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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 4 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. 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.

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

    Answer: Bagpipes

    Bagpipes are a familiar musical feature of Scottish Hogmanay events.

  3. Which soup is traditionally eaten during Korean Seollal?

    Answer: Tteokguk

    Tteokguk is a Korean soup containing sliced rice cakes and is eaten for Seollal.

  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. Which Brazilian city is known for a large beach celebration at Copacabana?

    Answer: Rio de Janeiro

    Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro hosts a major New Year's Eve gathering.

Daily round

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

    Answer: Tangyuan

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

  2. Which imaginary line largely determines where one calendar date changes to the next?

    Answer: International Date Line

    Crossing the International Date Line changes the civil date by one day.

  3. At which longitude is the Prime Meridian defined?

    Answer: 0 degrees

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

  4. 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.

  5. At which Madrid square do crowds gather for Spain's televised midnight grape tradition?

    Answer: Puerta del Sol

    The clock at Puerta del Sol is the focal point of Spain's nationally broadcast New Year countdown.

Daily round

  1. Which month begins the Gregorian calendar year?

    Answer: January

    January is the first month of the Gregorian calendar year.

  2. What is the final month of the Gregorian calendar year?

    Answer: December

    December is the twelfth and final month of the Gregorian year.

  3. A Gregorian year divisible by 100 is a leap year only when it is also divisible by what number?

    Answer: 400

    The Gregorian rule keeps century years as leap years only when they are divisible by 400.

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

    Answer: Rat

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

  5. Which item is commonly raised for a toast at midnight?

    Answer: A drinking glass

    Participants commonly lift drinking glasses when making a New Year's toast.

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. Which explosive decoration was historically used to drive away evil spirits in Chinese tradition?

    Answer: Firecrackers

    Firecrackers became part of New Year celebrations through traditions about frightening harmful spirits.

  3. The Polar Bear Plunge typically asks participants to do what?

    Answer: Enter cold water

    A Polar Bear Plunge is a festive group dip in cold open water, often held around New Year's Day.

  4. Chol Chnam Thmey is the traditional New Year festival of which country?

    Answer: Cambodia

    Chol Chnam Thmey is the Khmer New Year celebrated in Cambodia.

  5. How many animals form the traditional Chinese zodiac cycle?

    Answer: Twelve

    The Chinese zodiac repeats a sequence of twelve animal signs.

Daily round

  1. What time of day does 00:00 mark at the start of January 1?

    Answer: Midnight

    The 24-hour notation 00:00 marks midnight, the civil boundary between December 31 and January 1.

  2. In which river is the London Eye reflected during many London New Year celebrations?

    Answer: Thames

    The London Eye stands beside the River Thames in central London.

  3. Which Roman deity's two faces made him a symbol of looking backward and forward?

    Answer: Janus

    Janus was conventionally shown with two faces and associated with beginnings and passages.

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

    Answer: Pasadena

    The Tournament of Roses Parade travels through Pasadena, California.

  5. Apples are traditionally dipped in what food for a sweet Rosh Hashanah?

    Answer: Honey

    Apples dipped in honey express a wish for a sweet year in Jewish custom.

Daily round

  1. Which Chinese fruit is often displayed because its name sounds auspicious?

    Answer: Mandarin orange

    Mandarin oranges are exchanged and displayed because their names and color carry fortunate associations.

  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 country has a New Year custom of casting molten metal and interpreting its shape?

    Answer: Finland

    Finnish New Year fortune-telling traditionally interprets shapes formed by cooled molten metal.

  4. 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.

  5. What are New Year's resolutions?

    Answer: Promises of personal change

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

Daily round

  1. What are red envelopes containing gift money commonly called in Mandarin?

    Answer: Hóngbāo

    Hóngbāo are red envelopes used to present money on holidays and special occasions.

  2. Which Japanese decoration combines pine and bamboo at New Year?

    Answer: Kadomatsu

    Kadomatsu decorations use pine and bamboo and are placed near entrances for New Year.

  3. 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.

  4. Which calendar did the Gregorian calendar replace in countries that adopted the reform?

    Answer: Julian calendar

    The Gregorian reform corrected drift that had accumulated under the Julian calendar.

  5. Which pope introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582?

    Answer: Gregory XIII

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