Lesser Known Holidays Trivia Quiz

Answer: January 6

Little Christmas falls on January 6. It is also known as Feast of the Epiphany and Three Kings Day. It celebrates the day that three wise men went to visit the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem, Israel. They brought him three gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh). There are some areas (especially Latin America) where gifts are exchanged on Little Christmas.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington

Both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were born in the month of February. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, while George Washington was born February 22. Rather than celebrate a national holiday on both days individually, the United States decided to dedicate the third Monday of February as Presidents' Day.

Answer: St. Joseph's Day

St. Patrick's Day honors St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) and is held every year on March 17. On March 19, it is St. Joseph's Day. In Christianity, St. Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus Christ. The holiday is celebrated in Europe in some predominantly Christian nations such as Spain and Italy. It is observed in a similar fashion to Father's Day in the United States.

Answer: Arbor Day

Arbor Day in the United States was first observed in 1872. It was eventually adopted as a national holiday in the 1920's and is held annually on the last Friday in April. It is tradition for people to plant at least one tree on Arbor Day. Arbor Day is celebrated on different dates in other parts of the world.

Answer: Mexico's defeat of the French army

On May 5, 1862 the Mexican Army upset the French in the Battle of Puebla. The French had invaded Mexico after the Mexican government failed to settle debts with them. Despite losing the conflict overall to France, Mexicans celebrate their victory in the Battle of Puebla on Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is often confused as being the Independence Day of Mexico. Mexico's Independence Day is actually on September 16.

Answer: Flag Day

The United States adopted its first official flag design on June 14, 1777. Many Americans proudly display their flags on normal days, but even more citizens and business do so on Flag Day. The original flag had only thirteen stars and more stars were added to the flag as more states were added to the nation. The most recent change was done in 1960, after Hawaii was admitted as a state.

Answer: Canada

July 1 is known as Canada Day. On this day in 1867, Canada passed the Constitution Act (aka British North America Act) which united all the British colonies north of the United States into one entity. Unlike the United States, Canada did not fully declare independence from Great Britain. While Canada itself is self governing, it still recognizes the British monarch as its own.

Answer: National Aviation Day

Orville Wright, one of the pioneers of aviation in the United States, was born on August 19, 1871. In 1939, the United States established National Aviation Day which is held annually on August 19. Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur flew their Wright Flyer for the first time in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903, paving the way for aviation in America.

Answer: Grandparents

Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September after Labor Day. A West Virginian woman named Marian McQuade lobbied for her state and ultimately the nation to establish Grandparents Day as an official holiday. Grandparents Day was officially declared a national holiday in 1978.

Answer: Mischief Night

October 30, the night before Halloween, is known as Mischief Night. Many people, mostly children and teenagers, take this opportunity to terrorize the neighborhood. This mostly involves bombing fellow citizens and their properties using eggs, shaving cream and toilet paper. Sometimes things may get a little out of hand with pumpkins getting stolen and destroyed.

Answer: Armistice Day

On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 in the morning, World War I officially came to an end. To honor those who had fallen in the conflict, the date was celebrated as Armistice Day in Europe and the United States. In 1954, the United States changed the holiday to Veterans' Day which honors all veterans both living and deceased. Armistice Day is still observed by several nations in Europe.

Answer: Festivus

Festivus is a fictional holiday that was created in 1966 by Daniel O'Keefe, but came to popular notice through the American television sitcom "Seinfeld". In the show, the holiday was invented by Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller), father of George Costanza (Jason Alexander).

The real life concept of Festivus came from the father of one of "Seinfeld's" writers, who had gotten tired of the increased commercializing of Christmas. The holiday grew in popularity in the early 21st century as more people were looking to celebrate a "Festivus for the rest of us".

Answer: Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is considered the start of the New Year according to the Jewish calendar. It is celebrated for two consecutive days and falls within the months of September and October. The actual date of Rosh Hashanah varies each calendar year. It is more widely observed in areas of the United States with large Jewish populations, such as New York City. Public schools and businesses may be closed in New York and/or in other areas that observe Rosh Hashanah.

Answer: Fat Tuesday

Mardi Gras celebrates Fat Tuesday, the final day before the start of Lent in the Christian religion. Celebrations are held not just in New Orleans, but around the world. It is celebrated as carnivals in Latin American and Caribbean nations, such as Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago.

It is seen as the last day to party before the start of Lent. Following Ash Wedneday, many Christians will often sacrifice something (food, alcohol, etc.) in their lives and remain in a period of self repentance until the end of Lent on Easter Sunday.

Answer: 4th

The 4th of May has been adopted by fans as Star Wars Day, since it is a pun of the phrase "May the force (fourth) be with you". The original "Star Wars" film was released in 1977 and has since grown into a multi-billion dollar franchise. New films continue to be produced now that the Walt Disney Co. purchased the rights to the "Star Wars" franchise. Star Wars Day was first celebrated by a small group of fans on May 4, 2008.

The holiday grew in popularity thanks to social media.