A British August Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edinburgh

The Edinburgh International Festival was established in 1947, and has since expanded to include many forms of entertainment. The original core events included theatre, opera, music and dance, with the emphasis on mainstream events. As a result, the Edinburgh Fringe was formed, also in 1947, to give an outlet for less established acts and has gone on to establish itself as equally popular, particularly in the field of comedy.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has formed part of the wider festival since 1950, with performances of military bands held at Edinburgh Castle. The festival now also includes many independently organised events including jazz performances, art and book festivals under the umbrella organisation of the Edinburgh Festival.

Answer: Swift-Tuttle

Named after the Perseus constellation, the show starts towards the end of July. It reaches its peak around mid August, before finishing around the third week of August. This information applies only in the northern hemisphere, as the southern hemisphere sees much less of the showers, although they are visible when at their maximum. The meteors were first recorded by the Chinese in 36 AD, and were first identified as an annual event by the Belgian Adolphe Quetélet in 1835.

More details can be found on www.meteorshowersonline.com, from where I have gleaned much of this information.

Answer: Notting Hill

The Notting Hill carnival was begun by the Afro-Caribbean community in 1959 as an indoor event. It transferred outside in 1966 and has grown to be one of the largest street carnivals in the world. The event lasts for three days, and culminates with a procession featuring flamboyant costumes.

The event has not been without controversy, and has seen murders and riots over the years. Hugh Grant has no official involvement with it, but did appear in the 1999 film called 'Notting Hill', set in the area, with Julia Roberts as his co-star.

Answer: India

The post war period saw many British colonies being 'granted' independence by the so called 'mother country'. A non violent campaign, led by the Indian National Congress and Mohandas Gandhi had convinced the British government that India should become independent. The Second World War had only just finished, and Britain had no money or inclination to continue its occupation of the region. The country was divided on religious grounds between the predominantly Hindu area of India, and the Muslim region of Pakistan.

India celebrates its independence day on 15 August, while Pakistan's is 14 August, as the British handed over power a day earlier, so Lord Mountbatten, the Viceroy of India, could be present at both the Pakistani and Indian ceremonies.

Answer: Australia

Test cricket is one of those games that is difficult to explain, since it can last for five days and still end without either side being victorious. For true afficianados, a draw can sometimes be more exciting than a one sided victory. Test cricket between England and Australia began in 1882 and remains one of the most fiercely fought sports battles between the two countries.

The name of 'The Ashes' came after England lost their first match at home to the tourists, with a newspaper publishing an obituary. English cricket was described as having died, with the comment that 'the body will be cremated, and the ashes taken to Australia'.

The idea took hold, and the winners of each series are said to have won 'The Ashes'.

Answer: Princess Anne

Anne was the second child to be born to the Duke of Edinburgh and the future queen. Her older brother, Charles, was born on 14 November 1948 making him first in line to the throne. Princess Anne has always portrayed herself as a practical, down to earth, woman, and refused to allow her children to be given titles, even though they are the grandchildren of a reigning monarch. Princess Anne was created the Princess Royal in 1987. As well as her Royal duties, Anne proved herself an able horse rider and rode in the three day event at the 1976 Olympic Games, held in Montreal. Her daughter, Zara Phillips (now Tindall) followed in her hoofprints by competing at the London Olympics of 2012.

Princes Andrew and Edward were born to the Queen after her accession, in 1960 and 1964 respectively.

Answer: Grouse

The date is not so glorious for the red grouse, who are the target of organised shooting parties beginning on that date. The season for grouse shooting lasts until 10 December, so is a (relatively) limited period. In Northern Ireland, it finishes earlier, on 30 November. The pheasant season lasts from 1 October until 1 February and the partridge season from 1 September until 1 February, with both finishing one day earlier in Northern Ireland. It is illegal to shoot these game birds at any other time - the close seasons were brought in to give the bird population a chance to recover.

Wood pigeons can be shot at any time and have no legal protection.

Information taken from ruralsports.co.uk

Answer: Scotland

The public holiday at the beginning of August was brought in by an Act of Parliament - the Bank Holidays Act of 1871. This formally introduced the public holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Boxing Day, as well as the August date. Good Friday and Christmas Day were already accepted as holidays, so were not included. For Scotland, the dates were different with New Year's Day replacing Boxing Day, as Hogmanay (New Year) was a more important date in Scotland.

In 2013, England and Wales had fewer public holidays, with eight, than either Scotland, which has nine, or Northern Ireland's ten.

Answer: Eisteddfod

It is the National Eisteddfod which is held in August, with ceremonies to honour the best works of poetry and literature. The first modern Eisteddfod was held in 1861, in Aberdare. The highlight of event is the Gorsedd of the Bards, with links to druidism and its symbolism. Gorsedd means 'throne' in English, and three awards are given - the crowning of the bard, for the best poem, the award of a medal for the best work of prose and the chairing of the bard for the best long poem.

More information can be found at eisteddfod.org.uk.

Ffestiniog is the name of an area in Gwynedd and noson lawen is the Welsh equivalent of the Irish ceilidh. Taliesin is the name of an early Welsh language poet.

Answer: Leeds

Of the two sites, Reading has the longer history having evolved from a jazz festival begun in the 1960s. Among the early bands to appear were the Rolling Stones, who performed in both 1963 and 1964. The Reading festival has been an annual event, apart from 1984 and 1985 when the Council refused to license the festival. Leeds was added as a second venue in 1999 as Reading could no longer accommodate the large numbers of visitors. All the acts play at both venues, on different days.

The festival has attracted many top names over the years, with Nirvana appearing in 1992 and Kings of Leon in 2009 to mention just a couple.