October - A Season of Celebration Quiz

Answer: World Vegetarian Day

World Vegetarian Day is always celebrated on October 1. It was started by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977. It should not be confused with International Vegan Day (November 1) or International Vegetarian Day (November 25). World Vegetarian Day was started in order to "promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism". October is also Vegetarian Awareness Month. Hug a Non-Meat Eater Day is a real holiday! It, however, falls on October 4.

Answer: National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day was first established in 1994. Most of the more publicized activities, such as public readings, revolve around the London area, but people can also participate online, as well as on their own privately, or within classrooms. Since 1999, every year has had its own suggested (but not mandatory) theme. For instance, in 2013, although the focus was on "Water," Prince Charles chose to recite "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas.

While not the official organizers of the event itself, the National Poetry Society is heavily involved, and there are many competitions and prize drawings that folks of all ages can sign up for.

Answer: Hunter's Moon

The Hunter's Moon is sometimes also called the Blood Moon. October was a time when the crops had been gathered and people were hunting game to see them through the long winter ahead. It is amusing to note that the Hunter's Moon should occur during Vegetarian Awareness Month.

There are many communities in North America that have a festival or feast day on or around the date of the Hunter's Moon's appearance. One of the larger events is held at an historical site near West Lafayette, Indiana, along the banks of the Wabash River. It lasts for an entire weekend, and visitors can enjoy a reenactment of the annual festivities that were shared during the mid-1700s by trading post workers, settlers, fur traders, hunters, French militia and Native Americans. In 2004, an estimated 60,000 spectators attended.

Answer: Sweetest Day

You may be surprised to learn that Sweetest Day has been around for a long time; it was first celebrated in 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio. You probably won't be surprised to learn that it was started by candy companies as a way to sell more of their product. The first Sweetest Day was a publicity stunt, involving actresses Theda Bara and Ann Pennington distributing thousands of boxes of free candy. It has since grown to a national holiday, and, in addition to giving candy, men are supposed to send their sweethearts cards, flowers, etc.

Answer: Most of it takes place in September

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Many foreigners come to Germany to experience Oktoberfest; it draws up to six and a half million people each year. Breweries serve a special "Oktoberfest beer," which is stronger and sweeter than normal beer. Oktoberfest actually begins in September, and can last from 16 to 18 days. Most of the festival takes place during September; it ends on the first Sunday in October.

For example, in 2013 Oktoberfest ran from September 21 through October 6.

Answer: Canada

Canada celebrates Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday of October. It is a legal holiday in all the provinces except New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Japan and Liberia celebrate Thanksgiving in November, and Mexico does not observe Thanksgiving Day.

Answer: World Habitat Day

World Habitat Day was designated in 1985. Each year there has been a theme (or several of them) relating to how people can make their communities more functional, safer and more enjoyable. As of 2012, the UN estimated that roughly half of the world's population lived in either a town or a city, and that by 2030 four or five billion people will be living in urban areas.

While urban planning has always been important, it will become even more so in the future when it comes to new ideas regarding sustainable resources and housing.

Answer: Opal

An old poem goes like this: "October's child is born for woe, / And life's vicissitudes must know, / But lay an opal on her breast, / And hope will lull those woes to rest". The best gem-grade opals come from Australia. The "modern" birthstone for October is tourmaline.

Answer: Double Ninth Festival

In Chinese, "chong" means double; nine is regarded as the number of yang, or masculine energy. So Chongyang means "double yang". Special cakes are eaten on this day, and many people like to go up into the mountains. People also like to drink chrysanthemum wine.

In 1989 the Chinese government declared the Chongyang Festival to be Senior's Day, a day of special respect for the elderly. Another important Chinese holiday that falls in October is National Day, which commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

It is celebrated on October 1 of each year.

Answer: Turnips

According to an old Irish folktale, a man named Jack fooled the Devil into agreeing never to take his soul. But when he died, he was refused entrance into Heaven. Since the Devil would not take him either, Jack was doomed to wander the earth forever, looking for a place to rest, and carrying a piece of the Devil's coal that would never burn out inside a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. Pumpkins, of course, are much bigger than turnips, and offer a lot more opportunities for creative carving. Since they were plentiful in the New World, they soon replaced turnips as the medium of choice for jack o'lanterns.