Rumi Forum Trivia
You met this person at the start of tonight’s dinner. They direct the Rumi Forum’s youth initiative.
Tezcan
Gracias
Spanish
The roughly 555-foot marble obelisk at the center of the National Mall
The Washington Monument
The eight-night Jewish festival marked by lighting one more candle on the menorah each night
Hanukkah
On July 4, 2026, the United States celebrated this milestone birthday
Its 250th (the semiquincentennial)
The Forum is named after this 13th-century Sufi poet, who believed in respect for all religions and backgrounds
Rumi
Arigatō
Japanese
Tokyo gave the city these trees in 1912, and they still bloom around the Tidal Basin every spring
Cherry blossom trees
The Hindu festival of lights, celebrated with clay oil lamps called diyas and colorful rangoli designs
Diwali
This Puerto Rican star headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show, becoming the first Spanish-speaking artist to lead it, almost entirely in Spanish
Bad Bunny
Throughout Ramadan, the Forum welcomes people of different backgrounds into homes and community spaces to share this sunset meal that breaks the fast
Iftar
Tesekkurler
Turkish
DC license plates carry this protest slogan, a nod to the city’s lack of a voting member in Congress
“Taxation Without Representation”
Christians mark Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem on this Sunday before Easter, when crowds waved palm branches to greet him
Palm Sunday
At the World Cup final in New Jersey, this country beat defending champion Argentina 1–0 in extra time
Spain
The year the Rumi Forum was founded to promote interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding
1999
Toda
Hebrew
The French-born engineer who drew up DC’s original city plan
Pierre L’Enfant
The Persian New Year, celebrated on the first day of spring
Nowruz
In April, this NASA mission flew four astronauts around the Moon, carrying them farther from Earth than any humans before
Artemis II
Asante
Swahili
The only U.S. president buried in Washington, DC, at the National Cathedral
Woodrow Wilson
On this full-moon holiday, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing
Vesak
This Paul Thomas Anderson film won Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars
One Battle After Another