Not Another Holiday Quiz

Answer: Basque

The Basque Country is a region in the Pyrenees mountains, near the northwest end of the range, extending into Spain and France, and bordering the Bay of Biscay. The English term used to name the group of people resident there comes from the French term, 'Basques'; the Spanish refer to them as 'Vascos', and they themselves use the term 'Euskaldunak'. Basque is not an Indo-European language (a group which includes not only Spanish and French, but most of the other widely-spoken languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the Indian subcontinent), and is called a language isolate, meaning that it is linguistically unrelated to the other languages spoken in its region.

The celebration of the Basque language is part of the struggle to avoid cultural and political annihilation, and is symbolic of the people's struggle for increased autonomy.

Answer: Volunteers

International Volunteer Day is intended to acknowledge the immense contributions made around the world by people who volunteer their time for the common good. Here in Australia, at the start of the summer bushfire season, the volunteers who work for the country fire authorities and for the various state emergency services receive particular attention. Organisations such as the Red Cross, scouts and pony clubs also support the day's observance.

Answer: Anti-Corruption Day

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption, passed on October 31, 2003, states the need to raise public awareness of the extent of corruption in societies around the world, and the dangers it poses to the establishment of stable and peaceful societies.

In 2011, a UN campaign called "Your No Counts", planned to run over a two-year period, was launched on December 9, calling on everyone to publicize and fight corrupt practices of which they become aware, and make themselves part of an international push rather than just a local protest.

Answer: Feast of Masa'il (Questions)

The Baha'i calendar has 19 months of 19 days each. The first day of each month is a feast day to celebrate and reflect on one of the aspects of God, and the fifteenth month, which starts on December 12, is the Feast of Questions. The calendar starts on March 21, with the celebration of Baha, or Splendour; the subsequent feasts are called Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion and Loftiness. Each feast is celebrated starting at sunset on the preceding date.

The other three feasts are all celebrated on the basis of a lunar calendar, so have varying dates on the Gregorian calendar. Diwali is celebrated somewhere between October and December by Hindus, as well as some other religions. Sukkot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles, is a Jewish holiday celebrated in late September to October. Eid ul-Fitr is an Islamic celebration of the end of the month-long fasting required for Ramadan. Since Ramadan is not pegged to any particular lunar event, the time when it starts moves steadily backwards in the Gregorian calendar; in fact, if it starts in the first few days of January, there would be a second Ramadan started before the end of the same Gregorian year, starting in December.

Answer: Monkey Day

One day in 2000, Casey Sorrow made a note on a friend's wall calendar that December 14 was Monkey Day, and the joke just took off. Celebrations started in Lansing, Michigan, especially among students of Michigan State University, but became an international event after being publicized online in the comic strip 'Fetus-X' published by Sorrow and Erik Milliken. Celebrants often have costume parties with monkey-related activities. Lots of fun, monkey business if you will, is had, but there is also a serious aspect to the day, as it attempts to raise awareness of such monkey-related issues as animal testing.

Answer: Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, introduced to Congress by James Madison, were designed to protect the rights of individuals from encroachment by the government. Originally, they only applied to white male land owners; subsequent amendments (and decisions from the Supreme Court) have extended them to apply all US citizens. Madison actually submitted twelve proposed amendments, all of which were approved by Congress, but the first two were not ratified by the states. Article I, dealing with making sure that each state had a fair number of representatives, was only ratified by 11 states (one fewer than was then needed); since it has not been actually rejected by any state other than Delaware, it could still technically be ratified if a further 27 states were to ratify it. Article II dealt with payment for members of Congress, and was finally ratified in 1992, when it became the 27th Amendment.

Television and movies have made people around the world familiar with the provisions of a number of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights - in fact, many people believe they are universal rights, and are surprised to find that there is no such right in many countries.

Answer: Saturnalia

Saturnalia was originally celebrated on December 17, commemorating the date of the dedication of the Temple of Saturn in 497 BCE. Over time, it expanded to run for the best part of a week, and incorporated a range of activities intended to celebrate the golden age of mankind over which Saturn had ruled. Public religious celebrations included sacrifices and feasts, at which slaves participated equally with their masters (although the meal would first have been prepared by the slaves). Traditionally, role-reversal meant that Citizens wore clothing signaling the status of slave or freedman, and slaves were free to act disrespectfully towards their masters with no fear or punishment. Private feasts followed the public banquets, the exchange of gifts, often with cards, was common, and people greeted each other with "Io, Saturnalia" when they met.

This is reminding me of something, just can't put my finger on it.

Answer: International Migrants Day

On December 4, 2000 the UN decreed that December 18 would be deemed International Migrants Day, acknowledging the difficulties faced by the large, and growing, number of migrants in the world. The date was chosen because the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was adopted on that date in 1990.

The other International Days were also pronounced by the UN: in 1992 December 3 was announced as the International Day of People with Disability; in 1996 International Civil Aviation Day was proclaimed to be on December 7; in 1993 December 29 was decreed to be the International Day for Biological Diversity, although this date was changed to be May 22 as of 2001.

Answer: Easter

Easter is celebrated by Christians on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the (northern hemisphere) Vernal Equinox, nowhere near the solstice. The other three days are all among the many December solstice celebrations. The Babylonians observed Zagmuk over a period of ten days that overlapped the solstice, celebrating the victory of Marduk, the sun god, in his battle against darkness, The Incan Empire observed Inti Raymi, in honor of the sun god Inti, with rituals that included an enactment of the 'tying of the sun' - the sun was ceremonially tied to a large stone called an Intihuatana, so that it couldn't escape, and was forced to return and bring longer days again.

The only remaining Intihuatana can be found in Machu Pichu - the Spaniards destroyed all the others and eliminated the non-Christian practice during the 16th century. Dongzhi, which translates as The Extreme of Winter, is celebrated in east Asia as a time for family reunions and the eating of brightly-coloured rice flour dumplings, or balls of glutinous rice, called tangyuan.

Answer: Night of the Radishes

In an event that has been running since 1897, participants (many using their own specially grown radishes) produce elaborate sculptures which feature the radish, although other materials are included. It is important to get the right size of radish - your usual salad radish doesn't offer much scope for creativity. Radishes weighing up to 3 kg (6.5 lb) and measuring up to 50 cm (20 in) are produced by leaving the radishes in the ground and growing for months longer than the usual product.

This extended growth can also lead to unusual shapes, which the inspired artist can incorporate into their sculpture. Sculptures may be as complex as a complete nativity scene, or as simple as a realistic depiction of a local building. Artistic use of the radish is the primary criterion in the judging.