We Are The World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Australia Day

Initially celebrated as the anniversary of the British settlement of Australia the National Australia Day Council now promotes the day as "One Nation, One Day" as a way of uniting all Australians through celebration.
All states enjoy a public holiday and a range of events are conducted right across the country. These include citizenship ceremonies, recognition of the achievements of individuals and groups within the community, concerts and fireworks. Recent times have seen the introduction of an "Australia Day Dawn" to provide "a moment of reflection before celebration". In my home city of Bunbury the day commences with a charity fund raising fun run followed by the 'Big Breakfast' during which new citizens are recognised and we witness the presentation of the Lord Mayor's awards. The day ends with a free concert, side shows and a spectacular fireworks show.
Debate, however, still continues within the community and, in particular, the Aboriginal Australians who suffer a sense of exclusion, about the date of the event and the emphasis of raising the Australian flag. The 26th of January and the flag, which bears the Union Jack (British flag) are seen as symbols of the beginning of British occupation of Australia. As such they also stand as stones on the path toward true reconciliation.
Question and information supplied by pollucci19.

Answer: Kathmandu, Nepal

Of the three locations, only the Chingay held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia has religious significance. It is held on the twenty-first day of the first lunar month in honour of five Chinese deities worshipped by five Chinese ethnic groups in Johor Bahru. The Chingay in Penang, Malaysia started out with religious significance but today it has become more of a cultural performance to promote tourism in Penang. In Singapore, the Chingay is held in February, usually during a weekend, and it showcases both local and foreign cultures. The Chingay parades in Johor Bahru and Penang date as far back as the late-1800s while the Chingay in Singapore began in the 1970s.

My family used to go and see the Chingay parade in Johor Bahru when I was young. We would bring along tidbits and go in the early evening to one of the places the parade passes by to get a good vantage point. There were no seats so people either stood with their children on their shoulders or brought their own seats along.

Question and information supplied by purelyqing.

Answer: During their New Year celebrations

"Nianhua" is a Chinese term that translates into "New Year Print". They are Chinese folk art that symbolise good fortune. Common themes used for "nianhua" include animals such as fish or birds. Deities such as the God of Fortune are also popular. These prints are pasted on walls and doors and are changed once a year to help usher in the Lunar New Year.

Being of Chinese ethnicity, it is always fun to look at the new "nianhua" designs each Lunar New Year. Shops start selling "nianhua" up to a month or two before the Lunar New Year.

Question and information supplied by purelyqing.

Answer: Baba Marta - meaning "Grandmother March"

Each March the First, Bulgarians celebrate the return of spring by wearing, and giving to family and friends, small red and white tassels called, "Martinitza". These symbolize good luck, especially with the return of warm weather birds. They are worn on the wrists or tied on the branches of fruit-bearing trees to ward away illnesses and ensure good crops.

Tarator and snezhanka are two of my wife's favorite Bulgarian dishes, both made with yogurt. Antova was the surname of our wonderful language teacher, who treated everyone with warmth and was an excellent ambassador for her country and culture. I would not trade the four years we spent in Sofia as missionaries for anything.
Question and information supplied by CardsRule.

Answer: The Orange Festival

The festival was first observed in 1885. At the time of this writing King Willem-Alexander is on the throne and the date for the festival is the 27th of April each year. That is, unless that day falls on a Sunday, in which case it is celebrated the day before. This is in line with the King's date of birth. However, the date of birth does not seem to be the ruling (pun not intended) factor here as, prior to his ascension, his mother Queen Beatrix was on the throne. Her Queen's Day was celebrated on April 30 (29th if the 30th was a Sunday) each year, despite her date of birth being 31 January.

The monarch marks the occasion by visiting two (different) towns each year. The country conducts a nationwide vrijmarkt (flea market) and its, normally straight-laced, citizens are overcome by a condition known as "orange madness". They will dye their hair orange, wear orange coloured clothing and imbibe in drinks of a similar hue. The wearing of this shade is a mark of respect to honour the House of Orange-Nassau, which rules over the kingdom. As one Orange Committee member was heard to say in 2011 "For one day, everybody is the same in Holland - bright orange and balmy".

Question and information supplied by pollucci19 whose in-laws are of Dutch extraction.

