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Seven days of questions and answers

New Year Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 2 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. What is the Scottish name for the final day of the old year and its celebrations?

    Answer: Hogmanay

    Hogmanay is the Scottish term for New Year's Eve and the surrounding festivities.

  2. Which sweet rice balls are commonly served at the Lantern Festival?

    Answer: Tangyuan

    Tangyuan are round glutinous-rice dumplings whose shape symbolizes family unity.

  3. What are New Year's resolutions?

    Answer: Promises of personal change

    New Year's resolutions are personal commitments to begin or maintain desired changes.

  4. What color underwear is traditionally associated with New Year luck in parts of Latin America?

    Answer: Yellow

    Yellow clothing, including underwear, is used in several Latin American New Year customs as a symbol of luck or prosperity.

  5. Which round bread may conceal a coin in Greek New Year celebrations?

    Answer: Vasilopita

    Vasilopita is cut around New Year, and finding its hidden coin is considered fortunate.

Daily round

  1. What does a countdown measure before midnight?

    Answer: Time remaining

    A countdown announces the shrinking number of seconds until the new year begins.

  2. Who wrote the version of “Auld Lang Syne” that made the song famous?

    Answer: Robert Burns

    Scottish poet Robert Burns recorded and adapted the words associated with Auld Lang Syne.

  3. At which longitude is the Prime Meridian defined?

    Answer: 0 degrees

    The Prime Meridian is the reference line at zero degrees longitude.

  4. Which musical instrument is strongly associated with Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland?

    Answer: Bagpipes

    Bagpipes are a familiar musical feature of Scottish Hogmanay events.

  5. Which California city hosts the Rose Parade on New Year's Day?

    Answer: Pasadena

    The Tournament of Roses Parade travels through Pasadena, California.

Daily round

  1. Which Pennsylvania city has marked New Year's Eve with a giant chocolate Kiss replica?

    Answer: Hershey

    Hershey, Pennsylvania, has used a large Kiss-shaped object as a local countdown symbol.

  2. What leafy vegetable often represents paper money in southern U.S. New Year meals?

    Answer: Collard greens

    Collard greens are linked symbolically with money because of their green, folded leaves.

  3. The month of January is named for which Roman god?

    Answer: Janus

    January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god associated with doorways and transitions.

  4. What material must cover most visible surfaces of Rose Parade floats?

    Answer: Natural plant material

    Rose Parade rules require exposed float surfaces to be decorated with flowers or other natural materials.

  5. How many time zones does mainland China officially use?

    Answer: One

    Mainland China observes one official time zone, China Standard Time.

Daily round

  1. Confetti was named after small sweets from which country?

    Answer: Italy

    The word confetti comes from Italian sweets once thrown during festive occasions.

  2. Which American state is represented by the fruit in Atlanta's Peach Drop tradition?

    Answer: Georgia

    Atlanta's Peach Drop draws on the peach's longstanding association with Georgia.

  3. Which city is famous for a New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square?

    Answer: New York City

    New York City hosts the well-known Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve.

  4. The Islamic calendar is based primarily on which cycle?

    Answer: Phases of the Moon

    Islamic months begin according to a lunar cycle, making the year shorter than a solar year.

  5. How many years make a century?

    Answer: 100

    A century comprises one hundred years.

Daily round

  1. Which animal comes first in the Chinese zodiac cycle?

    Answer: Rat

    The Rat occupies the first position in the twelve-animal Chinese zodiac sequence.

  2. Chinese New Year begins on what kind of calendar date?

    Answer: A lunisolar date

    Chinese New Year follows a traditional lunisolar calendar rather than one fixed Gregorian date.

  3. Which month begins the Gregorian calendar year?

    Answer: January

    January is the first month of the Gregorian calendar year.

  4. How many days does a common Gregorian year contain?

    Answer: 365

    A common Gregorian year has 365 days; a leap year has one additional day.

  5. Which pope introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582?

    Answer: Gregory XIII

    Pope Gregory XIII introduced the calendar reform that now bears his name.

Daily round

  1. Which instrument is sounded during Rosh Hashanah services?

    Answer: Shofar

    The shofar, traditionally made from a ram's horn, is sounded during Rosh Hashanah.

  2. In Brazil, which color is commonly worn on New Year's Eve as a wish for peace?

    Answer: White

    Many Brazilian revelers wear white on New Year's Eve to symbolize peace.

  3. Which festival traditionally closes the Chinese New Year celebration period?

    Answer: Lantern Festival

    The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and concludes the traditional festivities.

  4. Which country celebrates Seollal as a major traditional holiday?

    Answer: South Korea

    Seollal is the Korean lunar New Year and a major holiday in South Korea.

  5. Which sprouted greens are commonly placed on a Nowruz haft-sin table?

    Answer: Sabzeh

    Sabzeh consists of sprouted wheat, barley, or lentils and symbolizes renewal.

Daily round

  1. What is the Japanese New Year holiday called?

    Answer: Shōgatsu

    Shōgatsu is the Japanese celebration of the new calendar year.

  2. Which activity is famously associated with Songkran?

    Answer: Water splashing

    Public water splashing grew from Songkran practices of respectful cleansing and blessing.

  3. Approximately how long does Earth take to orbit the Sun once?

    Answer: 365.24 days

    Earth's tropical year is about 365.24 days, which is why leap-day adjustments are needed.

  4. The Islamic New Year begins with the first day of which month?

    Answer: Muharram

    Muharram is the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

  5. Which song did bandleader Guy Lombardo famously perform on New Year's broadcasts?

    Answer: Auld Lang Syne

    Guy Lombardo's New Year's broadcasts helped establish Auld Lang Syne as a North American midnight standard.