New Year Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- In the French tradition, who slips under the table to decide who gets each slice of king cake?
- A. The youngest person present
- B. The host
- C. Last year's king
- D. The oldest person present
- What is a collector of king cake charms (fèves) called in French?
- A. A galettophile
- B. A numismatist
- C. A fabophile
- D. A deltiologist
- Why does the giant king cake presented every year at the Élysée Palace contain no charm?
- A. For hygiene reasons imposed by protocol
- B. Crowning a king in the palace of the Republic would be inappropriate
- C. Because a president once broke a tooth on one
- D. Because the charm is reserved for the Prime Minister
- In the south of France, which cake often replaces the frangipane galette at Epiphany?
- A. A brioche ring topped with candied fruit
- B. A tarte tropézienne
- C. A strawberry layer cake
- D. A kouign-amann
- Which ring-shaped cake do Spaniards eat on 6 January?
- A. Turrón
- B. Panettone
- C. Roscón de Reyes
- D. A giant churro
- In the old Twelfth Night tradition, what did guests shout every time the king of the feast raised his glass?
- A. “Long live the king!”
- B. “Cheers, Your Majesty!”
- C. “Another slice!”
- D. “The king drinks!”
- Who was Saint Sylvester, whose feast day falls on 31 December (New Year's Eve is “Silvester” in many countries)?
- A. A monk said to have invented New Year's Eve dinner
- B. A 4th-century pope who died on 31 December
- C. A Frankish king baptised on New Year's Day
- D. A Roman bell-ringer
- Where does the French word “étrennes” (New Year gifts) come from?
- A. From Strenia, a Roman goddess
- B. From the English word “strength”
- C. From a Gaulish word for “gift”
- D. From the French verb “étreindre” (to hug)
- In Japan, how many times are Buddhist temple bells rung on the night of 31 December?
- A. 108
- B. 12
- C. 100
- D. 365
- In Japan, what do you do with a daruma doll when you make a wish for the New Year?
- A. Cut one of its hairs
- B. Throw it into the sea
- C. Hide it under your pillow
- D. Paint in one eye, and the other when the wish comes true
- During the Vienna New Year's Concert, which piece does the audience traditionally clap along to?
- A. The Blue Danube
- B. The Radetzky March
- C. Boléro
- D. The Trout
- What do the Scots call their great New Year celebration?
- A. Burns Night
- B. Samhain
- C. Beltane
- D. Hogmanay
- What is lowered down a pole at midnight in Times Square, New York?
- A. A giant apple
- B. A lit Christmas tree
- C. A giant illuminated ball
- D. An American flag
- In Brazil, what colour do people traditionally wear on New Year's Eve?
- A. White
- B. Red
- C. Green and yellow
- D. Black
- In Denmark, what do people throw at their friends' front doors on 31 December?
- A. Eggs
- B. Confetti
- C. Old plates
- D. Snowballs
- What is the Vietnamese New Year called?
- A. Diwali
- B. Songkran
- C. Tết
- D. Holi
- According to Chinese legend, why is everything decorated in red and firecrackers set off at New Year?
- A. To bring rain for the crops
- B. To scare away the monster Nian
- C. To honour the Emperor of China
- D. Because red is the colour of winter
- During Chinese New Year, why do people avoid sweeping on the first day of the year?
- A. So as not to sweep away the good luck that has just arrived
- B. Because the broom is reserved for the ancestors that day
- C. To let the dust protect the house from the cold
- D. Because the noise of the broom would wake the dragon
- In Russia, which celebration is still held on the night of 13 to 14 January?
- A. Orthodox Christmas
- B. Epiphany
- C. The winter festival
- D. The “Old New Year”
- What is the recommended way to open a bottle of champagne safely?
- A. Hold the cork firmly and turn the bottle
- B. Twist the cork sharply
- C. Shake the bottle to help the cork out
- D. Push the cork up towards the ceiling with your thumbs
Answer key — New Year Quiz
- A. The youngest person presentThe youngest, who cannot see the slices, answers the question “Who is this one for?”.
- C. A fabophileThe word comes from the Latin “faba”, meaning bean. Some fabophiles own tens of thousands of porcelain charms.
- B. Crowning a king in the palace of the Republic would be inappropriateSince 1975, the giant galette that French bakers offer to the Élysée has been served without a charm or a crown: a “king” in the presidential palace would look rather out of place.
- A. A brioche ring topped with candied fruitIt is the “gâteau des rois”: a ring-shaped brioche scented with orange blossom and decorated with candied fruit and pearl sugar.
- C. Roscón de ReyesThe roscón is a ring-shaped brioche, often filled with cream, that hides two surprises: a small figure, which brings luck, and a dried bean.
- D. “The king drinks!”The cry “The king drinks!” punctuated the meal: anyone who forgot to shout it could be given a forfeit.
- B. A 4th-century pope who died on 31 DecemberSylvester I was pope from 314 to 335, in the time of Emperor Constantine.
- A. From Strenia, a Roman goddessAt the start of the year, the Romans gave each other branches picked from the sacred grove of the goddess Strenia, as a good omen: these gifts were called “strenae”.
- A. 108This is “joya no kane”: in Buddhism, each strike drives away one of the 108 human desires or torments, so the year begins with a purified mind.
- D. Paint in one eye, and the other when the wish comes trueA daruma is sold with blank white eyes. You fill in one when making your wish and the second on the day it comes true.
- B. The Radetzky MarchThe Radetzky March by Johann Strauss I (1848) always closes the concert, and the conductor directs…
- D. HogmanayHogmanay often lasts several days, with torchlight processions and a huge party in Edinburgh.
- C. A giant illuminated ballThe “Ball Drop” has taken place since 1907: a ball covered in thousands of crystal panels descends during the last minute of the year, watched by a huge crowd.
- A. WhiteWhite symbolises peace and a fresh start. On Copacabana beach in Rio, millions of people dressed in white watch the fireworks, and many offer flowers to Iemanjá, goddess of the sea.
- C. Old platesThe more broken crockery you find outside your door on 1 January, the more friends you have!
- C. TếtTết, the most important festival of the year in Vietnam, usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year, between late January and mid-February.
- B. To scare away the monster NianThe Nian was a monster that emerged at the end of every year to devour crops, and even villagers.
- A. So as not to sweep away the good luck that has just arrivedHomes are cleaned from top to bottom before the festival, to get rid of the past year's bad luck.
- D. The “Old New Year”It is New Year according to the old Julian calendar, abandoned by Russia in 1918 but still close to people's hearts.
- A. Hold the cork firmly and turn the bottleThe pressure inside the bottle is about 6 bar, two to three times that of a car tyre: a cork released all at once can injure an eye.