Common Bond Quiz Eight

Answer: Christmas

Saturnalia, called "the best of days" by the poet Catullus, was an ancient Roman festival honouring the god Saturn, which was held from 17th -23rd December. Festivities involved the giving of gifts, large banquets and much partying. The date for Christmas was decided upon by Pope Julius I, probably in order to to create a Christian alternative to the pagan festival, and as more people converted to Christianity, they brought their pagan practices associated with Saturnalia with them.

Answer: Horse

All are animals from classic Russian literature. Behemoth, a huge, vodka drinking, demonic black cat is featured in "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. Kashtanka is taken from the novel of the same name by Anton Chekhov and is the name of the dog which takes the place of Ivan Ivanovich at the base of the Egyptian Pyramid before being reunited with her original owners. And Frou Frou from "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, is Vronsky's much loved horse who ends up with a broken back after he misjudges a jump.

Answer: Robben

Robben has also won the FA Cup in England, Supercopa in Spain and the German Supercup as well as being a member of the Bayern team that won the UEFA Champions League in 2013, beating fellow German team Borussia Dortmund in the final. He also played in the 2010 World Cup final, in which Netherlands were beaten 1-0 by Spain.

Although he usually plays as a right winger, he possesses an uncanny ability to switch to left wing during a match, making him very hard for opponents to mark.

Answer: Sable

The majority of sable fur is now commercially farmed although sable hunting is still carried out by licensed professional hunters in Russia, with the season being from October to February. As the fur doesn't feel rough when stroked opposite the grain like other furs, it is highly prized and therefore highly expensive. Due to this expense, it is normally only used by manufacturers as decoration, for example on collars or cuffs rather than being made into a complete garment.

Answer: Banks

Wells Fargo is an American bank, founded in New York in 1852, Barclays is British and has been around since 1690, Santander is Spanish, founded in the city of Santander in 1857 and Westpac was founded in 1817 as The Bank of New South Wales in Australia, becoming Westpac when they merged with Commercial Bank of Australia in 1982. Coutts is the bank of the wealthy in UK, and counts the British royal family among its clients.

Answer: Easter

All are traditional Easter fare and although I have only had hot cross buns, all sound delicious. Capirotada is a bread pudding containing raisins and walnuts, mämmi is baked rye flour and Seville orange zest which is then cooled for four days before being ready to eat and flaounes are Halloumi cheese filled pastries, topped with sesame seeds, which are also eaten at Suhoor and Iftar (before dawn and after sunset) by many Muslim Turkish Cypriots during Ramadan.

Answer: Hamilton

Hamilton, Bermuda is one of the world's smallest capital cities by population as it is limited to 1,010, although over 13,000 people work in the city. It is home to many financial and insurance companies as well as housing the headquarters of spirits manufacturer Bacardi.

Lewis Hamilton started his F1 career in 2007 with McLaren where he finished third on his debut before going on to win his first world championship the following year, becoming the youngest ever F1 world champion. He moved to Mercedes in 2013 and has won three titles with the team.

Answer: Ellis

According to the legend, William Webb Ellis was playing football in 1823, when he caught the ball, which was allowed at the time, before running with it, which was not allowed. Scholars have not been able to find any evidence substantiating the tale, but it is now firmly entrenched in the sport's history and the William Webb Ellis trophy is presented to the winners of rugby's world cup.

Answer: Sully

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was captain of the flight that struck a flight of birds shortly after take off from LaGuardia Airport, New York, the resulting damage leading him to ditch the plane in the Hudson River without any casualties among the 155 passengers and crew.

The film chronicles his subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and is based on Sullenberger's book, "Highest Duty".

Answer: Islands

Christmas Island is an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, most of which is a nature reserve, as is Horse Island off the coast of Scotland. Robben Island was where Nelson Mandela and Kgalema Motlanthe were imprisoned during the apartheid days of South Africa and Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada is famous for being uninhabited but home to a large population of wild horses, originating from ships wrecked on the coastline. Banks Island is also Canadian, being one of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and home to over 65,000 muskoxen, which is the majority of the world's population. Easter Island is of course the Chilean island famous for being the home of the "moai" or large stone statues and Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland is home to the famous Hamilton Island Race Week sailing event. Ellis Island in New York Bay was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the U.S. between 1892 and 1954 and Sully Island off the coast of Wales has a long history of piracy and smuggling.