Answer: The Battle of Boyne

The Battle of Boyne actually occurred on July 11, 1690 when the forces of Dutch Protestant King William of Orange defeated the forces of Catholic King James II of England and Ireland (James VII of Scotland). The battle's roots can be traced back to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when King William invaded England and was welcomed by Parliamentarians. James fled to Continental Europe. This marked the end of the rule of the House of Stuart in England and began the more parliamentarian rule of the House of Hanover. In 1689, James tried to reclaim his lost crowns by landing in Ireland but was defeated at the Battle of Boyne the following year.

The Orange Order is Northern Ireland's largest Protestant organization and was founded almost 100 years after the Protestant victory at the Battle of the Diamond in 1795. The Order celebrates the Twelfth of every July to commemorate that victory. During the Troubles, the date was used by Unionists to march through Catholic neighbourhoods. In recent times, the more partisan side of the celebrations have been toned down in an attempt to make the celebrations more tourism friendly and to recall to the times before the Troubles when it was commemorated by both Protestant and Catholics.

My great grandfather was an Irish cop in Chicago back during prohibition and the days of Al Capone. We trace our family roots to Northern Ireland and the Protestant traditions.

Question and information supplied by tazman6619.

Answer: Silver Antlers

The Great Steamboat Race, which began in 1963, is normally conducted the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby. It draws large crowds, both observers on shore and passengers who pack the decks of the ships. For a number of years, the event was a match race between two of the remaining six (authentic) river steamboats, the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen. From the beginning, the prize for the winning boat was a pair of gilded antlers. However, when the Delta Queen was retired from active service in 2008, she was replaced by the Belle of Cincinnati and a new prize, the silver antlers, was established. In truth, they are actually elk antlers that have been spray-painted with silver paint. The race has a long history of creative cheating, including assistance from other boats, unequal courses, and various enhancements to the steamboats. Accordingly the garish prizes are seen to be fully within the spirit of the race.

The Garland of Roses is the prize placed on the back of the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby. To the best of my knowledge, the other two awards do not exist. I went to school at the University of Louisville and got to see how the city embraces the Derby Festival events.
Question and information supplied CardsRule.

Answer: Hopi

The Hopi tribe exists only in Arizona, while the Navajo and Apache dwell both inside and outside of Arizona. The Sioux are a Plains tribe. Kachinas are the spirit beings of the Pueblo cultures of the Southwestern US, among which are the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo. Kachina Dolls come from the Hopi tribe and grew out of the religious ceremonies celebrated each year starting in about 1850. There are four generally accepted forms of the Kachina Doll:
1) Putsqatihu - for infants
2) Putstihu taywa'yla - for toddlers
3) Muringputihu - for infant girls
4) Tithu - for girls two and up.
The dolls are tradionally made from the root of the cottonwood tree and the best craftsmen carve them from one single piece. The shape of the wood influences how the doll will be carved.

Living in Arizona I am surrounded by many Native American tribes. The Hopi are one of the most unique and I have visited Oraibi on the Hopi Reservation. Oraibi is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States.

Question and information supplied by tazman6619.

Answer: Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell was a painter famously known for his illustrations of Americana featured on the covers of the "Saturday Evening Post". Many of these pictures featured local citizens of Stockbridge where Rockwell lived for many years, up till his passing. The Rockwell Museum, in that town, allows people to walk through his actual work studio.
Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer for her novel "The Age of Innocence", wrote her first novel, "The House of Mirth", at her summer home in Lenox (a home she also designed). Herman Melville, who spent many years on whaling boats in his youth, was inspired to write "Moby Dick" when he sat on his porch at Arrowhead in Pittsfield and looked at the mountains nearby. The shape of the peaks when covered with snow reminded him of a giant whale. Hawthorne was a friend and neighbor to Melville for a while in the Berkshires and it was here he wrote "The House of Seven Gables". Though his home in Lenox is not a tourist attraction, the actual House of Seven Gables in Salem, MA is.

We enjoyed visiting these places so much as tourists that we decided to move here. The Berkshires offer something for all seasons.
Question and information supplied by TAKROM.

Answer: CowParade

The CowParade is a public art exhibition that has appeared in over 50 cities around the world. The fibre glass cows are painted by local artists or other people including celebrities and they are sold after the exhibition to benefit charities. My home city, Manchester, played host to the cows in 2004 and the monies raised from the bovine auction went to support a number of children's charities.

The number of cows per event depends on the city. Auckland, for example, had 32 cows while New York City had 450.

Some famous owners of the cows include Oprah Winfrey, Elton John and Ringo Starr. The success of the CowParade has inspired similar events in other cities using different animals or themes. Question and information supplied by zonko.