Old Habits Die Hard Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fire and Virginity

The red ribbons symbolised Vesta's fire, which had to be kept alight at all times, and the white ribbons stood for virginity and sexual purity. The Vestals' robes consisted of a long linen palla (a cloak) over a white woolen stola (equivalent to a man's toga), and their hair was bound into a white infula (head-covering).

Vestals were recruited from high-born families at an early age and served for at least 30 years as priestesses; there was a maximum of six at any one time. At least one Vestal was stationed at the sacred hearth at all times, and those who allowed the fire to go out were whipped. Very infrequently Vestals were found guilty of breaking their vows of chastity; they were sentenced to death by being buried alive while their sexual partners were publicly put to death.

Despite the Vestal College's stature and political influence, the Christianization of the empire brought about its demise and it was dissolved soon after the emperor Gratian confiscated its revenues in 382CE.

Answer: Referees in sumo matches

Apart from Shinto priests, kanushi hats are also worn by the referees in sumo contests, the gyoji. A sumo match is just as ritualised as a rigorous survey! Shinto, the indigenous Japanese religion, is a polytheistic, animistic cult revolving around supernatural entities called kami. Shinto priests or kannushi (divine master of ceremonies) act as intermediaries between kami and people, cultivating harmony between them and soliciting the former's blessing.

Answer: A starched white ruff

Danish Lutheran bishops, and some clergy in Hamburg and Lubeck too, wear starched white ruffs over the top of their full clerical collars. Up until the 1980s the ruffs were also worn by Lutheran clergy in Norway, reflecting the fact that the two countries had both been in the same monarchy for nearly 450 years.

Answer: Nothing

Digambara sadhu men observe five rules of conduct: Non-violence, Truth, Non-stealing, Chastity and Non-possession. Their rigorous interpretation of the last of these rules means that they possess no clothes and are thus always naked - they are referred to as "sky-clad". They often wear their hair in long, thick dreadlocks, and smear their bodies with ash from the cremation grounds.

There are thought to be about five million sadhus in India; along with literally millions of other pilgrims, most of them would attend the Kumbh Mela, the "Festival of the Sacred Pitcher".

Answer: Dominican

Black Friars are members of the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. The Order has a reputation for its intellectual tradition: it has produced many leading theologians and philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and four Popes. It was also notable for its activities aimed at heretics, for example the Cathars earning the Order the name "the Hounds of the Lord".

Dominicans arrived in England in 1221, establishing priories in a number of places. Their original priory in London was on Shoe Lane in present-day Holborn, but the Order moved to new premises near Ludgate Hill in the south-west corner of the City of London in 1276.

Answer: Minoan (Cretan)

Evidence of religious practices in Minoan culture between about 2500BCE and 1600BCE is hard to find and even harder to interpret. In his pioneering excavations of Knossos, Sir Arthur Evans discovered statues and other images of women wearing layered skirts and tight bodices; he described some as being of a "snake goddess", and others as being of priestesses.

However, this is open to alternative explanations - some authorities think that the few images that survive may all be of minor deities. However, there is good evidence for priestesses in similar attire leading rituals, as had been depicted on a unique stone sarcophagus dating to about 1400BCE.

There was also a cult based around leaping athletes over bulls; this is represented in paintings in Knossos and elsewhere. There's also evidence of priests and priestesses carrying out human sacrifices.

Answer: Types of hat worn mainly by Catholic clergy

Zucchettos, birettas and cappelli romani are types of hats worn by clergy, mainly in the Catholic church. Zucchettos are small, hemispherical skullcaps, very similar to the Jewish kippah or yarmulke; its colour denotes the wearer's office (the Pope wears a white one). Birettas are square caps with three or four peaks or horns, dating back to the early 14th century. Cappelli romani are hats with a wide brim and a rounded crown - they look a bit like the planet Saturn!

Answer: A type of white lambswool collar

The pallium is basically a long, narrow collar. Originally worn only by the Pope, it's now also worn by metropolitan archbishops. It's decorated with six black crosses and secured by three gold stickpins. There are many different opinions concerning its origin, but it dates back to about the 4th century.

It's made of white lambswool; the lambs are raised by Trappist monks and the wool is woven by Benedictine nuns at the 5th century church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome. There's a wonderful portrait mosaic in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, depicting of Apollinaris of Ravenna wearing a pallium.

Answer: True

"Temple garments", as they are called, is a type of underwear worn by adherents of the LDS movement and by some Mormon fundamentalists after they have taken part in the endowment ceremony - in effect, becoming full members of the Church.

The garments follow a design from the 1840s; they can be one- or two-piece. They are always white, and are embroidered or screen-printed with a number of sacred symbols. Old or worn garments are not thrown away or recycled, and the sacred symbols are removed before disposal.

The garments have a prominent place within LDS theology; former Church President Joseph F. Smith said that they were to be held as "the most sacred of all things in the world, next to their own virtue, next to their own purity of life".
Garment wearers believe that they provide spiritual protection and encourage them to keep their covenants.

Answer: Aztec

Aztec priests wore a sleeveless jacket or waistcoat called a xicolli. More striking, however, is that when hundreds of people were sacrificed during the yearly festival of the rain god Tlacaxipehualiztli, the priests wore their flayed skins for a period of 20 days. Aztec priests never washed; their clothes were soaked in blood and they wore their hair long, tangled and filthy, possibly symbolic of the underworld. For an alternative view, see the "Horrible Histories" video by The Aztec Priests of "Ain't Staying Alive"!

There are no records of any members of the clergies in the incorrect answer options sacrificing people.