Megan Moran

New Year quiz

Ready to count down? This New Year quiz is packed with New Year trivia, from midnight customs around the world to the calendars that decided when the year begins. Gather everyone for a New Year's Eve quiz the whole family can play before the countdown starts.

A free quiz from Megan Moran.

Paper-cut illustration of fireworks over a city skyline with a clock near midnight and champagne glasses
Pick an answer to start20 to go

  1. Question 1 of 20Ball dropEasy

    In which New York City square does the famous New Year's Eve ball drop take place?

  2. Question 2 of 20ScotlandEasy

    What is the Scots word for the last day of the year and the celebrations that go with it?

  3. Question 3 of 20CalendarsMedium

    The month of January is named after which Roman god of doorways and beginnings, usually shown with two faces?

  4. Question 4 of 20Around the worldEasy

    In Spain, how many grapes do people traditionally eat as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve?

  5. Question 5 of 20ScotlandMedium

    Which Scottish poet sent the words of "Auld Lang Syne" to a song collection in 1788?

  6. Question 6 of 20Around the worldHard

    On New Year's Eve, many Buddhist temples in Japan ring their great bells how many times?

  7. Question 7 of 20CalendarsMedium

    The Roman calendar reform that took effect on January 1, 45 BC, keeping January 1 as the start of the year, was introduced by whom?

  8. Question 8 of 20New Year's DayEasy

    Which California city hosts the Rose Parade on New Year's Day?

  9. Question 9 of 20Around the worldMedium

    Because they sit in the world's farthest-forward time zone, UTC+14, islands belonging to which Pacific nation are among the first places to welcome the new year?

  10. Question 10 of 20CalendarsHard

    In which year did Pope Gregory XIII introduce the Gregorian calendar, now used across most of the world?

  11. Question 11 of 20ScotlandMedium

    In the Scottish custom of first-footing, the lucky first visitor after midnight traditionally brings which of these for the fire?

  12. Question 12 of 20Lunar New YearEasy

    At Lunar New Year, elders traditionally give children money tucked inside envelopes of which color?

  13. Question 13 of 20Ball dropMedium

    New York's New Year's Eve ball drop was inspired by "time balls," which dropped at a set moment each day mainly so that whom could check their clocks?

  14. Question 14 of 20ScotlandHard

    In which Scottish town do locals swing blazing fireballs around their heads along the High Street as the new year arrives?

  15. Question 15 of 20ResolutionsMedium

    Which ancient people are often credited with making the earliest New Year's resolutions, promising their gods to repay debts and return borrowed items?

  16. Question 16 of 20Around the worldEasy

    On Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, most New Year's Eve revelers dress in which color?

  17. Question 17 of 20New Year's DayMedium

    Hoppin' John, a Southern US dish eaten on New Year's Day for luck, is made with rice and which legume?

  18. Question 18 of 20CalendarsHard

    Until 1752, on which date did the legal year begin in England and its American colonies?

  19. Question 19 of 20Around the worldMedium

    In Denmark, many people greet the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve by doing what?

  20. Question 20 of 20Ball dropHard

    New York's New Year's Eve ball sat out two celebrations during World War II because of wartime lighting restrictions. Which ones?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
  1. In which New York City square does the famous New Year's Eve ball drop take place? Times SquareThe first drop, on December 31, 1907, was organized by newspaper owner Adolph Ochs after the city banned fireworks over the crowds.
  2. What is the Scots word for the last day of the year and the celebrations that go with it? HogmanayNobody is sure where the word comes from, with theories pointing to French, Norse or Gaelic roots. In Scotland, January 1 and 2 are both public holidays.
  3. The month of January is named after which Roman god of doorways and beginnings, usually shown with two faces? JanusHe was occasionally shown with four faces instead, a form known as Janus Quadrifrons.
  4. In Spain, how many grapes do people traditionally eat as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve? TwelveVine growers in Alicante helped popularize the custom in 1909, after a bumper harvest left them with a surplus of grapes to sell.
  5. Which Scottish poet sent the words of "Auld Lang Syne" to a song collection in 1788? Robert BurnsThe title translates roughly as "old long since," or more loosely "long, long ago," and parts of the poem were gathered from older material.
  6. On New Year's Eve, many Buddhist temples in Japan ring their great bells how many times? 108The custom is called joya no kane. One popular explanation is that each strike drives away one of the 108 worldly desires of Buddhist teaching.
  7. The Roman calendar reform that took effect on January 1, 45 BC, keeping January 1 as the start of the year, was introduced by whom? Julius CaesarThe Roman writer Pliny the Elder credited the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria with helping to design the new calendar.
  8. Which California city hosts the Rose Parade on New Year's Day? PasadenaUnder its "Never on Sunday" rule, adopted in 1893 so horses tied outside churches wouldn't be spooked, the parade moves to January 2 when New Year's Day is a Sunday.
  9. Because they sit in the world's farthest-forward time zone, UTC+14, islands belonging to which Pacific nation are among the first places to welcome the new year? KiribatiThe country once straddled the International Date Line. Its eastern islands skipped December 31, 1994, so the whole nation could share the same date.
  10. In which year did Pope Gregory XIII introduce the Gregorian calendar, now used across most of the world? 1582To bring the calendar back in line with the seasons, Thursday, October 4 was followed directly by Friday, October 15.
  11. In the Scottish custom of first-footing, the lucky first visitor after midnight traditionally brings which of these for the fire? A lump of coalTradition favors a tall, dark-haired man. Other customary gifts include salt, shortbread or black bun, a silver coin and a drink of whisky.
  12. At Lunar New Year, elders traditionally give children money tucked inside envelopes of which color? RedLegend says the Nian, a horned beast that terrorized villages, feared this color and loud noises, which is why decorations and firecrackers became festival staples.
  13. New York's New Year's Eve ball drop was inspired by "time balls," which dropped at a set moment each day mainly so that whom could check their clocks? Navigators on nearby shipsThe first modern time ball was set up at Portsmouth, England, in 1829 by Royal Navy captain Robert Wauchope.
  14. In which Scottish town do locals swing blazing fireballs around their heads along the High Street as the new year arrives? StonehavenAt the end of the procession, each swinger hurls their fireball into the harbor. Written reports go back to the early 1900s, but the custom is thought to be older.
  15. Which ancient people are often credited with making the earliest New Year's resolutions, promising their gods to repay debts and return borrowed items? BabyloniansTheir year began not in January but in mid-March, when crops were planted, and was marked by a 12-day religious festival called Akitu.
  16. On Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, most New Year's Eve revelers dress in which color? WhiteThe custom comes from the Afro-Brazilian Umbanda religion, where the color symbolizes peace. Many revelers also jump over seven waves for luck.
  17. Hoppin' John, a Southern US dish eaten on New Year's Day for luck, is made with rice and which legume? Black-eyed peasThe peas are said to represent coins. Served with collard greens, whose color recalls dollar bills, the meal is meant to promise a prosperous year.
  18. Until 1752, on which date did the legal year begin in England and its American colonies? March 25The date was known as Lady Day, the Feast of the Annunciation. When Britain changed calendars later in 1752, eleven days were skipped in September.
  19. In Denmark, many people greet the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve by doing what? Jumping off a chairThe leap symbolizes jumping into the new year. The evening meal often ends with kransekage, a tower of almond ring cakes, and champagne.
  20. New York's New Year's Eve ball sat out two celebrations during World War II because of wartime lighting restrictions. Which ones? 1942 and 1943Instead, the crowd observed a minute of silence before midnight, followed by chimes played from sound trucks.

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