Let the Festivities End! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Puritans

In 1647, the Protestant Puritan-dominated English Parliament banned the traditional Christmas festivities as they were considered both pagan (feasting, carolling, decorations) and redolent of Catholicism (nativity scenes were regarded as idol worship). The often drunken revelry of wassailing - the practice of going from house to house drinking a lucky toast of hot spiced wine (wassail) in exchange for treats - was particularly discouraged.

Jollity returned in 1660 with the Restoration of the monarchy - Charles II was notoriously very much a party animal!

Answer: Franco and Mussolini

In the late 1930s the Spanish Head of State, Generalisimo Francisco Franco, banned Carnival celebration in Spain on the advice of the Catholic Church and because he considered it a front for insurrection and other criminal activities. During the 1960s areas remote from Madrid (such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands) began to reinstate their Carnivals, with the authorities turning a blind eye if crime rates remained low. After Franco's death in 1975, the ban was lifted.

The Italian fascist Head of Government, Benito Mussolini, effectively banned the centuries-old Venice Carnival in the 1930s with a prohibition on wearing masks in public (in the interests of national security and crime reduction). After WW2 interest in the Carnival gradually increased and it was reinstated in 1979. It is now arguably primarily a commercial event, with parades, glittering costumes and masked balls - a far cry from the old tradition of mask-wearing that allowed Venetians to be "someone else" for a few days.

Carnival is a tradition in Catholic countries - a last jolly fling before the self-denial of Lent - but has spread to many other cultures globally.

The other three choices are retailers of various things that may well help festivities go with a swing - they are purveyors of luxury fashion items (Dolce and Gabbana), ice cream (Ben and Jerry) and, among other things, superior groceries (Fortnum and Mason).

Answer: fireworks

As a child in England in the 1960s I well remember Bonfire Night (November 5th), with Dad nailing the Catherine Wheels to the gatepost, putting Skyrockets in milk bottles sunk into the ground, and setting up rows of Roman Candles and Vesuvius Volcanoes. "Light the blue touchpaper and retire to a safe distance" was the standard instruction on each firework - and that is exactly what we did.

Fireworks were and are an integral part of many national festivities - Chinese New Year, Independence Day (in many countries, not just the United States), Guy Fawkes and Bastille Day to name only a few. But as time has progressed and legislative bodies have become more safety and security conscious, restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks have been introduced in many countries.

Examples are age restrictions for the sale of fireworks to the general public, a ban on private (domestic) firework displays, or total restriction of use to well-marshalled municipal displays only.

Answer: unemployment

Why? Supposedly because his birthday fell on City Day in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. According to an article in The Moscow Times, Kadyrov said, "We must do everything to ensure that every resident of the republic and hundreds of guests from many Russian regions and foreign states will enjoy the [City Day] holiday." That didn't stop his own lavish and expensive birthday party going ahead though! The international press has criticised the mercurial Kadyrov for his lavish lifestyle, as well as alleged human rights violations and corruption.

The tradition of gift-giving on birthdays is ancient but by no means universal. In some cultures it is traditional for the birthday boy or girl to give gifts; in many others, they receive gifts.

The origin of the birthday party is unclear, but is thought to be European - friends and relatives would gather with good wishes on a person's birthday to protect them from the evil spirits that might otherwise seek to harm them on their special day. Some religions, such as conservative Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses, do not condone the celebration of birthdays - regarding them as essentially pagan and superstitious.

Answer: Valentine's Day

In 2010 and 2011, both Valentine's Day and Halloween festivities were banned in Belgorod, a small city in south-western Russia. They were deemed to be bad for the soul, not in the Russian tradition, and an excuse for consumerism and raucous behaviour. Belgorod has also banned heavy metal concerts and has fines for cursing on the streets.

In a press interview, Father Vsevolod Chaplin, a prominent church official, said, "In Russian tradition, love is inseparable from family and faithfulness. That's why church and state officials have been promoting the celebration of a different holiday. Since 2008, July 8 has been dubbed "The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity."

Answer: Hogmanay

In 1583 the Scottish Presbyterian Church ruled that there was no biblical foundation to support the celebration of Christmas with festivities, so it remained a working day for the Scots until 1958 when it was finally declared a public holiday - hence the Scottish emphasis on the New Year celebration of Hogmanay.

Ceilidhs and hootenannys are musical events that may be included in Hogmanay celebrations, as is the consumption of uisquebaugh (whisky).

Answer: fly a kite

Kite-flying is a traditional part of the festivities during Basant, the spring festival, which takes place in January or February each year. The growing number of injuries and fatalities due to fighting kites with metal or glass-coated lines, as well as from kite-flyers falling from flat rooftops, led the Pakistan government to impose a kite-flying ban in 2005.

Opinion is divided on the necessity for a complete ban. The authorities maintain that the kite fighting was dangerous and out of hand; supporters of kite-flying maintain that, with proper supervision, the sport is not dangerous.

Answer: the games were pagan

In the time of Theodosius I, Greece was part of the Roman Empire. Theodosius was a Christian, and instigated a scheme to make Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, resulting in the suppression of pagan festivals such as the ancient Olympic Games. There is some argument about whether Theodosius I (in 393 AD), or his grandson Theodosius II (in 435 AD) was responsible for the scheme, but the earlier date is usually accepted as correct.

The ancient Olympic Games were held to honour Zeus, the chief Olympian god. During the Games there was a military truce so that athletes and spectators from warring city-states could travel safely. Occasionally a city would tempt an outstanding athlete from another region to register as their citizen - a situation still found in modern sporting events!

Answer: steel pan

Canboulay was developed in Trinidad as a separate festivity by plantation slaves, who were forbidden to take part in the Carnival celebrations of the plantation owners. They carried burning sugar canes ("cannes brulées") in procession, wore masks, engaged in stick fighting, and danced in an uninhibited fashion. Violence was frequent and various restrictions were imposed over the years by the authorities. Inevitably, this lead to a build-up of frustrations, erupting in the riots of 1881.

Over the years following the riots, bottles and spoons and bamboo sticks were used as musical instruments. They were also banned. Eventually, in the 1930s, frying pans, dustbin lids and oil drums were being used to create music for the Canboulay - and the steel pan (or steel drum) now associated with Caribbean calypso music evolved from these.

Answer: La Tomatina

Popular belief has it that, in 1945 at a parade in the Spanish town of Buñol, some unruly youths caused a disturbance by pelting each other with tomatoes grabbed from a street stall. Despite police intervention, the practice caught on, but was banned sporadically. Now highly organised and regulated, various events take place at La Tomatina, but the main event is an hour-long orgy of tomato throwing. There are rules - such as, tomatoes must be squashed before throwing (to minimise the risk of injury).

La Tomatina has spread to other countries - Chile, Colombia and the United States, to name a few - but in the cities of Bangalore and Mysore in the Indian state of Karnatka the festival has been banned. The Chief Minister was quoted as saying: "In the name of 'La Tomatina' festival, permission should not be granted to waste tomatoes".