Q 01/05

Diwali commemorates which figure's return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana?

A) Krishna

B) Ganesha

C) Arjuna

D) Rama

Answer · why

D) Rama

Homes are lit with diyas, and the goddess Lakshmi is worshipped for prosperity; celebrations run about five days.

Q 02/05

Which observance on the 15th day, with children carrying lights and solving riddles, ends Chinese New Year celebrations?

A) The Dragon Boat Festival

B) The Lantern Festival

C) The Qingming Festival

D) The Mid-Autumn Festival

Answer · why

B) The Lantern Festival

Children carry paper lanterns and solve the riddles written on them; the whole period is officially the Spring Festival.

Q 03/05

What are the home altars built for Mexico's Day of the Dead called?

A) Nichos

B) Retablos

C) Ofrendas

D) Calaveras

Answer · why

C) Ofrendas

They hold the favourite foods and drinks of the departed, decorated with marigolds called cempasúchil; UNESCO listed the tradition in 2008.

Q 04/05

Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, celebrates the love between which two deities?

A) Radha and Krishna

B) Shiva and Parvati

C) Vishnu and Lakshmi

D) Rama and Sita

Answer · why

A) Radha and Krishna

It falls on the full moon of Phalguna, usually mid-March, and lasts a night and a day.

Q 05/05

Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated on 13 April, is famous for what public activity?

A) Tomato throwing

B) Lantern releases

C) Bonfire jumping

D) Water fights

Answer · why

D) Water fights

The soaking symbolises ritual cleansing; the word comes from Sanskrit for 'astrological passage'.