Dancing in the Street Trivia Quiz

Answer: Palio of Siena

First established in the 13th century, when the Tuscan city-state of Siena was at the height of its power and influence, the Palio is much more than a simple horse race. Visceral, thrilling, and often violent, it pits 10 of the city's 17 historic quarters (called "contrade" in Italian) against each other in a no-holds-barred display of medieval-inspired pageantry and daring horsemanship (the jockeys race bareback at breakneck speed) that draws thousands of spectators every year. Though nominally linked to two religious celebrations (the Madonna di Provenzano on 2 July, and the Assumption of the Virgin on 16 August ), this fiercely competitive race brings out the deep-seated rivalries between the "contrade".

The Palio is run in the shell-shaped, sloping Piazza del Campo.

Although the race itself lasts barely over a minute, the whole year in Siena revolves around the Palio, with a lot of partying and feasting preceding and following the event. The name "Palio" (from the Latin "pallium", meaning "cloak") denotes the banner (representing the Virgin Mary, and hand-painted by a different artist every time) that is awarded to the winner.

Unfortunately, the intensity of the race is such that horses' deaths have often occurred, causing vehement reactions on the part of animal rights organizations.

Answer: Holi

The Hindu spring festival of Holi is celebrated in India and Nepal, as well as in all those other parts of the world that host thriving Hindu communities. It lasts a night and a day, and generally falls between the end of February and the middle of March. Known as "the festival of colours", Holi celebrates the victory of good over evil, and allows people to mingle, laugh and play in a spirit of joy and forgiveness. Ritual bonfires are lit in the evening before the main event, Rangwali Holi, a joyful free-for-all in which people use brightly-coloured powders, water guns and water-filled balloons to colour each other in the streets and other open spaces.

As you may expect, there is also singing and dancing, and traditional delicacies and drinks (some of them containing bhang, an edible form of cannabis) are consumed. Later in the day, people clean themselves up and visit friends and family. Traditionally, washable plant-derived pigments are used, though nowadays water-based synthetic dyes have been increasingly replacing natural ones - though they are often responsible for eye or skin irritations.

Answer: Día de los Muertos

Though you might be surprised to find such an event in a quiz about joyful festivals, the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead is a much more upbeat occasion than its name purports. A tradition dating back to Pre-Columbian times, with the advent of Christianity on the American continent the festival came to coincide with the three days of Allhallowtide (31 October - 2 November).

While in other countries the dead are honoured soberly with prayer and cemetery visits, in Mexico people build elaborately decorated altars (called "ofrendas" in Spanish) in cemeteries, in their own homes or even in workplaces and schools, leaving food, drinks and small gifts for the souls of the departed.

These altars form the centrepiece of the celebration, and families gather around them to eat, drink, sing and tell stories about those who have passed away. Sugar skulls and sweet buns decorated with bone-shaped pieces ("pan de muerto") are eaten and shared during the holiday; marigolds are the flowers traditionally associated with the festival. Similar celebrations are held in most Latin American countries, and by Mexican communities worldwide.

In Mexico Día de los Muertos is a national holiday that also features costume parades, mariachi bands and other events that celebrate life and help to view death with a positive attitude.

Answer: Oktoberfest

Though called Oktoberfest, most of this world-famous celebration of beer and jollity takes place during the last two weeks of September. The original Oktoberfest is a folk festival (Volksfest) that has been held in Munich, the capital of the southern German state of Bavaria, since 1810.

The festival is hosted in a large open space south-west of the city centre, named Theresienwiese (Theresa's Field) after Princess Therese, whose wedding to Crown Prince Ludwig I prompted the celebration of the first Oktoberfest. Over 30 wooden tents of varying sizes are set up in the fairground for the many events featured in the festival.

Besides the plentiful consumption of beer and hearty, traditional Bavarian fare such as sausages, roast meats and potato-based dishes, visitors can enjoy a wide range of fairground attractions, as well as concerts and costume parades.

It is estimated that over 6 million people a year have attended Oktoberfest in recent times. Other Oktoberfest celebrations are held around the world, many of them founded by German immigrants: the largest of these is a nine-day festival organized in Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in the month of October.

Answer: Chinese New Year

Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year usually begins at the new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February. It is celebrated not only in mainland China, but in every country (both in Asia and outside it) that hosts a sizable Chinese community, and is observed as a public holiday. Preparations for the holiday begin well in advance, and involve a bout of thorough housecleaning (which sweeps bad luck away), buying new clothes (often red, the colour associated with the New Year and other joyful occasions), and paying homage to ancestors and deities. On the Chinese New Year's Eve, families gather together for a special meal called Reunion Dinner, in which foods are served that will bring good luck. On the following days, many different ceremonies and events take place - the best-known of which are the lion and dragon dances (meant to chase away evil spirits) and the Lantern Festival at the end of the 15-day period, which in some countries has been transformed into an equivalent of the Western Valentine's Day. During this holiday, red packets containing gifts of money are given by older people to members of the younger generations; other kinds of gifts are also exchanged, as happens in the West at Christmas. Fireworks (a Chinese invention) are also an integral part of the New Year festivities, though in recent years the use of firecrackers has been banned or severely restricted in many parts of China and other countries because of repeated incidents.

