New Year's Eve Quiz Questions
Explore our collection of new year's eve quiz questions to test your knowledge and learn something new.
20 questions · Updated July 2026
Take the New Year's Eve quiz
Answer a few questions and see how you score.
1. The sparkling wine traditionally used for the midnight toast on New Year's Eve is named after a region of which country?
- Portugal
- France
- Italy
- Spain
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Correct answer: France
Explanation: Champagne is named after the Champagne region of northeastern France, and only sparkling wine produced there can legally carry the name in most countries. It became the celebration drink of European royalty and then the world.
2. Every place on Earth enters the new year at exactly the same moment.
- True
- False
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Correct answer: False
Explanation: False. Because of time zones, the new year arrives at different moments around the globe, rolling westward over roughly 26 hours from the earliest zones in the Pacific to the very last islands to celebrate.
3. What is the word for a promise of self-improvement that many people traditionally make when the new year begins?
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Answer: A resolution
Explanation: A New Year's resolution is a promise to improve oneself in the coming year, such as exercising more or saving money. Studies consistently show most resolutions are abandoned within a few months, which is why 'quitters' days' are jokingly observed in January.
4. The tradition of fireworks on New Year’s Eve is believed to have originated in which country?
- USA
- China
- Germany
- France
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Correct answer: China
Explanation: Fireworks originated in China and were used to scare away evil spirits, later adopted in New Year celebrations worldwide.
5. The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions started in ancient Babylon.
- False
- True
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Correct answer: True
Explanation: Ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of the year, considered the origin of resolutions.
6. What is traditionally eaten in Spain at midnight on New Year’s Eve for good luck?
- Apples
- Olives
- Grapes
- Churros
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Correct answer: Grapes
Explanation: In Spain, the tradition for good luck at New Year's is to eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, one grape for each chime of the bell.
7. In which city is the famous ball drop that marks New Year’s Eve watched by millions each year?
- Sydney
- London
- New York City
- Paris
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Correct answer: New York City
Explanation: The Times Square Ball Drop in New York City is an iconic New Year’s Eve event.
8. January, the month that begins the new year, is named after which two-faced Roman god?
- Janus
- Jupiter
- Mars
- Juno
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Correct answer: Janus
Explanation: January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of doorways, beginnings, and transitions. He is depicted with two faces, one looking back at the old year and one looking forward to the new.
9. "Hogmanay" is the traditional name for the New Year's Eve celebration in which country?
- Wales
- Iceland
- Scotland
- Norway
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Correct answer: Scotland
Explanation: Hogmanay is Scotland's famous New Year celebration, featuring torchlight processions, street parties, and 'first-footing,' where the first visitor after midnight brings symbolic gifts like coal and whisky for luck.
10. In many Latin American countries, wearing which color of underwear on New Year's Eve is said to bring love in the year ahead?
- Blue
- Red
- Green
- Black
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Correct answer: Red
Explanation: Red underwear is worn on New Year's Eve to attract love and passion in countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, while yellow underwear is the choice for those hoping for money and good fortune.
11. On New Year’s Eve at midnight, people in Spain traditionally eat how many grapes for good luck?
- 7
- 15
- 3
- 12
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Correct answer: 12
Explanation: One for each chime of the clock at midnight, Spanish people eat 12 grapes as a New Year’s Eve tradition.
12. Which Scottish folk song is traditionally sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve?
- Auld Lang Syne
- Wild Mountain Thyme
- Jingle Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
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Correct answer: Auld Lang Syne
Explanation: The Scottish folk song traditionally sung at midnight on New Year's Eve is "Auld Lang Syne".
13. Which food is traditionally used in Italy for New Year’s Eve celebrations to bring good luck?
- Lentils
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Apples
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Correct answer: Lentils
Explanation: Eating lentils tradition in Italy dates back to ancient Roman times. The ancient Romans would gift a scarsella, a leather purse full of lentils, to their friends and neigbours with the wish that they would turn into gold coins.
14. New Year’s Eve is celebrated on December 31 in the Gregorian calendar.
- True
- False
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Correct answer: True
Explanation: True. December 31 is the last day of the Gregorian calendar year.
15. In Denmark, what do people traditionally do on friends' doorsteps on New Year's Eve to wish them good luck?
- Hang a horseshoe
- Smash plates and crockery
- Leave a loaf of bread
- Paint the door red
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Correct answer: Smash plates and crockery
Explanation: Danes traditionally smash old plates and crockery against the doors of friends and family on New Year's Eve. A big pile of broken china on your doorstep is a sign you have many loyal friends.
16. In Greece, the New Year's cake called "vasilopita" traditionally has what baked inside it?
- A coin
- A tiny key
- An almond
- A ring
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Correct answer: A coin
Explanation: A coin is hidden inside the vasilopita, which is cut at midnight or on New Year's Day. Whoever finds the coin in their slice is said to have good luck for the entire year.
17. In Germany and several other European countries, New Year's Eve is called "Silvester" because December 31 is the feast day of Saint Sylvester.
- False
- True
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Correct answer: True
Explanation: True. December 31 is the feast day of Pope Sylvester I, who died in 335 AD, so German, Austrian, Polish, and other European celebrations of New Year's Eve carry the name Silvester to this day.
18. Which Country Celebrates the New Year First?
- Kiribati
- Tonga
- Fiji
- New Zealand
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Correct answer: Kiribati
Explanation: The first country to celebrate the New Year is the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, specifically its Line Islands, which are in the UTC+14 time zone.
19. In Japan, people ring bells ______ times at midnight on New Year’s Eve to symbolize purification.
- 108
- 16
- 42
- 23
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Correct answer: 108
Explanation: In Japan, people ring bells 108 times at midnight on New Year's Eve in a Buddhist ritual called Joya no Kane to symbolize the purification of 108 worldly desires.
20. The Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop was inspired by which 19th-century maritime timekeeping device?
- The time ball
- The ship's bell
- The hourglass
- The signal cannon
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Correct answer: The time ball
Explanation: The first Times Square ball drop in 1907 was modeled on the time ball, a device dropped at observatories and harbors at a set hour so ship captains could set their chronometers accurately.
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