Chinese New Year Quiz

Quiz all about Chinese New Year. You'll find many of the answers on our Spring Festival page
1. Why are oranges, tangerines and similar fruits are often seen at Chinese New Year?
Wishes long life
Lucky color
Wishes good luck
orange
Dish of oranges, Hong Kong. Image by Fung Kimmia available under a Creative Commons License

2. What heralds the start of New Year's day?
phoenix dances
military parade
firecrackers

3. Which day of the New Year festival should you give the family dog a treat?
2nd
5th
8th
Ming dynasty, Forbidden City, lion, Beijing
Gilded bronze, guardian xiezhi statue at Forbidden City, Beijing

4. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2036
2050
2028
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

5. What is a 'guotie'?
kitchen demon
fried dumpling (jiaozi)
rice cake
food
Eating dimsum dumplings on the street in gongguan; pictures by tashenka. February 2007. Photo by brappy! from Gongguan Market in Zhongzheng available under a Creative Commons license .

6. Which character for good fortune is widely seen at Chinese New Year?
festival, temple, lion dance
Traditional lion dance near a temple

7. What is the phase of the moon at Chinese New Year?
full
third quarter
new
garden, Foshan, Guangdong, architecture
Moon gate in Qinghui garden, Foshan city, Guangdong

8. Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) usually takes place in which month(s)?
January
January or February
December or January
red lantern, lantern, chinese new year, spring festival
Red lanterns are hung from the trees during the Chinese New Year celebrations in Ditan Park (Temple of Earth) in Beijing. Image by Paul Louis available under a Creative Commons License

9. Which event marks the traditional end of the Chinese New Year (Spring) festival?
Lantern Festival
Confucius' Birthday
Easter
festival, temple, lion dance
Traditional lion dance near a temple

10. Which color envelope is traditionally used for gifts of money?
blue
yellow
red
God of Money, poster
Chinese Lunar New Year money god poster in Hong Kong. Image by Mk2010 available under a Creative Commons license

11. Why are fish widely eaten at Chinese New Year?
Fish were the first creatures created
Fish carry a wish for a long life
Fish in Chinese sounds like abundance
taiwan, yin yang, fish
Window detail of Zushih Temple, Sansia, Taipei County, Taiwan. Aug. 2008. Image by Benjiho available under a Creative Commons License

12. Which astrological year follows the year of the snake?
horse
sheep
monkey
Hong Kong, zodiac, sculpture
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong

13. Which Chinese god is given an offering a week prior to Chinese New Year?
Zao Jun - the Kitchen god
Kui Xing - god of literature
Mi Le Fo - the Laugjhing buddha
deity, eight immortals, Shandong, Penglai
Statue of the Eight Immortals at Penglai Pavilion, Shandong

14. What are the lucky numbers in a year of the Ox?
five
eight
four and one
cat
Japanese lucky cat

15. The New Year greeting 'Gong hei fat choy' is in which language?
Mongolian
Vietnamese
Cantonese
lanterns, new year
Chinese New Year, Saigon, Vietnam. Image by falco available under a Creative Commons License
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