Answer: Notting Hill Carnival

Famous for its Portobello Road Market (as well as the movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts), Notting Hill is part of the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and home to a large community of West Indian descent. Even if the massive Carnival that takes place on the last weekend of August (Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday) has a much more recent origin than most of the events mentioned in this quiz - having been established in 1966 as a response to racial conflicts - it has become one of the world's largest street festivals, attracting over a million visitors a year. Though the Notting Hill Carnival is not part of the traditional Carnival season that precedes Lent, it does obviously share many of the features of the famous festivals that are held in that period, such as extravagant costumes and floats and plenty of sensational dancing, accompanied by the ever-present beat of steel drums.

In the past, the Carnival has been marred by rioting, but has stayed relatively trouble-free in more recent years. About 50,000 performers take part in the event every year, which showcases London's cultural and ethnic diversity.

Answer: Running of the Bulls

The Running of the Bulls ("encierro" in Spanish, meaning "corral, enclosure") takes place every year on 6-14 July, on the occasion of the feast of San Fermín, the patron saint of the Spanish city of Pamplona, the capital of the historic region of Navarre. Though the festival also offers a number of other attractions, its fame rests on this thrilling event, whose history goes back to the late 16th century.

A set of double wooden fences is set up in the centre of the city to direct the bulls along the route; spectators are only allowed to stand behind the second fence, for obvious safety reasons.

The bull runs take place every day at 8 a.m. Before the start, the runners (dressed in white with a red sash and neck kerchief) ask for San Fermín's protection; then two rockets are fired to signal that the bulls have been released, charging behind the runners.

After 825 metres (2707 ft), the race ends at a bullring, where the bulls (sadly, from the point of view of animal lovers such as I am) will fight in the evening.

The race lasts about 3 minutes. Participation is open to everyone, and is free: however, the Running of the Bulls is not for the faint of heart, and requires a lot of stamina and physical fitness. Every year between 200 to 300 people are injured (though in most cases not seriously), and 15 people have died since 1925. This event was brought to the attention of English-speaking people by Ernest Hemingway, who wrote about it in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises".

Answer: Songkran

Named after a Sanskrit word meaning "transformation", Songkran is the Thai New Year's festival, and Thailand's longest public holiday. Like its counterparts in other corners of the world, it is a joyful, rambunctious occasion. As the Thai New Year falls on 13 April , it also marks the arrival of spring and the end of the dry season. Songkran begins somewhat sedately, with people visiting temples, offering food to Buddhist monks, and honouring their elders. Water, a symbol of purification, is the key element of this festival. Scented water is poured over Buddha statues, and on the hands of elderly people as a gesture of respect.

Then Songkran turns into a much livelier affair, especially for the younger generations: the major city streets are closed to traffic to allow people to splash each other with water, using everything from bottles and water balloons to garden hoses, giant buckets, and even elephants. With temperatures that can reach 40ºC (104º F), getting doused with cold water will feel like heaven!

Answer: Carnival of Venice

In Catholic countries, Carnival falls between the end of the Christmas period and the beginning of Lent (February-early March, depending on the year). Though the Rio de Janeiro Carnaval and the New Orleans Mardi Gras are probably the most famous celebrations of this very distinctive event, the Carnival of Venice is undoubtedly the oldest.

In fact, its origins can be traced back to the 13th century (or even earlier), though the festival gained official status in the Renaissance. Like the Roman Saturnalia (from which Carnival is said to descend), Carnival in Venice was a time when everything was allowed, and the rigid divisions between the common people and the privileged aristocracy were eliminated. By wearing masks, people were able to conceal their identity, and indulge in all kinds of license.

The Carnival of Venice reached its zenith in the 18th century; however, when in 1797 the Republic of Venice fell to Napoleon, the tradition came to an end, as the authorities wanted to prevent riots.

It was revived almost 200 years later, in 1979, and is now one of Europe's biggest tourist draws, offering a wide range of cultural events and lavish parties in a period of 11 days - culminating with Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday). As in the past, the symbol of the Venice Carnival are the masks, which can be found for sale everywhere in the city. The high-quality ones, made of leather, porcelain or glass, and painted and decorated by hand by Italian craftspeople, can be quite expensive; the cheaper ones are usually made outside the country.

Answer: Hogmanay

Hogmanay (etymology still obscure), the Scots word for the last day of the year, has become synonymous with the lavish New Year celebrations that take place in the biggest Scottish cities. The holiday, probably rooted in Norse winter solstice rituals, involves many different customs according to the area of Scotland. Edinburgh's Hogmanay, by far the best known at an international level, is considered one of the world's largest New Year parties, although in recent years access has been restricted out of security concerns.

The celebrations can last up to four or five days, and include the obligatory midnight fireworks, as well as processions, concerts and folk dancing; the largest of the street parties takes place along Princes Street, the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh's New Town.