Mystery Holiday Sort Trivia Quiz

Answer: Day After Major Holiday

After an entire season of Christmas festivities, who really wants it to end on December 25? Fortunately for some countries, it is NOT the end. Boxing Day, originally designed to be a charitable day to donate gifts to the needy (which, fortunately, has evolved to be a part of the entire Christmas season), is now an extension of the Christmas season.

While us in the United States are returning to work on the 26th, many countries within the Commonwealth continue the celebration into the 26th on Boxing Day, coinciding with the feast of Saint Stephen.

The day is also known to be a large shopping day for many.

Answer: Day After Major Holiday

While many in the Commonwealth go shopping on Boxing Day, those in the United States go shopping on Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving. The origin of the term being used for an after-Thanksgiving shopping sensation are vague, at best, but "Black Friday" was used in the early 1950s to describe the phenomenon of workers mysteriously "calling in sick" en masse the day after Thanksgiving. Though not as popular in other countries, many have adopted Black Friday as an additional day (or in some cases, to replace) the other shopping surge of Boxing Day.

Answer: Day After Major Holiday

Though the Easter season (called Eastertide) is a lengthy celebration following that of Lent, the main day of Easter always falls on a Sunday. This is the observance that coincides with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The following day, Easter Monday, is not a federal holiday, though festivities do often take place on this day, and oftentimes mark the beginning of Spring Break for many schools and universities.

Answer: Day After Major Holiday

All Saints' Day falls on November 1, one day after Halloween (also called All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve). It is part of Allhallowtide, three days celebrating the hallowed (saints) as well as the deceased (All Souls' Day on November 2). Halloween is the largest of these celebrations, of course, and is observed by far more than the following day for Western Christianity.

Answer: Multi-Day Observances

Diwali is a five to six day Hindu observance known as the "Festival of Lights". Observers light their homes with candles and lanterns to represent the light over darkness, symbolizing spiritual victories. These include the victory of Dharma over Adharma, and the day Rama returned to his kingdom after defeating the demon king Ravana. Though Diwali is primarily a Hindu observance, others religions, such as Jainism and Sikhism, have their own variations as well.

Answer: Multi-Day Observances

Yule is a German pagan winter festival that is observed around the winter solstice. Because of Christianisation, Yule ultimately merged with Christmas and became a part of Christmas festivities. This is also why the ancient Christians, not content with one day for Christmas, expanded to the "12 days of Christmas", to contain more days of celebration within the winter solstice celebration of Yule. Yule is still a term used in many northern Germanic languages for Christmas festivities, though the original Yule is still celebrated by many who wish to maintain the original winter festival as it was outside of the Christmas influence.

Answer: Multi-Day Observances

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is one that lasts for eight days, and commemorates the successful recovery of Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. A traditional symbol of Hanukkah is the menorah; which holds nine candles. The main candle is used to light the other, one at a time each night until all eight shine together.

The menorah symbolically represents one found in the Talmud; after the looting of the Jerusalem temple, only enough oil was left for one day's light, but that oil lasted instead for eight days.

Answer: Multi-Day Observances

Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration of African-American heritage and culture. Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles, including unity (Umoja), purpose (Nia), creativity (Kuumba) and faith (Imani). The celebration begins on December 26 and lasts to the first of January.

The observance is cultural and not religious, and was created in 1966 as a way to celebrate something other than Christmas, while creating an opportunity to celebrate African-American history and culture.

Answer: Named for the Day

Cinco de Mayo is, not surprisingly, celebrated on the fifth of May, and celebrates the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It is celebrated as the victory in the Mexican state of Puebla, but is relatively uncommon in the rest of Mexico. The United States, however, celebrates Cinco de Mayo as a much wider celebration of Mexican heritage, not just that of the victory of the Battle of Puebla. Because of how widespread the festivities in the United States have become, many have mistaken it as the day of Mexican independence; that, however, falls on September 16.

Answer: Named for the Day

The Fourth of July, also called Independence Day, is a United States observance celebrating the adoption of the final version of the Declaration of Independence, granting the United States independence. Erroneously, many believe this is the day all 55 signatures were put onto the document; but that did not happen until August 2. Regardless, the Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, 1776, and has been celebrated as Independence Day for the United States since (and as a federal holiday since 1870).

Answer: Named for the Day

Star Wars Day is an informal celebration of all things "Star Wars" that began in 2011, and since adopted by Disney as the "official" "Star Wars" holiday. The day was chosen for a very specific reason... The day, May the Fourth, is a wonderful pun on the commonly used phrase in the franchise; "May the force be with you".

Interestingly, Geek Pride Day is also celebrated by many, and the date chosen for this one is May 25, as that is the official release day in 1977 for the original "Star Wars" film, "A New Hope".

Answer: Named for the Day

Juneteenth is so named as a portmanteau of its official date; June 19. The term was first used in 1890 as a way to refer to the date that slavery officially ended in the United States in 1865. It has been celebrated since 1866, but did not become a federal holiday until 2021.

Answer: Day of Remembrance

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand on April 25 each year. The day serves as a commemoration of those who served and died in wars and conflicts, and honors the suffering and contributions of those who served. The day of remembrance is so named for the original honoring of World War I members who served in the Gallipoli campaign... ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Answer: Day of Remembrance

Beginning on November 11, 1919, Remembrance Day was originally known as Armistice Day. This marked the end of World War I, when an armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany in France. The day is celebrated in Commonwealth nations as a day of remembrance for those who have fallen in the line of duty. Remembrance poppies are worn for these soldiers, and therefore, the day is sometimes called Poppy Day.

Answer: Day of Remembrance

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance in the United States that takes place on the last Monday of May. It honors all the US military personnel who have died while serving. The first observation was in 1868, though under the name Decoration Day, for those who fought in the American Civil War. Though it began as a remembrance day for Civil War soldiers, the two World Wars of the 20th century were reason to extend the day of remembrance to all of those who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

Answer: Day of Remembrance

Veterans Day is a day to honor military veterans of the United States. It falls on November 11, and was originally called Armistice Day. As the United States also celebrates Memorial Day, which honors fallen military members and has been observed longer than Armistice Day, in 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day.

This allowed for a broader celebration of the military, all those who served are honored as veterans. It's of note, then, that there is officially no apostrophe in the name of Veterans Day; it is not a day belonging TO veterans, but a day FOR veterans, a day to celebrate all who have served the country.