New Year's
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
7correct to beat the crowd
123 free New Year's trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free New Year's trivia questions with answers. From the glittering ball drop in Times Square to the 108 temple bells of Japan, New Year's celebrations span every culture and continent. Whether you're an expert on Hogmanay traditions or curious about why Colombians carry empty suitcases at midnight, these 123 questions will test everything you know about the world's biggest annual celebration.
30 of 123 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year did the first Times Square ball drop take place, on 31 December, after the city banned the Times' fireworks?
1907
1907, on the New Year's Eve welcoming 1908, after the city banned the rooftop fireworks the Times had staged since 1904. The first ball was iron and wood and weighed 700 pounds.
Q 02How much does the Waterford Crystal Times Square ball unveiled in 2008 weigh?
11,875 pounds
The 12-foot Waterford Crystal ball unveiled for 2008-09 weighs 11,875 pounds (about 5,386 kg) and is covered with 2,688 crystal triangles.
Q 03In which two years did wartime 'dimout' rules mean the Times Square ball did not drop?
1942 and 1943
Crowds still packed Times Square in 1942 and 1943, but marked midnight with a moment of silence and chimes from sound trucks instead of a lit ball.
Q 04Approximately how many people gather in Times Square each year for the New Year's Eve celebration?
About 1 million
Approximately 1 million people crowd into Times Square each New Year's Eve, with an estimated 1 billion more watching on television worldwide.
Q 05Which TV host created 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' in 1972 and fronted it until his death in 2012?
Dick Clark
Dick Clark created the special in 1972; after a 2004 stroke he handed main hosting to Ryan Seacrest but kept the midnight countdown himself until his death in April 2012.
Q 06Who wrote down 'Auld Lang Syne' in 1788, insisting he had only transcribed it from an old man's singing?
Robert Burns
Robert Burns sent 'Auld Lang Syne' to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, claiming he had taken it down from an old man's singing, though the words are largely his own.
Q 07What does 'Auld Lang Syne' roughly translate to in English?
Times long past
'Auld Lang Syne' is Scots language and translates roughly to 'old long since' or 'times long past.' The song is about remembering old friends and the experiences shared with them.
Q 08Which bandleader's annual CBS broadcast helped make 'Auld Lang Syne' a New Year's tradition?
Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played 'Auld Lang Syne' at midnight in annual New Year's Eve broadcasts from 1929, on CBS television from 1956 until 1976.
Q 09What do Spaniards eat at midnight on New Year's Eve, one for each of the twelve chimes of the clock?
Twelve grapes
Twelve grapes, one per chime, for twelve lucky months; Spaniards gather round the television for the midnight chimes, and those who finish all twelve in time are promised a lucky year.
Q 10What did young Danes traditionally hurl against neighbours' doors on New Year's Eve?
Old crockery
Old crockery: Danes saved chipped plates and smashed them against friends' doors to scare off evil spirits, and a big heap of shards on your step meant you had many friends.
Q 11What colour do Brazilians traditionally wear on New Year's Eve for peace and good luck?
White
Brazilians traditionally wear white clothing and white underwear on New Year's Eve to bring peace and good luck in the new year. Some also wear other colors for specific wishes: yellow for money, red for love, and green for health.
Q 12What do the Scots call New Year's Eve, the occasion for an Edinburgh street party that is one of the world's biggest?
Hogmanay
Hogmanay, and Scotland takes it seriously enough that 2 January is a bank holiday there too, to recover; the first visitor after midnight, the 'first-footer', is supposed to set the household's luck for the year.
Q 13What do people in the Philippines traditionally display on New Year's Eve to attract prosperity?
Round fruits
Q 21What are the red envelopes given during Chinese New Year called?
Hóng bāo
Hóng bāo (红包) are red envelopes containing money, traditionally given by married couples and elders to children and unmarried adults during Chinese New Year. The red color symbolizes good luck and is believed to ward off evil spirits.
Q 22How long does the Chinese New Year festival traditionally last?
