That's The Wrong Holiday! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Both holidays are "festivals of lights"

Hanukkah is known as the festival of lights, since it commemorates the miracle of light, when the Maccabees were able to light a menorah with very little oil. Because of this, Jews cook dishes with lots of oil such as fried potato pancakes called latkes and fried jelly doughnuts that recieve the name of ponchkes. During the holiday, Jewish children also play with a spinning top called dreidel. Even though it is considered one of the most important Jewish holidays due to its proximity to Christmas, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are by far more important.

In Diwali, people often light lamps and candles (like in Hanukkah), and firecrackers are often seen in the skies of India. Goddesses such as Kali are worshipped.

The Hebrew calendar goes at a different rate than the Gregorian calendar, which means that Jewish holidays often are celebrated in a different day or even in a different month each year, and the Hindu calendar is lunisolar, so the date of celebration of Diwali also varies.

Answer: An African-American

Kwanzaa was created in 1965 by Maulana Karenga, an African-American nationalist leader who constantly participated in activism for black rights. The holiday's goal is to connect African-Americans with their African heritage and be able to celebrate it within seven days. Each day has a specific principle out of The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith).

Kwanzaa is mostly celebrated in the United States by the African-American community, and often involves decorations like candles and straw mats.

Answer: Ireland

Although Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in countries like Canada and the United States, the holiday originally comes from Ireland. This celebration is held to honor Saint Patrick, a missionary and bishop who is credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland. Since he supposedly used a three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, it is customary to wear green during this holiday, celebrated every March 17 as a feast in the European country. People from other countries, especially the Irish diaspora, celebrate in different ways, such as parades in New York City.

Answer: Chinese

Chinese New Year is also celebrated the first day of the year! However, Chinese people follow the Lunar calendar, so the date may be slightly later than the traditional Gregorian New Year, in January or February. Also called the Spring Festival, celebrations last for fifteen days and have amazing things like the Dragon dance and the Lantern Festival. Each year is assigned an animal according to the Chinese zodiac; for instance, 2016 is the year of the monkey!

Answer: Iran

The origin of Valentine's Day is still disputed, but one of the most accepted theories says that Saint Valentine lived in the times of Claudius II, Emperor of Rome, who decided to forbid soldiers the right to marriage. Allegedly, Saint Valentine found this unfair and helped couples marry in secret. As he was imprisoned, many of his followers took flowers and letters to him, hence the modern tradition to do so along with giving candy, balloons and other items full of hearts to our loved ones!

Some countries, such as Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have banned the holiday because some of their Muslim populations found it a "Western custom" and against their beliefs. Other nations like Russia have also banned the holiday because it could go against their "spiritual security."

Answer: Ramadan

Ramadan is a month observed by Muslims all around the world, that includes fasting by all healthy adults, and staying away from bad habits, as well as reading the Qu'ran. The fast is broken in Eid al-Fitr, often in company of family members. Jews also fast in the most important holiday of this religion, Yom Kippur.

Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son before the intervention of the angel Gabriel. Vesak and Uposatha are Buddhist celebrations.

Answer: The resurrection of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was crucified on what now is called Good Friday. Easter is the celebration of his resurrection after this event. Easter is one of the most sacred holidays in Christianity, and has many symbols such as the Easter egg, which represents an empty tomb but originated in Mesopotamia remembering the blood of Christ in the form of red eggs.

Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrated around the same dates as Easter, and commemorates the liberation of slavery in Egypt with a dinner entitled "Seder."

Answer: Veterans Day

Unlike Memorial Day, which is observed every last Monday of May and commemorates troops who lost their lives fighting for the United States, Veterans Day is celebrated every November 11 and honors all military veterans. Other countries also celebrate a holiday called Armistice (or Remembrance) Day on this date commemorating the end of World War I, and the US used to do it too until it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Answer: Thanksgiving Day

Halloween is celebrated on October 31, and in the United States, children wear costumes and go trick-or-treating to get candy. Almost a month later, on each fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated. It is a holiday where people give thanks for the blessings they have received, and there are many traditions in the U.S. associated with the holiday, such as eating turkey, watching football games, and of course, the Black Friday shopping experience full of offers and discounts!

Answer: A Happy New Year!

Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the world. The Christian celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus, but over the years has been added several other symbols such as the Christmas tree, and Santa Claus! Christmas Eve is December 24, and Christmas Day is the next day, on the 25th.

New Year's Eve, according to the Gregorian calendar, is always celebrated on the night of December 31, as a preamble to the start of a New Year. So, I wish to you on behalf of Zopyros, the way Hermes intended, a very Happy New Year!