Zombie My Neighbour Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pumpkin

The tradition of the Jack-o'-Lantern goes back to Ireland where they carved turnips since pumpkins, a fruit of the Americas, did not exist. It is based on the Irish myth of Stingy Jack who tricked the devil out of some money and, when he died, he was not allowed to enter neither heaven nor hell.

He wandered the world trying to find refuge and people carved his demonic face on the turnips to ward off his soul.

Answer: Candy

Kids, in some countries even adults, go from house to house dressed in scary costumes and they ask for treats with the phrase "trick-or-treat," in other words, give something to satisfy me or I will play a trick on you, cause you harm. Originally, the people in costumes represented the dead and instead of candy they were given "soul cakes," little buns with a cross on them.

Answer: Samhain

Samhain (pronounced sow-win) is an ancient Gaelic pagan festival celebrating the harvest and entering the "dark" season of the year. It is celebrated on October 31st to November 1st, mainly in the UK, Ireland and the United States where it arrived with the Irish immigrants and their traditions.

When the Irish embraced Christianity, Samhain became All Hallows Eve (Halloween), a holiday for the dead and the transition from the physical to the spiritual world.

Answer: Barmbrack

An Irish Halloween tradition, the barmbrack is fruitcake, baked with a number of symbolic ingredients. Each ingredient has an explanation as to the good or bad fortune it will bring to the person who finds it inside his piece. Traditionally, the cake includes a pea, a ring, a stick, a piece of rag and a silver coin.

Answer: Zombie

Even though, zombies hail from Haiti and are associated with voodoo, they have found their place in the Halloween celebrations. They are soulless, undead, brain-eating, rotting corpses. Their sole purpose is to make more zombies and they can only be destroyed if they are decapitated, if the head is severed from the spine.

The song "Zombie" is considered the biggest success of the band The Cranberries.

Answer: Ball and chain

Ghosts are popular costumes for Halloween and relatively easy to make at home with a white piece of cloth, some markers and a few accessories. Among the most needed accessories is a ball with a chain or just a chain. The explanation for this is the fact that ghosts are dead with unfinished business on earth, a fact that keeps them "chained" to the world above and does not allow them to move on. Essentially, they are prisoners, stuck in between worlds.

Answer: Room on the Broom

"Room on the Broom" is a children's book written by author and playwright Julia Donaldson, internationally known for her book "The Gruffalo. "Room on the Broom" is about a kind witch and her cat who give a ride on their broom to a dog, a bird and a frog and their adventures when the heavy broom breaks and they land on a dragon.

Answer: Black cat

Along with pumpkins and ghosts, black cats are an iconic symbol of Halloween. Their association with the holiday goes back to the Puritans and the era of witchcraft. According to superstition, when in danger, witches could transform themselves into black cats and cast harmful spells. In later years, the bad luck that black cats carry has subdued a little but not completely disappeared.

Answer: Bats

Bats fall into the category of nocturnal and predatory animals linked with Halloween, like black cats, spiders, mice and owls. They are considered as part of a witch's entourage, especially if they are of the flesh-eating or blood-feeding kind like vampire bats.

In a more realistic explanation, right about the time of Halloween bats swarm the night sky on a feeding spree since their hibernation begins shortly and they need to stock up on calories.

Answer: The Nightmare Before Christmas

The film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) was written and produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick. In it, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, has lost his enthusiasm in celebrating Halloween year after year. In a walk with his dog, he discovers a secret passage into Christmastown. With his lost enthusiasm restored, Jack convinces the ghouls, ghosts, bats and goblins of Halloweentown to take over Christmas from Sandy Claws and his elves and reindeer.

Their mission turns into a Christmas nightmare for children and parents all over the world.

At the end, Jack realizes the meaning of Christmas and order is restored.