| 1. Under which calendar is New Year's Day Jan. 1? | | | | A. Wine and grapes |
| A. Julian Calendar | | | | B. Babies and childbirth |
| B. Gregorian Calendar | | | | C. Clocks and calendars |
| C. Jewish Calendar | | | | D. Gates and doors |
| D. Chinese Calendar | | | | D. Gates and doors |
| E. All of the above | | | | QQ: The name of the month is derived from Janus, |
| B. Gregorian Calendar | | | | the Roman god of gates and doors, and hence of |
| QQ: New Year's Day is the first day of the year, Jan. | | | | openings and beginnings. January was the 11th month |
| 1, in the Gregorian calendar. Traditionally the day has | | | | of the year in the ancient Roman calendar; in the 2nd |
| been observed as a religious feast, but in modern | | | | century BC, however, it came to be regarded as the |
| times the arrival of the New Year has also become | | | | first month. On January 1 the Romans offered |
| an occasion for spirited celebration and the making of | | | | sacrifices to Janus so that he would bless the new |
| personal resolutions. | | | | year. |
| 2. What calendar determines the date of the Chinese | | | | 7. When to the practioners of Tibetan Buddhism |
| New Year? | | | | celebrate New Year's? |
| A. Lunar | | | | A. Never |
| B. Solar | | | | B. January |
| C. Chinese | | | | C. February |
| D. Zen | | | | D. March |
| A. Lunar | | | | C. February |
| QQ: The Chinese New Year, traditionally based on the | | | | QQ: Much of the ritual of Tibetan Buddhism is based |
| lunar calendar, is celebrated in many American cities | | | | on the esoteric mysticism of Tantra, devotions that |
| with the roar of blazing firecrackers, dancing dragons | | | | involve both yoga and mantra, or a mystical formula, |
| made from papier mâché and cloth, and | | | | and ancient shamanistic practices. On special holidays |
| traditional music. | | | | the temples, shrines, and altars of the lamas are |
| 3. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the new year for | | | | decorated with symbolic figures; milk, butter, tea, flour, |
| what religion? | | | | and similar offerings are brought by the worshipers, |
| A. Muslim | | | | animal sacrifices being strictly forbidden. Tibetan |
| B. Christian | | | | Buddhist religious festivals are numerous. The most |
| C. Buddhist | | | | notable are New Year's, celebrated in February and |
| D. Jewish | | | | marking the commencement of spring |
| D. Jewish | | | | 8. The Roman New Year festival was called the |
| QQ: Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew, "beginning of the year"), | | | | Calends, and people decorated their homes and gave |
| Jewish New Year, celebrated on the first and second | | | | each other gifts. In early times, the ancient Romans |
| days of the Jewish month of Tishri (falling in | | | | gave each other New Year's gifts of branches from |
| September or October) by Orthodox and | | | | sacred trees. Later they gave small items, such as |
| Conservative Jews and on the first day alone by | | | | nuts or coins, imprinted with pictures of what God? |
| Reform Jews. It begins the observance of the Ten | | | | A. Julius Caesar |
| Penitential Days, a period ending with Yom Kippur that | | | | B. Jesus Christ |
| is the most solemn of the Jewish calendar. Rosh | | | | C. Janus |
| Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the High | | | | D. Zeus |
| Holy Days. | | | | C. Janus |
| 4. Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins Dec. | | | | QQ: In later years, they gave gold-covered nuts or |
| 26 and extends through Jan. 1. What does the word | | | | coins imprinted with pictures of Janus, the god of |
| mean in Swahili? | | | | gates, doors, and beginnings. January was named |
| A. First fruits | | | | after Janus, who had two faces--one looking forward |
| B. First people | | | | and the other looking backward. The Romans also |
| C. First days | | | | brought gifts to the emperor. The emperors eventually |
| D. First dance | | | | began to demand such gifts. |
| A. First fruits | | | | 9. What New Year's gift did ancient Persians give? |
| QQ: Kwanzaa, or matunda ya kwanza, is Swahili for | | | | A. Money |
| "first fruits". This is an African American holiday | | | | B. Eggs |
| observed by African communities throughout the world | | | | C. Cakes |
| that celebrates family, community, and culture. | | | | D. Rugs |
| Kwanzaa has its roots in the ancient African first-fruit | | | | B. Eggs |
| harvest celebrations from which it takes its name. | | | | QQ: The ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of |
| However, its modern history begins in 1966 when it | | | | eggs, which symbolized productiveness. |
| was developed by African American scholar and | | | | 10. In ancient Egypt what event dictated the timing of |
| activist Maulana Karenga. | | | | New Year's celebrations? |
| 5. In the Middle Ages most European countries used | | | | A. Pharaoh's birthday |
| the Julian calendar, so they observed New Year's Day | | | | B. Flooding of Nile |
| when? | | | | C. Solar eclipse |
| A. Feb. 14th | | | | D. Exact alignment of stars with Great Pyramid |
| B. March 25th | | | | B. Flooding of Nile |
| C. April 1st | | | | QQ: In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated at |
| D. May 21st | | | | the time the River Nile flooded, which was near the |
| B. March 25th | | | | end of September. The flooding of the Nile was very |
| QQ: In the Middle Ages most European countries used | | | | important because without it, the people would not |
| the Julian calendar and observed New Year's Day on | | | | have been able to grow crops in the dry desert. At |
| March 25, called Annunciation Day and celebrated as | | | | New Year, statues of the god, Amon and his wife and |
| the occasion on which it was revealed to Mary that | | | | son were taken up the Nile by boat. Singing, dancing, |
| she would give birth to the Son of God. | | | | and feasting was done for a month, and then the |
| 6. The name January is derived from the Roman god | | | | statues were taken back to the temple. |
| Janus. What is he the god of? | | | | |