15 days
Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally last 15 days, beginning on the first day of the lunar new year and ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. Each day has its own traditions and customs.
Q 23Which food symbolises wealth at Chinese New Year because its shape resembles a sycee, or gold ingot?
Dumplings
Filipinos display 12 round fruits on their table at midnight — one for each month of the year. Round shapes symbolize coins and prosperity. Many also wear polka dots for the same reason.
Q 14In Japan, Buddhist temples ring their bells how many times on New Year's Eve?
108
The 108 strokes of joya no kane stand for the 108 earthly desires of Buddhist teaching; many temples ring 107 before midnight and save the last for the new year.
Q 15What do Latin American families set alight in the street at midnight on New Year's Eve?
Life-size effigies
Life-size effigies called 'Año Viejo' dolls, stuffed with paper, old clothes and firecrackers, are burned at midnight in Ecuador and Colombia, often made to resemble a despised politician from the departing year.
Q 16In which country is it traditional to eat soba noodles on New Year's Eve for longevity?
Japan
In Japan, eating 'toshikoshi soba' (year-crossing noodles) on New Year's Eve is a widespread tradition. The long noodles symbolize longevity and are also easy to bite through, representing a clean break from the old year's troubles.
Q 17What do residents of Johannesburg's Hillbrow throw out of windows on New Year's Eve?
Old furniture and appliances
Old furniture and appliances: the Hillbrow custom dates from the 1990s, and falling fridges and televisions have injured passers-by, so police saturate the district every 31 December.
Q 18Colombians hoping for a year full of travel do what at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve?
Run around the block with an empty suitcase
Run around the block with an empty suitcase, the faster the better. Yellow underwear for luck, twelve grapes for twelve wishes and a lentil in the pocket for prosperity round out the Colombian midnight checklist.
Q 19How many animals are in the Chinese zodiac cycle?
12
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, rotating in a fixed cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year is associated with one animal.
Q 20What color is considered the luckiest during Chinese New Year celebrations?
Red
Legend says the beast Nian feared the colour and loud noises, which is why doors get red paper-cuts and the streets get firecrackers.
Dumplings (jiaozi) are folded to resemble gold ingots; in Northern China they are eaten at midnight, and some families hide a coin inside for a year of fortune. Fish is eaten for a different pun: 'yú' sounds like 'surplus'.
Q 24What mythical creature are the lion and dragon dances during Chinese New Year meant to scare away?
Nian
According to legend, Nian was a fearsome beast that would emerge at the start of each new year to attack villagers. The loud drums, firecrackers, and lion/dragon dances are all meant to scare Nian away, since it feared loud noises and the color red.
Q 25Which Roman leader's calendar reform of 46 BC introduced the 365-day year with leap days?
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar's reform stretched 46 BC to 445 days, the 'year of confusion', to reset the drift, then fixed a 365-day year with one leap day every fourth year.
Q 26Which Roman god is the month of January named after?
Janus
Janus, whose two faces look back at the old year and ahead to the new, and whose name also gives us 'janitor', originally a doorkeeper. June is named for Juno and March for Mars.
Q 27In medieval England the civil new year began on 'Lady Day'. Which date is that?
March 25
Lady Day is the Feast of the Annunciation; England kept it as the legal start of the year until it adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, which is why the British tax year still starts in early April.
Q 28The Gregorian calendar, which is used worldwide today, was introduced by which Pope?
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in October 1582 via the papal bull 'Inter gravissimas.' It corrected the drift in the Julian calendar by adjusting leap year rules, and most Catholic countries adopted it immediately.
Q 29Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, typically falls in which months of the Gregorian calendar?
September or October
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which typically corresponds to September or October in the Gregorian calendar. It marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days.
Q 30Nowruz, the Persian New Year, coincides with which astronomical event?
Spring equinox
Nowruz falls on the spring (vernal) equinox, typically around March 20-21. It has been celebrated for over 3,000 years and is observed by more than 300 million people across Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus.