Holiday Origin Stories
What holiday originated as a way to celebrate all working people and to allow trade unions to hold fundraising festivals and parades?
Labor Day
What is the most popular adult's halloween costume?
Witch
What is the most common dessert eaten on Rosh Hashanah?
Apples & Honey
(will also accept Pomegranate as an answer)
What is the classic soup served at Hanukkah and other holiday celebrations throughout the year?
Matzo ball soup
What Christmas movie character was originally created for a department store advertisement in 1939?
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
What holiday, according to legend, emerged as a way to scare off a mythical lion with horns from a village?
Chinese New Year
What's the most popular Halloween candy in the US?
Reese's Cups
What is the core requirement of Yom Kippur, and how do people achieve it?
Seeking forgiveness - people personally ask forgiveness of someone they have hurt over the past year, and then attone before G-d
What food is typically eaten to break the fast on Ramadan?
What is the highest grossing horror film of all time?
It (2017)
What holiday was originated by the Socialist Party of America in 1909?
International Women's Day
(originally known as just "Women's Day" or "Working Women's Day")
Which ancient Celtic festival is Halloween rooted in?
Samhain
What is the name of the long horn commonly blown at Rosh Hashanah services?
Shofar
According to legend, what is the shape of a candy cane meant to resemble?
A shepherd's staff
In Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, what holiday is Neal trying to make it home for?
Thanksgiving
What holiday is a Christian syncretization of Pagan festivals such as Lupercalia (which welcomed spring with bright colors and feasting)?
Mardi Gras
Before pumpkins, what vegetable was used for carving Jack O'Lanterns?
Turnips (and later, potatoes)
Name two things that people are forbidden from doing on Yom Kippur (5 possible answers)
Eating & Drinking, Bathing & Washing, Applying Oils or Lotions, Wearing Leather Shoes, Engaging in marital intimacy
According to the Prophet Muhammad, what is the recommended guideline for filling the stomach?
Fill one third with food, one third with drink, and one third with breath
In An American Tail, what does Fievel receive as his first Hanukkah gift?
His signature blue cap
What holiday originated after employers gave their staff boxes of gifts and leftover food as a thank-you for working Christmas Day?
Boxing Day
What, according to Irish legend, is the origin story of the Jack O'Lantern?
A man, Stingy Jack, made a deal with the devil that he could not take his soul. When he died, Satan gave him a coal ember to light his endless journey, as he could not enter Heaven or Hell.
What is a typical ritual done on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah? (name or describe)
Tashlich, when people walk into a small body of water and cast away small stones or breadcrumbs (representing misdeeds)
What is the food known as Ganesha's favorite, often given as an offering during Ganesh Chaturthi?
Modak (sweet dumpling with coconut and jaggery filling)
In the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” how many presents are given in total?
364! (each day, every previous gift is given again)