New Year's Trivia
Many people celebrate the New Year on January 1, but why do some countries or cultures celebrate New Year on a different date? Give one clear reason.
Different calendars (lunar or lunisolar) or cultural traditions set New Year at other times, so their year count or important dates follow different cycles.
Hot chocolate is often sweeter and creamier than plain cocoa. Name one ingredient that makes it creamier.
Milk or cream (or a bit of butter)
Some birds stay where it’s cold all winter if they can find food. Name one thing birds look for in winter habitats.
Open water, food sources (seeds, insects, fish), or sheltered spots to rest
What sport uses a rigid sled on which racers sit and steer with their feet, often raced in pairs or fours on an icy track?
Bobsled (bobsleigh)
Many cultures celebrate New Year at different times using lunar or lunisolar calendars. Name one calendar that determines New Year by lunar cycles and state how its New Year timing differs from January 1.
The Chinese (lunisolar) calendar; its New Year usually falls between late January and mid-February because it begins on the new moon in the 11th–12th month of the previous Gregorian year.
What does the traditional mulled beverage, mulled apple cider, often include?
Citrus peel adds fragrant essential oils that contain aromatic compounds
For bright, fresh aroma and flavor—the oils in the peel add citrus scent without extra juice.
Animals like the Arctic fox change color in winter. Besides hiding from predators, name one other advantage of white winter fur.
It helps them sneak up on prey (camouflage) or reduces heat loss by reflecting some sunlight from the bright snow surface (or more generally: improves hunting success).
Centuries ago, what were snowshoes made of?
Snowshoes were originally invented centuries ago so people could walk on deep snow without sinking—traditional frames were made of wood and rawhide; modern snowshoes use lightweight metal and plastic.
What do skiers put on their skis to reduce friction?
Skiers race down slopes using special wax on their skis to reduce friction; changing wax for temperature and snow type can make a huge difference in speed.
The Chinese zodiac repeats every 12 years. If someone was born in the Year of the Dragon in 2000, what other recent year was also a Year of the Dragon?
2012 (also 1988, 2024, etc.)
When baking holiday cookies, what is a common leavening agent?
baking soda
Hibernation and migration are two strategies animals use for winter. Describe one advantage of migrating instead of staying and hibernating.
Migration lets animals follow food sources and avoid long cold periods instead of relying on stored energy; it can allow continued feeding and breeding in milder areas.
Igloos are surprisingly warm inside. Name one reason the inside of an igloo can be above freezing even though it’s built of snow.
Body heat and trapped air warm the interior; snow’s trapped air insulates and slows heat loss.
In curling, players sweep the ice in front of the stone. Why do they sweep?
Sweeping warms and smooths the ice so the stone travels farther and straighter.
Name a New Year tradition involving symbolic foods meant to bring luck.
Eating 12 grapes (one per month) is meant to bring good luck for each month of the coming year; another example: in the American South, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s (often with greens and cornbread) symbolizes prosperity and good luck.
Name two vegetables you often find in hearty winter soups.
Carrots and potatoes (also onions, celery, winter squash)
Some animals use fat (blubber) to survive winter. Give one reason why fat helps animals last through cold seasons.
Fat stores energy for metabolism during times with less food and provides insulation to slow heat loss.
Before stepping onto a frozen lake, people check ice thickness. Name one tool or method people use to check ice safety.
Drill or auger a test hole, use an ice chisel, or check local signage or reports from authorities
What do you call the sport where people race downhill on long wooden sleds with steering, often on snowy roads or tracks?
Tobogganing or sled racing
The Gregorian calendar fixed a problem with the Julian calendar by changing leap-year rules. Which years are leap years under the Gregorian rule? Give the rule briefly.
Years divisible by 4 are leap years, except years divisible by 100 are not, unless they are also divisible by 400 (so 2000 was a leap year, 1900 was not).
Salt is used in cooking to enhance flavor. Besides taste, name one physical role salt plays when cooking vegetables.
Salt draws out moisture (via osmosis) which can change texture and help seasoning penetrate, or it can help maintain color in some vegetables.
Many Arctic animals have compact bodies, short ears, and thick coats. Explain briefly how a compact shape helps reduce heat loss.
A compact shape has a smaller surface-area-to-volume ratio, so less area is exposed for heat to escape relative to body mass, which helps conserve warmth.
When snow is very fluffy and deep, which is easier: walking in snowshoes or skiing? Give one reason.
Snowshoeing—because snowshoes spread weight over more surface area so you don’t sink as deep, making it easier to walk in deep, fluffy snow.
Which winter sport became a popular Olympic event in the 1990s and features athletes riding a board down halfpipes and slopes?
Snowboarding