Ringing in the New Year Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spain

In Spain, people gather in public squares and in their homes and eat 12 grapes, one at each dong of the clock as it strikes twelve. Each grape brings luck for one month of the coming year. Some Spaniards believe that to complete the ritual, it must be done wearing red underwear, preferably given to you by someone else. Eating grapes at the stroke of midnight is also a common custom throughout Latin America and other European countries.

This custom is not without its risks. The Spanish Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Society (SEORL-CCC) has warned that grape-eating is the third most prevalent cause of choking in young children in the country.

Answer: Denmark

Many Danes stand on chairs and then jump off at the stroke of midnight, leaping into the new year. The superstition is that failing to do so will bring twelve months of bad luck. It is common to celebrate by eating a meal of boiled cod in a mustard sauce, followed by a multi-layer marzipan cake in the shape of a cornucopia for good luck.

Many Danes also throw plates and glasses against the doors of family and friends to bring them good luck.

Answer: Japan

Followers of Buddhism in many countries use a "mala" or string of 108 beads that represent mortal desires. To usher in the new year, Buddhist temples in Japan ring a bell 107 times just before midnight and then ring the bell a 108th after the final stroke. Each stroke of the bell cleanses away an obstacle from the preceding year, and the final one represents a clean start to the year ahead.

Another Japanese custom is to mail postcards called "nengajô" to wish family members and friends all the best on the first day of the year. Nengajô posted within a specified period are guaranteed by the national postal service to arrive on January 1st.

Answer: Finland

A popular Finnish tradition is for each member of the family to receive a small tin good luck horseshoe, which is melted and then poured into water. The shape it takes is said to foretell what will occur in the coming year, from good luck and marriage to sorrow and death. According to some, if a young woman or man dips a scarf or handkerchief in the melted tin and puts it under their pillow, they will see the face of their future beloved.

Some families use a slightly different game to foretell what the year holds by placing a range of objects under cups or plates and letting each member draw one in turn.

Answer: China

The date of Chinese New Year falls between January 21st and February 20th, the exact date determined by the Chinese lunar calendar. Families gather to eat a meal of fish and dumplings for prosperity. Fireworks are a large part of the celebration, both to welcome the new year and to chase away evil. Shou Sui is a practice whereby people stay away long after the festivities to scare away a mythical monster called "Year" that would bring misfortune.

Answer: Greece

Onions have been a symbol of fertility and good luck since the time of the Ancient Greeks. Today, many Greeks return from midnight mass and hang an onion on their door or somewhere inside the house as a sign of growth and rebirth for the coming year. Some go so far as to tap sleeping children on the head with an onion for good luck.

Another Greek tradition for the new year is to gather a mossy pebble or stone and to leave it at the door. Anyone entering the house on the first day of the year needs to step on it to bring good luck

Answer: Colombia

Colombians believe that carrying an empty suitcase around the block will lead to travel and adventure in the coming year. This is only one of many national traditions. Some Colombians hold cash in their hand at the stroke of midnight to bring financial security, some stuff their pockets with lentils for good luck, and others clean the house to sweep away the bad from the passing year.

Answer: Ethiopia

Ethiopians celebrate the new year, not on January 1st, but on September 13th. As part of the festivities, families set small bundles of twigs on fire and place in them in a small fire pit in the yard. Everyone sings and dances around the fire. Once the flames are out, each person jumps three times over the pit for good luck.

Answer: Philippines

In the Philippines, people wear brightly coloured clothes with dots on New Year's Eve. The circles are meant to attract financial prosperity and good fortune for the coming year. Some throw coins at the stroke of midnight or shake a can full of coins for the same reason.

Answer: France

On New Year's Eve, the French gather with family and friends to drink champagne and eat oysters, but the festivities only end on January 6th when they eat a traditional "Kings's Cake". In the North, the cake is a closed galette made of puff pastry stuffed with almond marzipan filling with a small ceramic or plastic token inside called a fève.

The person who finds the fève is given a crown and is the king or queen for the day. In the South, the ring-shaped cake is made of raised brioche dough with a single candied fruit or bean inside and decorated with candied fruit and rock sugar.