Let the Festivities End!

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. It is England in the year of Our Lord sixteen hundred and forty-seven. You are hanging up the mistletoe bough, basting the goose, and shooing the children outside into the snow to collect the Yule log, looking forward to a merry wassailing later on. Suddenly there is a knock on the door and a voice proclaims, "Thou shalt not!" Who is banning your seasonal jollity? The King Militant Geese The Mistletoe Police Puritans

2. Hola! Ciao! Hooray, it's Carnival time! Erm, no, actually... Carnival, the traditional festivity held before Lent, has been cancelled. Which two twentieth century European leaders turned their country's smiles into frowns? Dolce and Gabbana Franco and Mussolini Ben and Jerry Fortnum and Mason

3. Well howdy - it's July 4th! I say, sorry old chap - actually it's November 5th! Mais non - it is July 14th! Regardless of the date, the sale of something common to many celebrations has become more restricted. What loud and colourful festive items are now increasingly confined to large public displays? sports jackets party poppers fireworks air horns

4. Birthdays - who needs them? Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov allegedly banned public officials from giving him gifts for his 35th birthday. What were they threatened with if they did not comply? death smothering in popcorn unemployment exile

5. "The atmosphere...does not help young people to develop spiritual and moral values." To which day, traditionally linked with love, was a spokesman for the Russian city of Belgorod referring? Christmas Day Mothers Day Valentine's Day I (heart) Belgorod Day

6. A decision of the Scottish Kirk (Church) in 1583 effectively banned Christmas festivities. What traditional celebration at the year's end replaced the yuletide jollities? Uisquebaugh Hootenanny Hogmanay Ceilidh

7. Vasanta, or Basant, is a Hindu festival celebrating the beginning of Spring. In 2005 one traditional aspect of the festivities was banned. What would Mary Poppins NOT be able to do in Pakistan? eat a spoonful of sugar fly a kite say that supercali-thingy word feed the birds

8. A combination of religious festival and athletic event, the ancient Olympic Games were suppressed by the Roman emperor Theodosius in 393 AD. What is the usual explanation for this "ban"? the games were corrupt the games were pagan the games were not open to Romans the games were boring

9. The Canboulay riots of 1881 took place in Trinidad at Carnival time and were the result of a police crackdown on some of the excesses of the festivities. Among other things, percussion instruments were banned. Which musical instrument, now associated with the Caribbean, arose from this ban? vuvuzela ocarina steel pan tin whistle

10. Originating in Spain, which messy festival has been banned in India as a waste of natural resources? Bull Running Moros y Cristianos Pizza Throwing La Tomatina