New Year’s?
Answer: Italy.
19.Question: The households of this country follow the tradition of having twelve grapes in the first twelve seconds of the year. Can you guess which country it is?
Answer: Spain.
20.Question: Which foods are considered to be bad luck if consumed on New Year’s?
Answer: Chicken and lobster.
21.Question: When did Ancient Babylonians celebrate their New Year’s?
Answer: March.
22.Question: When do the Ethiopians mark their New Year’s, as per the Gregorian calendar?
Answer: September 11.
23.Question: Which calendar was invented during the French Revolution to observe the new age of liberty?
Answer: French Republican Calendar.
24.Question: Who revised the Julian Calendar and made the start of the New Year to January 1?
Answer: Pope Gregory XIII.
Different countries celebrate this wonderful day of new beginnings in their own unique ways. People follow various rituals that they consider will bring them good luck in the forthcoming New Year. Travel the world and learn about New Year’s Eve traditions with these trivia questions. Let’s see how you do on this New Year’s Eve trivia quiz!
25.Question: January derives from which language?
Answer: Latin, for the word ‘ianua’, meaning door.
26.Question: Which 1000-year long song was launched on January 1, 2000?
Answer: ‘Longplayer’ by Jem Finer.
27.Question: Which festival is held in Antarctica to celebrate New Year’s?
Answer: Annual New Year’s Music Festival.
28.Question: Who was the first to declare January 1 a national holiday?
Answer: Julius Caesar.
29.Question: How many Americans make a New Year’s resolution?
Answer: 45%.
30.Question: How much champagne is consumed by Americans during the time of New Year’s?
Answer: 360 million glasses.
31.Question: Where in the world will you find the Mummers Parade on New Year’s in which participants perform a walk through the city in unique costumes?
Answer: Philadelphia.
32.Question: How many Times Square New Year’s balls have there been?
Answer: Seven.
33.Question: What materials was the first Times Square New Year’s ball made from?
Answer: Iron and wood.
34.Question: When were LEDs first introduced in a Times Square New Year’s ball?
Answer: 2007.
35.Question: In New York, the peppermint version of this animal is smashed for best luck. Can you guess which animal it is?
Answer: Pig.
36.Question: The Southern states of the United States consider eating this on New Year’s will mark good luck. Which food is it?
Answer: Black-eyed peas, because they swell when cooked, representing prosperity.
37.Question: How many babies are born on New Year’s Day in the United States?
Answer: 11,293.
38.Question: Which country achieved independence on January 1, 1803?
Answer: Haiti.
39.Question: In Persia, this unique gift was given on New Year’s Day. Can you guess it?
Answer: Eggs.
40.Question: Who was the first person to host the broadcast of the Times Square New Year’s Eve party?
Answer: Guy Lombardo.
41.Question: When did the first Tournament of Roses parade take place?
Answer: 1890.
42.Question: According to the Dutch, eating this on New Year’s will bring good luck. What is it?
Answer: Donuts.
43.Question: Baby New Year has its origins in which European country?
Answer: Germany.
44.Question: As per Scottish tradition, whom do you need to kiss as midnight strikes on New Year’s?
Answer: Everyone present in the room.
45.Question: New Year’s traditions originated from which Pagan holiday?
Answer: Saturnalia.
46.Question: Which Greek God is celebrated in Baby New Year?
Answer: Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
47.Question: What was the most popular New Year’s resolution in 2020?
Answer: To be fit and exercise more.
49.Question: How much confetti is dropped on Times Square on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: Around 1 ton.
50.Question: When do Hindus ring in the New Year?
Answer: In March or April.
51.Question: Where does the song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ find its origins?
Answer: In the Scottish folk music.
52.Question: Which newspaper was the sponsor of the first-ever Times Square New Year’s party?
Answer: The New York Times.
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